About Us

Robin Bhatia

Robin is a native of Washington State and began riding competitively at the age of 10.  Raised in the small community of Pullman Washington, home of Washington State University and the WSU Veterinary School, she spent everyday riding her own horses and any others her instructors would ask her to ride.  As a teenager she competed in the Junior Hunters at local and recognized shows but most of her time was spent in the world of Eventing as that is what was most available in the region. During that time she was fortunate enough to receive instruction from USET 3-Day coach Jack Le Goff,  Olympic Silver Medalist Kevin Freeman, Olympic Gold Medalist Richard Meade and Dressage Instructor Dietrich Von Hopffgarten.  She continued to ride and compete through her undergraduate education and in 1981 graduated from Ohio State University with a Masters in Fine Arts.

After Graduate School Robin returned to the Pacific Northwest and the world of horses.  In 1983 she purchased Country Road and was successful in the Amateur Owner Jumpers through out the Northwest and Canada.  With “Cowboy” Robin attended the International Competition at Spruce Meadows in Calgary Alberta over a period of seven years.  Cowboy also competed in the International ring at Spruce Meadows with Robin’s Trainer Tami Masters and had many Grand Prix victories on the Northwest circuit. Through the years Robin has availed herself of numerous clinics with  West  Coast trainers John Turner, Joan Curtain, Braid Laird, Laura Tidball-Balisky, Jeff Campf and Mike Crooks just to name a few.

In 1994, after many years in the Amateur Jumpers, Robin became a Professional and developed a successful business in Spokane, Washington.  Under the name of Meridian Farm,  Robin has developed numerous Hunters and Jumpers for her junior and amateur riders.  With a heavy emphasis on the amateur rider, Robin developed a program designed to build confidence as well as skill so that riders could develop beyond their initial expectations. Robin also has extensive experience riding Dressage, which she brings to her training of jumping horses and riders.  She believes that  flat work can be used to create a more responsive and sound equine partner through correct muscle and mental development.  

Lured by the promise of year round showing and warm winters, Robin relocated Meridian Farm to  Florida from August 2011 to May 2013, and returned to Spokane where she has been teaching since.  Robin enjoys teaching riders and training horses of all levels from beginner and green to those wishing to compete on the A circuit. 

Kelsey McCarty

Kelsey was born in Idaho, but spent the majority of her childhood in Spokane and began riding at age 7 with a local hunter-jumper program.  She first met Robin in these early days of her riding career, showing in several of the schooling shows Robin hosted and taking lessons that Robin served as "substitute teacher" for her childhood instructor.  Kelsey rode as often as she was able - while the hunters and equitation were the majority of her childhood, she also had a short spell in the rodeo world in high school, riding young horses (and whatever else was available) and learning the ropes of the western industry.  She couldn't stay away from the HJ world for long, though, and returned to it before graduating high school. 

At 17,  Kelsey moved to Montana, receiving her Bachelor's of Science degree in Equine Science at Montana State University.  While in Montana, Kelsey had several wonderful opportunities within the equine industry; she was able to ride with several local trainers; from dressage to equitation to ranch riding to young horses, just to name a few, Kelsey gained a wide variety of "tools for the toolbox" from each discipline and trainer.  She was able to intern with the Kent School in Kent, Connecticut, where she rode under Olympic Show Jumper Michael O. Page for the summer.  Kelsey also served as a T.A. for the MSU riding classes for several semesters, and helped instruct riders of all ages and levels in both English and Western classes.  She also rode for the MSU IHSA team for most of her college years and competed across the Midwest.  

After graduating from MSU at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelsey had lined up a position teaching riding lessons in North Carolina, but the pandemic had other plans and she ended up returning to Spokane to figure out the next step.  A serious riding accident in her final year at MSU meant she had a long road of rehab in front of her, and being close to family helped immensely.  She ended up getting a job at a large equine hospital near Spokane, where she worked as a vet tech and inventory manager.  During this time, Kelsey started dabbling a bit more behind the camera - since riding was a bit limited at this point still, this allowed her to still stay involved with her barn team (as she had reconnected with her high school HJ trainer upon returning) and attend various shows and clinics from a bit of a different perspective.  This "dabbling" rapidly developed into a career, somewhat on accident, and now Kelsey runs a successful equine photography business with clients and show coverage all over the Northwest.  She had also started working as an assistant to her trainer at the time, and as both of these "side jobs" progressed into more and more full time things, she resigned from her veterinary position to focus on developing these careers further.  In the fall of 2022, Kelsey picked up a few hours working for Robin as a groom; this rapidly developed into an assistant-trainer position, and when her home barn's circumstances changed, Robin and her team graciously welcomed Kelsey's team into their barn; Kelsey and Robin have worked in tandem since, officially merging their two teams in the fall of 2024.  

Kelsey's widely varied background gives her a unique perspective, and she is constantly striving to continue learning from mentors and professionals in various disciplines.  She is a firm believer that flatwork is the foundation to all else, and works with her riders to develop strength, confidence, and adaptability in the saddle, as they develop the feel and skillset to handle a variety of situations both on the flat and over fences.  She also has a passion for horse-and-rider biomechanics, and works with both horse and rider to ensure correct development mentally and physically through every stage of their riding careers.  Kelsey works with both young riders and adult amateurs, and welcomes all levels.