ABOUT ME

KATHRYN T. GRAVES, PhD I have always loved animals.  I grew up with a regular menagerie of everything from turtles to horses.  I began riding and showing horses in 4-H with my first horse Cocoa Candy and in 1976 got my first American Quarter Horse, Cass’ Jodi.  I showed her mostly in Hunter/Jumper shows but did a few AQHA shows.  While I was going to school at Rutgers University in NJ, I kept and raised birds as a hobby.  I chose the name KATBIRD for my aviary using my initials (Kathryn Ann Trembicki).  After completing my PhD in the Genetics Department at Cornell University, I moved to Kentucky to establish a horse genetic testing laboratory at the University of Kentucky.  As a graduation present to myself, I purchased my first Boston Terrier, Brass Lite’s Lady Chelsea, in 1986 before leaving New York.  I rented a farm in Kentucky and began breeding and showing Quarter Horses. under the name Katbird Farm.  In 1991 I married Charles “Pete” Graves and moved to his farm.  All in all I bred, trained and showed Quarter Horses and Paint Horses for 30 years. After the horse market began declining in 2001, I became more involved with the dogs. Although I had bred my first litter of Bostons in 1988, I competed mainly in performance with my dogs.  For the conformation dogs I used a handler for many years as my job and horse business did not allow much time for dog shows.  By 2007 I no longer had any foals to raise, and began showing my own dogs more and more. I am a member of the Boston Terrier Club of America, the Boston Terrier Club of Greater Cincinnati, and the Lexington (KY) Kennel Club.  I retain a life membership in the Amercian Quarter Horse Association.