GoHorseShow would like to congratulate former APHA exhibitor Kate Upton for being named the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover model. The 19 year-old who hails from Melbourne, Florida was an avid APHA youth competitor who won world and reserve world championships during her youth career. Her older sister, Laura Upton still shows on the APHA circuit in the Amateur events and was a recent member of the Georgia Bulldogs equestrian team before graduating.
We caught up with APHA judge and trainer Kathryn Kope of Cocoa Beach, Florida who was the Upton girls’ first horse trainer.
From Kope:
I started Kate and her whole family riding paints. Laura and Kate of course went on to be World Champions. There is an older sister as well, Christy, who also rode. Kate was happy and full of light. She has always been beautiful as well, even as a little girl she had that stunning face. She was a great student and worked hard. We do a lot of tough exercises to build riders, like longeing the rider on horse back with no stirrups or bridle. That never bothered Kate. We also had her ride a lot of different horses over the years. Not much ever fazed her. Kate likes a challenge. The Upton girls all love to ride!
Check out the article below about Upton that was just released by the Associated Press.
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NEW YORK (AP) — She’s a Florida girl who’s comfortable in a bikini, and now 19-year-old model Kate Upton is on the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
She wears a tiny red-and-brown, sparkle-covered string bikini with a view of the waters of Australia behind her as she poses for themagazine cover, which is scheduled to be unveiled on TV Monday night on “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS.
“That was one of the first photos from the first shoot,” she said in a telephone interview before the big reveal. “It was my favorite swimsuit. … I felt sexy in it but confident.”
Upton, 5 feet 10, was born in Michigan but raised in Florida. Her hometown is Melbourne, on the state’s east coast.
“In Florida, people walk around in their flip-flops, bikinis and jean shorts, so I’m very comfortable in a bathing suit,” she said.
The 2012 magazine cover is her second time appearing in the annual SI issue that’s the equivalent of the Super Bowl for models. Last year, when Irina Shayk was on the cover, Upton was chosen as rookie of the year.
“I have had a great year,” she said. “For me, this is groundbreaking.”
A huge perk of the job as the official swimsuit model is visiting lovely beaches, including shoots for the magazine in Sydney and Cairns, Australia, and Apalachicola, Fla.
She said living a healthy lifestyle for her includes working out regularly with a personal trainer and watching what she eats. But there’s no special diet to prepare for a bikini shoot, she said, and she admits to splurging on the occasional ice cream or plate of fries.
Christie Brinkley and Elle Macpherson are among the now celebrity models who previously had this gig. Upton said, “I am so glad to be in their company.”
