Wednesday Mini Mag

Passing Of Carolyn Kaberline Leaves Void For Horse Industry By Frank J. Buchman

Horse enthusiasts throughout the Midwest have lost one of their very own. Carolyn Kaberline, 72, Topeka, passed away December 17, 2020, at the Promise House of Overland Park. A lifelong horse admirer, Carolyn bred and showed horses successfully collecting many awards locally and across the country. Likewise, she was prominently recognized as a writer for state and regional publications including several horse magazines. As close to Carolyn’s soul as her faith and love for everything horses was her heartfelt dedication as a teacher. She taught language arts and journalism for 50 years. Committed to horse leadership and writing about horses, Carolyn was inducted into the Better Horses Network Hall of Fame. “I was a typical horse crazy kid living in Topeka,” Carolyn reflected at that time.

“All I ever wanted for a Christmas or birthday present was a horse,” she insisted. “My folks said when you can afford one, you can get one. It wasn’t that a horse cost so much. But it was expensive to have a place to keep and care for a horse.” Horse ownership didn’t become a realization until Carolyn was a student studying journalism at Kansas State University in Manhattan.

“When I was a college sophomore, the Shawnee County Teachers Recreation Club had a cooperative barn on Topeka’s east side. Unbelievable now, members could board a horse for a dollar a month, maybe a little more in the winter,” Carolyn remembered. However, to be a member, one had to be a teacher or be studying to become one. So, the obvious thing for Carolyn to do was to change her major to education.

Pretty Enchanted