Kari grew up with horses, first riding western with her mother and then switching to dressage and hunters in her teens. She saved her money for 8 years before she was finally able to buy her first horses at the age of 16. Following her high school graduation, Kari's love of horses took her to the University of Minnesota to pursue an Animal Science Bachelor's degree and later to the Ohio State University for a degree in Veterinary Preventive Medicine. Kari and her husband currently reside with their seven horses, five cats, and corgi.