Life can take you in unexpected directions; a chance meeting or being at the right place at the right time can change your fate. In the case of Boothbay Region High School (BRHS) alum Harriet McKane, 19, it was attending her cousin’s birthday party at Burke’s Island Farm in Boothbay almost a decade ago. The theme of the day was horseback riding, and McKane’s younger sister, Piper, was taking to the activity easily. 

“I didn't want to ride at all. I was terrified, but ... I couldn't let my sister be better at something than me,” recalled McKane.  

And so, McKane climbed atop a horse, and the rest was history. Since 2018, McKane has spent her free time riding and training horses, and she just finished her first semester as an equestrian science major at Missouri’s William Woods University. William Woods is one of a small number of American colleges that offer a saddle seat program. Saddle seat is a style of riding that focuses on aesthetic presentation, designed to emphasize the extravagant gaits of certain horse breeds.  

“It's pretty much ... making your horse look the best they possibly can.” 

However, despite specializing in saddle seat, McKane never rode the style before entering college. During her time at Burke’s, McKane rode “hunt seat” on the farm’s Morgan breed of horses, although she said that beyond the differing saddle designs, the styles aren’t too dissimilar.  

“There's another girl (in my program) who’s mainly rode hunt seat as well, and the instructor is very understanding of that. So, it wasn't too bad of a transition.”  

Working at Burke’s also gave McKane valuable horse training experience. McKane has been a regular at the farm for years, but during her senior mentorship program through BRHS, she got to spend dedicated time during the day with the steeds, away from Burke’s typical hustle and bustle. Each day, she worked on breaking in her trainer, Amy Reny’s, new horse, Crash. It began with leading him around with a harness as she walked and built up until she was able to mount and eventually ride him. It was a process McKane fell in love with.  

She and Crash went on to place second in the Schooling Horse Class at the Mane Event Horse Show series in Skowhegan.  

“That really made me want to keep doing it, to be able to take him from not even being able to work on the ground, to show him under saddle. It's pretty cool.”  

McKane also has a ribbon in the Road Hack class from the Maine Hunter Jumper Association’s Summer Classic. While she is personally proud of the accomplishment, she said it’s minuscule in terms of the competitive horse world. One of the benefits of attending William Woods University is the school’s participation in larger-scale events, including the American Royal Horse Show, which draws competitors from across the country. 

McKane attended for the first time this semester as a groomer, and said it was her favorite event thus far and a great learning experience to see how big-name trainers handle their horses. She will be showcasing in the show next year.  

In the meantime, she’s been practicing in college shows, which pit different students and visiting community members against one another. She’s also been on the other side of the table, competing against other schools on their own judging abilities at the Arabian National Horse Show. “It's just good to know what (the judges are) looking for and how they want your horses to look, because they're the ones that are giving you the ribbons.” 

It’s just the beginning of McKane’s college journey, but she hopes to be a horse trainer working in a big barn before eventually starting her own enterprise. Her eyes are set on the World Championships in Kentucky and Oklahoma City.