By Diana Bezdedeanu
Portraits by Sara Farrell
The first time Bennett Adkins visited Lexington, Kentucky, she was a young teen tagging along with her parents to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. As their car ambled past the rolling green hills of the Bluegrass, Bennett pointed out the window and declared, without hesitation: “I’m going to live here one day.” Her parents laughed, but she didn’t. “No, I’m serious!” she insisted.
Four years later, when it came time to choose a college, her decision had little to do with a major and everything to do with a certain zip code. “The main draw to the University of Kentucky was Lexington itself,” she said. “I knew I wanted to be here.”
Bennett grew up in northwest Indiana, far from the epicenter of eventing. No one in her family rode, and her parents initially hoped horses were just a fleeting childhood phase. But it was clear this obsession wasn’t going anywhere. When Bennett was 7, her parents agreed to enroll her in lessons at a nearby eventing barn. “Luckily, they realized pretty quickly that my one lesson a month wasn’t going to cut it,” she said with a laugh.
Bennett’s childhood trainer set the tone for everything that followed. “She gave me a solid blueprint of being a horse person first, rider second,” Bennett said. That meant learning proper horsemanship and responsibility, not just how to jump. It’s a philosophy she carries into her own program today. “At the time, I didn’t care what discipline the barn offered, I just wanted to ride. But now I’m very grateful it was an eventing barn because it’s become my sport of choice. A lot of eventers pawn off dressage and show jumping. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really focused on those specific aspects, not just getting through them, but doing them well.” Still, cross-country remains her favorite of the three phases—“Because I love the adrenaline!”
At age 12, Bennett’s parents helped her buy Harley, her first off-the-track Thoroughbred. “I really learned how to ride from him,” she said. Harley stayed with her throughout middle school, high school and college and remains happily retired at her parents’ farm in Versailles, Kentucky, today. He’s also the namesake behind her business, Harley Heights Eventing. As a teen, Bennett spent nearly all her time outside of school competing on Harley. Most of their shows were close to home in Indiana or Michigan, but the highlight of every season was their trip to the Kentucky Horse Park. Those Lexington shows felt big and electric to her younger self. Bennett and her trainer prepped for weeks in advance because they knew the competition would be stiff. Even then, the Bluegrass had a pull on her.
When Bennett moved to Lexington for college, she found more than a degree; she found her community. “Coming to Kentucky was pivotal for me,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t even be able to put it on one or two people. The horse community here is next level as far as loving horses, caring for horses and being strong and supportive. Whether it was connections made from college or local trainers that I took lessons with on my personal horses, those early years in Kentucky really developed me into the trainer, rider, coach—everything that I am today.” She graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in equine science and management.
“Originally I promised my parents I would make money. I’d go do the office thing,” Bennett said. She focused on equine pharmaceutical sales and her life for several years was the familiar rhythm of a young professional. “I had the typical nine-to-five office life: go to work and then right after work, I would rush to the barn before it got dark.” Riding became the thing she squeezed in around the edges of her schedule, but the pull toward the barn was strong and constant.
Her side-hustle training business began organically, helped along by the 10-acre farm her parents purchased in Versailles in 2018, after recognizing that both Bennett and her brother, who had moved to Tennessee a few years prior, were planting their roots down south. There, she kept her own horses and took on a handful of training and consignment horses. “Originally it was just supposed to be for my personal horses. I wasn’t entertaining being a trainer for a living, which often surprises people. But little did I know, it was the stepping stone to create my program. I was able to test the waters, figure out what I did and didn’t like.”
Eventually, working two full-time careers became impossible.
In April 2024, Bennett moved her program to a 23-stall, 50-acre facility on Bryan Station Road in Lexington. The farm, long home to professionals, was designed for functionality and thoughtful horse care, her top priorities. “One of the biggest aspects of my program is making sure the horses are happy and healthy,” she said. “Lots of turnout is something I’m very passionate about.”
Harley Heights Eventing is a mix of competitive riders, sale horses and training horses of all kinds. Many are off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs)—a breed Bennett loves and excels at. She often restarts OTTBs, then transitions their owners into lessons. “A lot of riders want an OTTB but feel nervous about the initial restart,” she said. “So I get the horse going, then help teach the rider how to do the things I’ve taught the horse under saddle. Then they go on together. It’s a very rewarding process!”
Her pitch to clients is simple and unwavering: “Horses are expensive and a luxury. People should enjoy them and they shouldn’t be a stressor.”
While Harley shaped her early years, several special Thoroughbreds have moved Bennett forward professionally.
During college, she made an impulsive trip to Florida to go see an off-the-track Thoroughbred who spoke to her through his online sales ad. That horse—Dean—made the ride home back to Kentucky for Bennett to restart from the ground up. A natural at eventing, Dean progressed through Preliminary and became the pivotal horse who financially helped Bennett expand her business. “I ultimately sold him when I had an exciting prospect come in, and at that point in my life, I could only afford one competition horse,” she said. Dean went on to be a young rider’s dream horse.
Selling Dean allowed Bennett to take on her next OTTB, Bruin, whom she still owns and competes with today. Another OTTB, Ernie, started as a sales horse but showed so much talent she decided to keep him in the rotation longer-term. “All my personal competition horses that have gone on and done bigger things started at the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover,” she noted—a testament to her passion for restarting Thoroughbreds.
Bennett’s goals for the future are simple and ambitious all at once: find the horses who genuinely want to climb the upper levels of eventing, and create space for her riders and horses to thrive. “Not every horse wants to do the top of the sport, and that’s OK,” she said. “I want to find the ones who do—and I think I have a couple of exciting prospects in the barn right now. At the end of the day, I hope I’m fostering a barn community where people look forward to coming after their normal nine-to-five jobs, seeing it as their happy place.”
When she’s not riding, Bennett and her husband—self-described foodies—love exploring Lexington’s restaurant scene. She recently discovered a new passion: indoor rock climbing. “I wanted cross-training that wasn’t the gym because I’m not disciplined enough for that,” she joked. “My husband has been climbing for years, and when I tried it, I realized how great it was for riding muscles. So now we go together.”
To Bennett, success isn’t about buying made upper-level horses or chasing the biggest shows. It’s in the day-to-day: teaching a green horse its first cues, watching a rider connect with their new partner, helping a young Thoroughbred find its place in a new career. Even now—with a major facility, a full roster of clients and big competition dreams—Bennett approaches her work with the same mindset she had as a determined teen: show up, work hard, love the horses and let the rest unfold.
And to think it all began with a kid pointing out the window at the bluegrass and calling it home.
Follow Bennett on Facebook & Instagram @harleyheightseventing and visit harleyheightseventing.com
Photos by Sara Farrell, threeredheadsandamoose.com
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