Meet the Staff at High Knoll Equestrian

Meet Our Staff

"All of the IEA team members truly support each other. They all work hard to better their own skills in practice and put their best foot forward at shows."

Sheena McNally, Trainer

Trainer Sheena McNally is a lifelong equestrian. Her love and passion for horses developed at a very young age where she grew up in Maine. She started competing in the local circuit at the age of 10.
To continue her education in the equine industry, Sheena attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. During her college years she competed in the IHSA on the UMass Equestrian Team. The riding program at UMass not only provided show experience but a solid education in proper horsemanship, flat work and course work.

After college, Sheena continued to teach, ride, and manage barns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. During her years of managing, she had the opportunity to learn from many trainers in the area. Each trainer she worked with helped her to continue to grow her skills as an instructor and rider.

Sheena's focus is in the Hunter and Equitation rings. Over the years she has coached and shown at NHHJA Shows, GMHA, Evenstride, NH Finals and Down East Finals. Her goal as a trainer is to help develop strong and trusting relationships between horse and rider to carry over into the show ring. She feels a strong foundation in flat work is the building block for any jumping school. Aside from teaching and coaching, Sheena has experience starting young horses and giving them a solid foundation.

Since becoming an instructor at High Knoll Equestrian Center in Rochester, NH Sheena has started an IEA Team at the farm. The Interscholastic Equestrian Association allows riders the opportunity to become a member of a team in an otherwise individual sport. Sheena’s goal for her IEA team is to build comradery and promote good sportsmanship at shows. This year she was also nominated to be Region president and ran the Regional finals show.

Sarah Meyer, Trainer

Sarah fell in love with horses when she was 10 years old. She grew up in southern Vermont, and got her first horse when I was 15 years old, a Thoroughbred named Freddie. She has worked in horse barns in exchange for lessons, from middle school through high school.

Sarah attended University of Massachusetts, Amherst and graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science. She also rode on the UMass Equestrian Team and trained under Jerry Schurink.

Right after college, Sarah was hired at KD Trakehners, a breeding and jumper barn in Wisconsin where she worked for 2 years training in dressage, cross country, and jumping. In 2012, she moved back to Vermont, and worked at Winchester Stables as a worker/trainer/assistant manager.

"I was so excited and honored to accept the job. I love being here and I’ve gotten to know amazing horses as well as people. I am so excited to pursue my career here at High Knoll Equestrian Center."

Abigail Letourneau, Barn Manager

For as long as she can remember Abbie has always had a true passion and love for horses. When she was four years old, her parents bought her a miniature horse named Derby, and that was just the beginning.

Abbie started taking lessons when she was eight and received her first full-size Pony, Sportyturf, at ten. Sportyturf taught her how to sit a buck, that not every ride will be perfect, and how to learn from every riding experience.

Abbie's first horse was Firefly. Owning Firefly taught Abbie how to treat injuries, wounds, and the general ins and outs of horse management and ownership. Unfortunately, Firefly was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cancer) in her vulva and even after undergoing multiple surgeries, Abbie had to make the tough decision to euthanize her in February of 2017. A couple months later, Abbie found Mazie at the NHSPCA and knew she was the horse for her. She now boards Mazie at High Knoll Equestrian Center and enjoys riding and working with her daily!

Abbie attended The Thompson School at The University of New Hampshire and received a degree in Equine Management. There, she studied nutrition, exercise, diseases, and how to run a facility and care for all different breeds of horses with different needs and personalities. While attending UNH she started working at the horse farm on campus and loved it.

Upon graduation, Abbie started working at High Knoll Equestrian Center as an equine caretaker. After two years, she accepted the job as an assistant manager. One year later, she was offered the manager position.

Gabrielle Andrews, Assistant Manager

Gabrielle started at High Knoll in April of 2017 and came with a background in management. She had experience working in her college barn as well as working with small animals. She attended Hocking College for eco-tourism and adventure travel. She has spent the past 10 years traveling the country and eventually (and happily) found her way back to her home state of New Hampshire.

Gabrielle has enjoyed her years of traveling and working different jobs, including trail maintenance, wildland firefighting, working with at-risk youth, and managing a lodging facility. Since starting at High Knoll, she has found her passion for horses both in and out of the riding ring. She takes weekly riding lessons on site and loves trail riding with her horse Penny. With her background in management, Gabrielle hopes to provide the best environment for both you and your horse at High Knoll Equestrian Center.