Kirk Harnett draws strength and inspiration from his horses

by Chris Lomon

Kirk Harnett does not shy away from sharing the personal struggles he has endured – or how horses continue to help him heal.

For the past four years, Harnett has been a caretaker in the barn of Ontario-based trainer Kyle Bossence, working in tandem with another groom to tend to the 14 horses currently calling the stable home.

Every pacer and trotter under his care — Harnett and his fellow groom rotate tending to each horse on any given day — plays an important role in his life.

“I am grateful for every moment I get to be around the horses, and I never take that for granted,” Harnett said. They give me strength and they give me inspiration.”

It has always been that way for as long as Harnett can remember.

Growing up in southwestern Ontario, his first connection with standardbreds came through his family.

“My mom worked for Tom and Elizabeth Rankin in St. Catharines,” he said. “I was in Grade 8 when we moved to the Rankins’ farmhouse. We took care of the broodmares and the track they had on the property. My dad and I would do the track in the winter. I would help when I wasn’t in school, and I enjoyed being outdoors. My mom was the groom for their racehorses at that time.”

There were two major reasons behind Harnett’s belief that he might one day follow in the footsteps of his parents.

“When I was in Grade 9, I just didn’t like it,” Harnett said. “I always knew that hands-on skills would be better for me. I told my mom and dad that it would either be working with horses or working with cars.”

Equine horsepower eventually won out.

After dropping out of high school, Harnett embarked on his racing career.

It would be a nomadic and tumultuous early racing life for the young caretaker.

“My mom and dad separated,” Harnett said. “My mom and [trainer] Patrick Delvecchio were then together for a little while and we took care of his horses together. I worked for another trainer for about seven months after that, and then I moved on to Bill Budd. I had a juvenile record at that time, but Bill and his wife Linda brought me into their house and I stayed with them for about a year and a half.”

Harnett eventually moved on to other stables, a list that includes Tony O’Sullivan, where he took care of Fantaddy, a 19-time winner. He then moved on to Darlene Hayes, where he met her daughter, Tamara, someone who would come to play an important role in his life.

After his time with Hayes, he worked for Hall of Fame trainer Ben Wallace.

It was during those days that Harnett began to give more thought to earning his driver’s and trainer’s licenses.

But it was not meant to be.

“A horse named Special Blend jumped on my back and I dislocated both my shoulders,” he said. “I had an issue with my left shoulder to begin with, so that put an end to my dream of driving.”

Harnett’s travels after his time in the Wallace barn included stops in Michigan and Western Canada, the latter as a caretaker for trainer Jamie Gray.

Four years ago, Harnett found his way to trainer Kyle Bossence and his wife, Tamara.

It would be a life-changing experience for the horseman, who was in need of stability.

“I have to say it has been great working for Kyle and reconnecting with Tamara after meeting her when I was at her mom’s barn,” Harnett said. “They are like family to me. I don’t think, with what I had put them through with my own struggles, that they would support me, but that is what they have done for me, and I am so lucky and thankful for that. The way I was, most employers would have gotten rid of me, but Kyle and Tamara have probably been my biggest supporters. I can go to them, and they never judge me or make me feel ashamed.

“It means a lot. It means everything to me.”

Although it is the polar opposite of what he wants to see in his horses, Harnett has embraced a slower pace and steady approach to his life, inside and outside of the barn.

It is a simple formula, one that has yielded contentment and hope for Harnett.

“The horses have helped me so much,” he said. “You build a special bond with them, and it makes you smile every day.”

One day at a time is Harnett’s mantra.

Each moment spent in the barn is a treasured one.

“Myself and the other groom, we gravitate towards certain horses, but every horse is afforded the same level of attention and care,” he said. “Just being there makes me feel at peace.”

Harnett’s greatest joy comes when young horses take their first training mile.

Whenever they do, he has a front-row seat to watch them line up behind the starter car.

“That’s my favorite part, getting to see what you worked hard for, to see these 2-year-olds get to that point,” Harnett said. “I love watching that. I also love watching when I see our horses win. When I see them getting close to the wire and they have a chance to win, I let it out. I start hollering.”

And then comes a quieter, but equally emotional, moment.

“I always give them pats and tell them that I am proud of them and they should be proud, too,” he said. “It’s a feeling that you can’t explain.”

Finding time for himself is the biggest challenge for Harnett.

“It takes a special person to be in racing,” he said. “You can’t see it as a career; it has to be a lifestyle, a passion and a love. If you don’t have that, it’s tough.”

Harnett, thankfully, has it.

“There have been a lot of tough times in my life, and I work hard every day to keep pushing myself forward,” he said. “I have the horses and they make such a difference for me.”