On The Plains: Caroline Buchanan

From the Arizona desert to the stables in Auburn, Alabama, Caroline Buchanan has blazed her own trail throughout her four years riding on the Auburn equestrian team.

Buchanan, from a young age, has always looked up to her sister, Kate Buchanan. Both girls made their way from Arizona to Alabama as they grew up challenging each other and accomplishing their ultimate goal- competing at the collegiate level. Kate made her way to Auburn in 2020, paving the way for Caroline to follow in 2022.

“She and I have both helped each other and accomplished a lot with each other,” said Caroline. “She has definitely been a huge influence in my life.”

In Caroline's first season in 2022-23, she earned a win in Auburn’s SEC Championship, followed by another win in the NCEA Final against SMU with a score of  217.  Following that strong debut, Caroline has only built off her talent with more time and dedication.

“Equestrian has definitely taught me a lot of responsibility and time management,” Caroline said. “Growing up having to take care of horses matures you at such a young age.”

From balancing her life riding and in the classroom and preparing for dental school, those time management skills have come in handy. Though her sister majored in agricultural business and economics, Caroline decided to go her own way, majoring in biomedical sciences – a degree she’ll earn this spring.

“I want to go to dental school, and a lot of the time in dentistry they ask you about manual dexterity, which is being able to coordinate hand and eye movement,” she said. “In a lot of my applications I talked about riding horses and ‘feel’, which is to know what the horse feels from which leg or hand movement we use. Where you put your arm will completely move their body and you’re using legs at the same time, so it very much depends on the position of your body.”

Caroline shared how she never thought riding could come hand in hand with what she wanted to pursue in her career life. Being able to strategically move your hands and legs in coordination with what you want the horse to do, and relating that back to how dentists need to use their tools precisely in order to perform effectively, was a unique connection.

“Being able to hold the tools, knowing how much pressure to put on, is the biggest thing,” she said. “I’m still trying to figure it all out.”

Working vigorously the entire summer, Caroline completed her dental admission test in July.

“My parents would say come on the boat with us or come to the lake, and I would say, ‘I can’t, I have to study!’ she said. “It was all worth it in the end.”

Caroline continues to work hard, ready to pursue her career in dentistry as her time at Auburn winds down.

“Spring semester has definitely been very emotional,” she said. “I’ve probably cried after every meet and will until the end.”

As Caroline prepares to compete in her final meet at nationals, Caroline vows to finish strongly.

“I am just really excited to do this with my team,” she said. “I’ve had the time this semester to truly focus more on riding and getting to appreciate spending a little extra time at the barn.

Those final moments of riding with her teammates, being in the barn, and working toward an amazing finale will be memories she will cherish forever. 

“The biggest thing is not taking anything for granted, because it all goes by so fast,” she said. “There are those moments where I’m like maybe I don't want to do this or  I don’t want to wake up for workouts, but at the end of the day I’m realizing I’m almost done and I want to be able to realize how lucky I am to have been on this team.”

Her goal is to carry out her final season with an appreciative attitude while also working to win a national championship. 

As the equestrian team prepares to head to nationals, Caroline Buchanan stands poised to close her collegiate chapter. She wants to push her teammates and work toward winning one final national championship. Cherishing every last ride, her grit and dedication have made a positive impact on Auburn’s equestrian program.