Another Successful Season in Ocala for Stony Lane Riders

Stony Lane enjoyed another wonderful season in Ocala, Florida. This year we stayed at EquiHay Stables, just minutes from HITS Ocala and the World Equestrian Center. We split our show weeks between the two venues, and our riders were able to enjoy the beautiful property at EquiHay on our off weeks.

The front path to the field at EquiHay Stables in Ocala, Florida.

Thanks to support from professionals Morgan Kennedy of MK Sporthorses, and Meghan Kanz of Soulshine Farm, Stony Lane clients had a seamless experience whether they were in Ocala or in Connecticut. Lisa Tomaselli travelled back and forth to equally split her time.

Loxley and Isabelle Grutkowski, pictured together with Morgan Kennedy, placed seventh in the combined 1.05m Jumper Classic during HITS Ocala Week X.

Congratulations to our riders on their many accomplishments. Magic moments include:

• WEC Ocala V and VI

  • Sisters Izzy and Zoe Grutkowski competed in the WEC Equitation Cup for the first time!

  • Cyrus and Izzy Grutkowski placed 7th over fences in the 2’6” USHJA Hunters (45+ cali split)

  • Loxley and Izzy Grutkowski placed 6th out of 50+ horses in the Open 1.0m Jumpers; Loxley also jumped double clear in the 1.10m Junior Jumper Classic for 12th

  • During WCHR Week V, Zo Beauty and Zoe Grutkowski placed 5th out of 60+ with a cali split in the USHJA 3’ Hunters; they scored in the mid 80s both weeks in the older 3’3” Junior Hunters

• HITS Ocala VI & VII

  • Izzy Grutkowski and Pino D’Aymon won the ASPCA Maclay, the WEC Cup Qualifier, and the USHJA Jumpseat Medal; they were also 3rd in the Medal maintaining their position through the test

  • Zoe Grutkowski and Grafton Street won the USHJA 3’3” Jumpseat Medal to qualify for finals; in the 15-17 Equitation they were 2nd on the flat and 4th over fences; they also scored an 80 for 4th place in their first WIHS Hunter Phase

  • In the older 3’3” large juniors, Zoe Grutkowski and Zo Beauty were 2nd, 2nd, 3rd and 6th out of 18 with an 82 in their first round classic

  • Eleanor Beffert was Champion in the HITS Crossrails and Advanced Beginner Flat Divisions; she was also 2nd in a huge group of riders in the Short Stirrup Flat

  • Madeline Beffert showed big sister Ellie’s pony “Frosty” for the first time, demonstrating her skills in the Grand Prix ring for the Leadline Division

  • Cashmire and Sarah Gleason were 4th, 5th and 7th over fences, and 8th in the hack, out of an enormous group of Low Adult Hunters

  • Cyrus and Zoe Grutkowski were 3rd out of 25 in the USHJA 2’6” Hunters

• HITS Week VIII

  • Cape Girl Z and Zoe Grutkowski were double clear for 5th in the $1,000 The League Jr/Am .90m Jumper Classic out of 25 horses

  • Cyrus and Izzy Grutkowski placed 5th in the $1,000 Bit O’ Straw Derby today with an 82 in the handy round

• HITS Week IX

  • Izzy Grutkowski

    • Pino D’Aymon 4th in the Maclay, qualifying for regionals, 7th in the USEF Medal, and 5th in the WIHS Jumper Phase with 5th with an 81 (didn’t enter the hunter phase)

    • Loxley 4th in the Junior 1.0m Jumpers

  • Zoe Grutkowski

    • Zo Beauty just missed the cut for the handy by half a point to finish 13thin the $10,000 National Derby Jr/Am (WCHR Week)

• HITS Week X

  • Zoe Grutkowski

    • Zo Beauty was Champion in the 16-17 3’3” Junior Hunters; 2nd in the Combined Classic, with personal best scores of 87 in the first classic round, and 84.5 in the second round

    • Zo Beauty 8th in the $10k USHJA National Jr/Am Derby out of 42 horses with a first round score of 83

    • Placed 2nd on the flat in the 15-17 Equitation, and in the ribbons over fences, aboard Grafton Street

  • Izzy Grutkowski

    • Finished 8th in the Arion Equitation Championship out of 29 riders, moving up one spot in the test, aboard Pino D’Aymon

    • 7th in the Jr/Am 1.05m Jumper Classic out of 36 entries on Loxley

    • 2nd and 3rd on Cyrus in the USHJA 2’6” Hunters

Stony Lane Riders Compete at Fall Finals

Junior riders Kyra O’Brien, Tina Reicin, Isabelle Grutkowski, and Zoe Grutkowski traveled this fall to compete at indoor finals, including Capital Challenge, New England Finals and The National Horse Show.

Kyra O’Brien and Elisabelle S qualified for Challenge of the States on Team New York!

Tina Reicin made the most of her last junior year by qualifying for every major 3’3” equitation final including Capital Challenge, New England Equitation Finals and The National Horse Show.

Isabelle Grutkowski and Pino D’Aymon had a lovely round at their first Maclay Finals

Zoe Grutkowski and Zo Beauty finished 9th Overall in the Children’s Hunter Derby at the National Horse Show 2024

Zoe Grutkowski also had great rounds at NHS Hamel Finals on Danny Boy

Stony Lane Riders Compete at Marshall & Sterling “The League” Finals 2024

Stony Lane riders qualified for and competed at Marshall & Sterling “The League” Finals 2024, including Ellie Beffert, Alex Bussan, Sarah Gleason, Isabelle Grutkowski, Jessica Grutkowski, Zoe Grutkowski, and Tina Reicin. Results are as follows:

• FW-PHA Short Stirrup Medal - 1st - Ellie Beffert

• The League Junior 3’6” Medal - Winner - Isabelle Grutkowski

• The League Low / Novice Adult Hunter Classic - 6th - Alex Bussan

• The League Adult 2’6” Medal Final - 10th - Sarah Gleason

• The League Jr/ Am 0.90m Jumpers - 4th & 5th - Tina Reicin

• The League Jr/ Am 3’3” Horsemanship Medal - 5th Place - Zoe Grutkowski

• The League Children’s Hunter Horse Classic - 5th Place - Zoe Grutkowski

• The League Jr/ Am 3’3” Horsemanship Medal - 10th Place - Isabelle Grutkowski

• The League Low / Novice Adult Hunter Classic - 11th - Sarah Gleason

• Hudson Children’s Equitation Classic - 5th - Zoe Grutkowski

• Hudson Children’s Equitation Classic - 7th - Tina Reicin

• FW-PHA Modified Adult Medal - 2nd - Jessica Grutkowski

Saratoga Frost and Ellie Beffert take the blue at the FW-PHA Finals 2024!

Isabelle Grutkowski wins the 3’6” Junior Medal at Marshall & Sterling League Finals 2024.

Alex Bussan and Bridgerton placed sixth in the Low Novice Adult Hunter Classic at their first Marshall & Sterling League Final.

Zoe Grutkowski placed fifth in the 3’3” Junior Horsemanship Medal. They also scored in the 80s for fifth placed over fences and eighth in the hack out of 30 horses.

Stony Lane Rider Ribbons for Second Consecutive Year at CHJA Finals!

Sarah Gleason and her very own Cashmire once again claimed a top prize at the Connecticut Hunter Jumper Finals (CHJA) held during the August Show at Fairfield County Hunt Club. In 2023, the duo placed 4th in the Modified Adult Medal, and in 2024 they secured a podium finish with a third place! Congratulations!

Congratulations to Sarah Gleason on her third place finish at CHJA Finals!

Stony Lane Rider Helps Team Abdullah Earn Gold at USHJA Zone 1 & 2 Jumper Finals 2024

Isabelle Grutkowski and Loxley were double clear the first two days of the three-day championship to help team Abdullah earn gold at the 2024 USHJA Zone 1 & 2 Team 1.0/1.05m Championships.

Loxley and Isabelle Grutkowski enjoying their victory gallop

Photo: Sam Emerson

Photo: Sam Emerson

Loxley trying to taste the flowers!

Stony Lane Riders Selected for USHJA Emerging Athletes Program 2024 Regional Clinic

Isabelle and Zoe Grutkowski were selected from a sea of applicants to participate in the USHJA Regional Clinic at Centenary University with clinicians Linda Allen and Chris Eadline. Read more here.

USHJA Emerging Athletes visit USEF Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ.

Stony Lane Riders Earn 2023 USHJA HOTY Ribbons

Cashmire, owned by Sarah Gleason, rose to the top in 2023 winning the Champion HOTY Award in the Low Adult Hunters for Zone 1, Channel 2. They were also 10th in Channel 1.

Gratitude P, owned by Jessica Grutkowski, placed 6th in the HOTY Awards for the Adult Amateur Hunter 36-49 Division in Zone 1, Channel 2.

Isabelle Grutkowski placed 3rd in the USHJA HOTY Awards in the 12-14 Hunter Equitation for Zone 1, Channel 1 with 201 points over 7 competitions.

Cashmire is the 2023 Zone 2 USHJA Champion in the Low Adult Hunters

Riders in Zones 1 and 2 Earn Medals in USHJA 1.00/1.05m Child/Adult Jumper Championship

Saugerties, N.Y.—Aug. 1, 2023—Riders from Zone 1 and 2 took to the podiums in the inaugural USHJA 1.00/1.05m Child/Adult Zone Jumper Championships at HITS Saugerties, July 26-30 during the HITS-on-the-Hudson V. Riders from Zone 2 dominated the top podium spot while Chefs d'Equipe Lisa Tomaselli from Zone 1 and Taylor O'Dell from Zone 2 oversaw the competition.

A new championship that offers competitors in the 1.00/1.05m classes to gain experience at higher levels of competition and provide a chance to earn Zone Horse of the Year points. Created to emulate the Markel/USHJA Zone Jumper Team Championships and Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships, riders compete over three days as an individual and on a team to represent their Zone.

"The gold and silver teams were tied with four faults over two days which is amazing. They were both very fast – the winning team with their times from yesterday were cumulatively only three seconds faster," Chef d'Equipe O'Dell said of the competition. "The biggest thing for the last day is making sure there is still some gas left in the tank – showing three days in a row is tiring on any horse. For the riders coming in from the gold team they are going to be pretty pumped up and need to keep riding confidently.”

Team Medalists

1.00/1.05m Children's/Adult Zone Jumper
GOLD: Milton
Winter Tietjen - Jett B - Zone 2
Marcellina Vitale - Remirevo - Zone 2
Tatiana Basch - In Style - Zone 2

SILVER: Abdullah
Adina Gesthalter - MTM Fiona 621 - Zone 2
Abigail Davis - Out of Sight - Zone 2
Cierra Simmons - Meet Virginia - Zone 2
Kayden Marsh - Bijoux Vincenza - Zone 2

BRONZE: Hickstead
Alexa Massimin - Cen - Zone 1
Zoe Grutkowski - Goteusi - Zone 1
Isabelle Grutkowski - Loxley - Zone 1
Krista Reynolds - King Gettigan - Zone 1

“Going into this round I was pretty stressed out because I set high expectations for myself. My mom always tells me that you're going into the ring with your best friend, and that helped me calm down and just had the best time," said Davis, Gold Individual medalist from New York City, New York.

"My horse has a lot of blood so he really needs me to be patient, but he is very good at coming back to me," Davis continued. "In the jump-off, I just let him gallop and do his thing. I love his personality in the barn and how he is always there for me when I ride him and how he just wants to win.”

The USHJA 1.00/1.05m Child/Adult Zone Jumper Championships provide Children's and Adult Amateur Jumper competitors an opportunity to earn Zone Horse of the Year points in the Children's and Adult Amateur Jumper (1.00/1.05m) in both team and individual competition. To qualify, riders must apply and earn a minimum of 20 points in their respective Children's and Adult Amateur Jumper sections at USEF-licensed competitions by their zone’s deadline, which is 45 days prior to the selected championship. Riders must also be current Active USEF and USHJA Junior or Amateur members in good standing. 

During the championship, riders compete in a three-day competition format. Day one entails a first round of the team championship and first individual qualifying class. Day two consists of the second round of the team championship and the second individual qualifying class. For the last competition day, the top 15 individual finalists from the qualifying classes return to jump for the individual championship title. 

One more USHJA 1.00/1.05m Child/Adult Zone Jumper Championships will be held throughout the 2023 competition season. The final championship will be held during the Temecula Valley National Fall 3 in Temecula, California, for Zones 9 and 10 on October 18-22. 

The USHJA extends special thanks to the team at Colorado Horse Park for hosting these Championships. The USHJA also thanks official sponsors CWD, Nutrena and Parlanti. 

For more information about the USHJA 1.00/1.05m Child/Adult Zone Jumper Championships, visit ushja.org/lowzonejumper. 

Photos: ESI Photography 

Five Questions With Lisa Tomaselli

How did you get into riding?

I had my first pony ride at a friend's birthday party when I was six and the rest is history!

Professional who inspired you?

As a junior, I trained with Eamonn Hughes of Drumnacross Farm. He taught me about the importance of hard work and maintaining high levels of quality when it comes to choosing horses, and overall turn out of horse and rider. You'll always see me with shiny, clean boots! He gave me opportunities purely based on my strong work ethic and desire to truly learn all the aspects of a program.

I firmly believe you can learn something in any situation. You'll always see me talking to other people at the show and around the barn. Whether it's another professional, veterinarians, or farrier - always listen carefully and ask questions. Even if you don't agree, you'll walk away with something important.

Heart horse?

My first pony Snowy was as good as they come - kind, sweet, and to ride him was a pure joy! Once I felt that, there was no going back. My jumper Magic has done all the jobs that a professional's horse should do, and has contributed to my business in so many ways over the last 11 years. He's been a lease horse, taught lessons, and is now trotting around with my own daughters - he came as a sale horse and never left!

Advice for students?

Most students believe they don't have a great eye, or that they can't see a distance because of their eye, but it usually boils down to rhythm and track. Once that is resolved, the eye is just fine! I always say that riders are not finished when their junior careers are over - it's a lifelong pursuit. Enjoy the process, evolution, journey and learning.

Favorite horse show experience?

I had the opportunity to show at the National Horse Show at the Meadowlands in NJ, my home state. Being a part of that historic show was a moment I'll never forget!