Stephanie has been involved with horses for more than 25 years. She began taking riding lessons when she was five and leased her first horse, Chico, a Paso Fino, when she was 13. She has taught riding lessons since she was 16. As a student at UMass Amherst, Stephanie worked at an Arabian farm, where she helped with the daily chores and enjoyed the Arabian foals. Later, while still at UMass, she worked at a Standardbred farm foaling out mares and doing night watch for the 200-horse facility. After UMass, Stephanie deepened her love of Arabian horses by working at a large breeding and training facility in New York. She was the breeding manager, responsible for the collection of the stallions, the insemination of the mares, the foaling of the mares, and the raising of the foals. In 1988 she returned to western Massachusetts, her favorite part of the country, and built Pocketful of Ponies Farm in 1990 while working for an international catalog company.

In 2001 Stephanie left her job in corporate America to pursue her dream of working with horses for a living. "I started the Massachusetts Horse magazine because I had been in western Massachusetts for over thirteen years and I had no idea where in the area to find the horsepeople and horse-related services I needed," says Stephanie. "There was a need to pull together the very large horse community here. With my experience as director of marketing and creative for an international catalog company and my experience in publishing and website development, it was the next step in my life to bring together horses, making a living, and giving back to the community."

Stephanie's horse-related articles have been published in a variety of regional and national magazines.

L.A. Pomeroy confesses that horses have been in her life since her first toy pony named Foo-Foy, at age two.

She has more than 20 years' experience as an equestrian freelance photojournalist, television news reporter, and events consultant, and has worked for the U.S. Equestrian Team, EquiSearch.com, and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Equestrian Media Services, and as contributing editor for Horse Journal. Her expertise covers all breeds and FEI disciplines; the horse in historic, social and zoological contexts; and equestrian antiques/collectibles appraisal (Breyer models, carousel art). She has enjoyed great relationships with some of the world's finest equestrians, including J. Michael Plumb, Betsy Steiner, Klaus Balkenhol, Michelle Gibson, Lendon Gray, Leslie Howard, Steve and Debbie Stephens, Lynn Palm, Bill Horn, Tim McQuay, Frank Chapot, William C. Steinkraus, and the nation's first award-winning female sportswriter, Marie Lafrenz.

She is a recognized member of American Horse Publications, American Zoological Association, and Valley Portfolio Photographic Society, and is the only journalist in western Massachusetts accredited by both the International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists and the National Sportscasters & Sportswriters Association. When not writing about horses, she uses her dressage, hunter/jumper, and reining background as a catch-rider, and has driven everything from Miniatures to Belgians. Her favorite past time is trail-riding gaited Catskills Golden Morgans in a good Aussie stock saddle.

Claudia has managed several horse farms, including a Thoroughbred breeding farm that bred horses for the racetrack, and is presently the manager of Twin Orchard Farm in Southampton — a no-frills boarding facility that caters to the average horse owner, particularly owners of the good old Heinz-57-variety grade horse who are looking for a relaxed, laid-back family atmosphere. Claudia began her journalistic career in 1997 and is one of the regular writers for the Massachusetts Horse. "I am thrilled for the opportunity to write for a local publication that caters in large part to western Massachusetts," she says, "and to bring timely issues to horse people who range from novices to seasoned experts." In addition to her freelance work for Massachusetts Horse, Claudia works for the Western Massachusetts Department of Public Health (a state entity) out of Northampton and serves western Massachusetts as the zoonotic disease specialist/adviser for the Western Massachusetts Public Health team.  She is also a licensed veterinary nurse (CVT).  She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and holds a B.S. in animal science.

Claudia is the proud owner of Sam’s War Echoe aka Sam, a solid black Paint gelding who just turned seven. "We trail ride and ride in parades for the time being. I’m hoping to show him in western pleasure and hunt seat at some point," says Claudia.

Joanne remembers being hoisted up as a child onto some huge creature and just holding on and enjoying the view. The delight continues.

Joanne learned to ride at UMass Amherst, during the mid 70's, on those wonderful Morgans. Her first job out of college was on a private estate that bred Hanoverians and the owner was a former Olympic competitor who graciously taught Joanne how to sit a 17-hand horse on the retired school masters.

Life ensued, marriage and children, work with and without horses, and a masters in business. However, the horses kept a persistant profile.

Her last job was again with Morgans on an estate and helped to keep her looking forward, and back. She has recently married her college sweetheart and he found a yearling Connemara/Dutch warmblood cross to keep them company for the next 35 years.

She credits her love of horses in part to her older sister who first dragged her to that public stable as a child and to the very nature of all the horses she’s been lucky to meet.

Laurie fell in love with a neighbor's pony sometime within the first ten years of her life, harassing her parents relentlessly until they finally gave in and got her riding lessons. In high school she earned her rides by taking out trail rides, cleaning mountains of dirty tack, grooming horses, cleaning stalls, and groveling a lot. After high school she rode infrequently, as she was otherwise occupied being an occasional art student and full-time hippie — then a wife and mother — and a potter — and full-time student again — leading to a career in nonprofit management. Finally, in her 40s, she said, "Eureka!"

Actually, she never said that, but she did realize that she was a grown-up of sorts at last and could buy a horse. So she did. After buying Boomer (a Quarter Horse gelding who is now in his late 20s and still happily being trail ridden) she added an Appaloosa filly to the family. Take A Peak At Me (Meha) was bred and born at Crimson Acres in Orange, Mass. and is at this writing 10 years old. Laurie carriage-drives, trail-rides, and trains in dressage with her. Meha tolerates all of the above, but prefers sunbathing, grazing, and rolling in fresh grass (she is largely white and stains a beautiful shade of green) at Mineral Hills Farm, home of the Waidlich family, in Millers Falls.

Laurie is the communications and marketing specialist for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and lives with her husband, Ray, three Labrador retrievers, and a Maine coon cat in the woods in Orange.

writer . . . Dee Boyle-Clapp