Sidelines August 2025

This Issue! Genay Vaughn—Believing, Breeding and Building Her Dreams; Meg Pellegrini—Chasing Upper-Level Eventing Dreams; Ken & Jen Krome—Carrying On a Family Tradition Together; And Much More!

GENAY

VAUGHN

Believing, Breeding

and Building Her Dreams

MEG PELLEGRINI

Chasing Upper-Level

Eventing Dreams

KEN & JEN KROME

Carrying On a Family

Tradition Together

August 2025 | SIDELINESMAGAZINE

DRESSAGE

HEATHER BEACHEM BELL

Embracing Her Path in Life and Dressage

DRESSAGE

GEORGE WILLIAMS

The One and Only Aachen

ART

HAILEY SULLIVAN

Finding a Calling & Confidence Through Art

EVENTING

MEG PELLEGRINI

Chasing Her Upper-Level Eventing Dreams

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY

MARGIE SUGARMAN

Balancing Nerves, Trust and Partnership

EVENTING

NICOLE NAIR

Young Eventer, Wise Horsewoman

HUNTER-JUMPER

KEN & JEN KROME

Carrying On a Family Tradition Together

SIDELINES SUCCESS

ASHLEY HENRY

Inspiring the Next Generation

of Equestrians at SCAD

HUNTER-JUMPER

MADISON BONAMARTE

Horses, Mindset and Marriage Prep

On the cover:

Genay Vaughn, at Starr Vaughn Equestrian,

in Elk Grove, California, with Embergold,

known as Goldie.

August 2025

About this photo:

Genay with Gino, a 2011 KWPN gelding (Bretton

Woods x Haarlem) owned by Michele Vaughn.

Genay and Gino made their international

Grand Prix debut in 2023 and competed at the 2025 FEI

Dressage World Cup Final in Basel, Switzerland.

Photos by Lauren Ann Wagner

Volume 37 Issue 8 SIDELINES (ISSN 1071-3859) is owned by CLASSIC PUBLISHING INC. and is published twelve times a year for $29.95 per year.

August 2025 | SIDELINESMAGAZINE

SIDELINES SUCCESS

EVA CROWLEY

It Takes A Team to Conquer Cancer

EVENTING

VALERIE PRIDE

A Winning Warm Up

COVER STORY

GENAY VAUGHN

Believing, Breeding and Building Her Dreams

HUNTER-JUMPER

SARAH BARGE

A Farmer’s Daughter Grows to Love Horses

DRESSAGE

CALLIE O’CONNELL

Dancing on the World Stage

UNBRIDLED

JENNIFER ALFANO

IN EVERY ISSUE

12 Letter From the Editor | 14 Letters to the Editor | 84 Sidelines Business

86 Barns, Farms, Trainers, Clubs | 86 Tack and Feed Stores | 87 Real Estate

87 Equestrian Services Directory | 90 Advertisers Index

Madison Bonamarte

Photo by Elyse Bullard

Nicole Nair

Photo by Kacy Brown

August 2025 | SIDELINESMAGAZINE

SIDELINES is owned by

CLASSIC PUBLISHING INC.

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jan Westmark Bauer | editor@sidelinesmagazine.com | 828-575-3965

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Britney Grover | britney@sidelinesmagazine.com

WRITERS

Shya Beth, Diana Bezdedeanu, Kimberly Gatto, Jessica Grutkowski, Britney Grover, Laura Scaletti, Helen Townes

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kacy Brown, Jeni Brunner, Sophia Donohue, Sara Farrell, Melissa Fuller, Pam Jensen, Isabel J. Kurek, Kristin Lee, Lindsey Long,

Adrienne Morella, Lori Ovanessian, Kristie Scholten, Laura Ann Wagner, Shawna Whitty

COLUMNISTS

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August 2025 | SIDELINESMAGAZINE

Keeping Our Dreams

and Goals Alive

JAN WESTMARK BAUER,

Editor-In-Chief

Stay in touch by emailing editor@sidelinesmagazine.com

and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @sidelines_magazine

Letterfrom the editor

Genay Vaughn

Photo by Lauren Ann Wagner

Meg Pellegrini

Photo by Kacy Brown

Ken and Jen Krome

Photo by Kacy Brown

t’s hard to believe the summer is zipping by. It seems equestrians are busy no matter

what season it is. Whether training, riding, taking lessons, competing, breeding,

selling, buying, building new barns or facilities—the list goes on and it keeps us busy.

It also keeps our dreams alive.

Our dreams and goals keep us motivated and looking toward the future. Dressage

rider Genay Vaughn, who appears on our cover this month, is a rider who is building her

dreams, one horse and one ride at a time.

I loved getting to know Genay—from her start as a 4-year-old on her family’s Starr

Vaughn Farm in California to watching her dream come true when she was selected for the

2025 FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Basel, Switzerland, earlier this year. Our dreams

certainly keep us motivated.

While Genay is looking forward to qualifying for big competitions, she said she’ll never

forget what drew her to the sport as a young girl—the horses and her love for them. I think

you’ll enjoy getting to know Genay.

Three-day eventer Meg Pellegrini is also in this issue—and I’m excited for you to follow

her journey as she chases her upper-level eventing dreams. Meg said eventing became her

whole world when her family moved to California when she was 10 and she discovered the

Newport Mesa Pony Club.

Meg now lives on the East Coast and rides with Olympic eventer Will Coleman. Like

most equestrians, she has big dreams and long-term goals, but she has great wisdom also

as she said, “For now, it’s about getting it right, letting each horse be who they want to be,

and building a foundation for the future together.”

Speaking of a future together, hunter-jumper riders and trainers Ken and Jen Krome

are working on their dreams and goals together, all while building their future. I enjoyed

getting to know them—they have a great story.

I hope you’ll pull up a tack trunk, sit down and follow along on Ken and Jen’s adventures,

which, in addition to horses, judging and course designing, include rock climbing and

killer whales. Life in the equestrian world never gets dull!

I hope your summer is great and that your dreams and goals become a reality. And as

your journey continues, remember what drew you to our equestrian world in the first

place—our love for our amazing and wonderful equine friends.

August 2025 | SIDELINESMAGAZINE

July Issue

Stay in touch! Email letters to editor@sidelinesmagazine.com

LettersTo THE EDITOR

CONNECT WITH SIDELINES MAGAZINE ON FACEBOOK

AND INSTAGRAM TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION!

LettersTo THE EDITOR

Dear Jan Bauer and the whole team at Sidelines

magazine,

Words don’t even express how grateful I am for

the opportunity to share my story in Sidelines,

to inspire and help others through their journey

(“Ellie Goodfriend: Fighting the Good Fight”

by Jessica Grutkowski). It was also incredible to

be on the cover and see that come alive. It was

a dream that came true. Thank you to everyone

involved, including every single person part of

the Sidelines team. I cannot thank you enough.

—Ellie Goodfriend

You’re such an inspiration and there’s no one more

deserving of this (“Ellie Goodfriend: Fighting the

Good Fight” by Jessica Grutkowski).

—@maddiewu.eq

So happy you could share your story (“Ellie

Goodfriend: Fighting the Good Fight” by

Jessica Grutkowski)!

—@brooke.brombach.

This is awesome, so happy for you to get to

share your story with the equestrian community

(“Ellie Goodfriend: Fighting the Good Fight”

by Jessica Grutkowski).

—@elli.s329.

Yay, it’s here! I can’t wait to read all the stories.

Thank you so much, Jan Westmark Bauer, for

including my photos of Dana Lynn and always

being open to my ideas (“Dana Lynn Grace

Sapp: From Breyer Horses to Big Dreams” by

Tori Kistler). I so appreciate you.

—Susan McClafferty

Audrina!!! Your name in big letters! We are so

honored and grateful to Sidelines magazine for

including Audrina in their Pony Issue (“Audrina

McCall: For the Love of Ponies” by Britney

Grover)! It means the world to see her and her

incredible pony Greymeadows Colby recognized

among so many inspiring riders. Thank you for

celebrating young equestrians and the ponies

that help shape their journeys. We’re thrilled to

be a small part of this special issue!

—Lindsay McCall

Love her and these photos (“Audrina McCall:

For the Love of Ponies” by Britney Grover)!

—Reva Danzig-Moore

Incredible achievement (“Audrina McCall: For

the Love of Ponies” by Britney Grover)! And

this is just the beginning!

—Nancy Bare

The story is great (“Jaxon Hoshaw: Seizing

Every Opportunity” by Summer Grace)! Thank

you so much for making this happen!

—Jaxon Hoshaw

Thank you so much, Sidelines magazine, for

the article (“Sylvain Houry & Lindsey Knight:

Secret to a Successful Partnership” by Diana

Bezdedeanu)! Extremely proud of my wife,

Lindsey Knight, for all her achievements past,

present and future. Looking forward to more

adventures together. Thank you, Sarah Maslin

Nir, for the support.

—Sylvain Houry

What a beautiful article of you both (“Sylvain

Houry & Lindsey Knight: Secret to a Successful

Partnership” by Diana Bezdedeanu). Wow!

—Nicole Scullion

Thank you so much for doing such a special

piece on Hayley (“Hayley Walston: Pony Pens

& Beautifully Different” by Laila Edwards). We

are forever grateful.

—Hayley’s Painted Pony Pens

Thank you, Shya Beth, and all at Sidelines

magazine for featuring my sculptures and story

(“Amy Laugesen: Modern Day Equine Relics”

by Shya Beth)!

—Amy Laugesen

Wonderfully written story of my bestie (“Amy

Laugesen: Modern Day Equine Relics” by Shya

Beth)! We’ve known each other since knee-high

to a grasshopper, and look at you soar now!

LOVE the Tic-Tac photo!

—Jill Towstik

The July issue of Sidelines magazine is out! This

month’s issue is all about Junior riders! Editor

Jan Westmark Bauer pulled out all the stops for

another great issue. Thanks to Tori Kistler for

the article, Susan McClafferty for pics (“Dana

Lynn Grace Sapp: From Breyer Horses to Big

Dreams” by Tori Kistler). Look for little Dana

Lynn in this month’s issue!

—Marsha Hartford Sapp

Thank you, Sidelines, for highlighting our Ryan

(“Ryan Haselden: Heart-Stopping Competition”

by Jessica Grutkowski).

—Lindsay Haselden

Your family has so much to be thankful for

(“Ryan Haselden: Heart-Stopping Competition”

by Jessica Grutkowski).

—Mike Purcell

Awesome (“Ryan Haselden: Heart-Stopping

Competition” by Jessica Grutkowski)! And those

photos are stunning! What a beautiful family.

—Amelia Nowicki

Oh my goodness, she looks so grown,

absolutely beautiful (“Ryan Haselden: Heart-

Stopping Competition” by Jessica Grutkowski).

Love this article!

—Kelly Ann Bond

Love seeing you profile Ryan Haselden (“Ryan

Haselden: Heart-Stopping Competition” by Jessica

Grutkowski)! Wonderful young lady and family.

—Lynn Jones Coleman

Olivia, you’re amazing! So proud of you (“Olivia

Murray: Being Part of a Village” by Laura

Scaletti)! Finally Farm…top notch!

—Belle Pittman

Congrats to SCAD Equestrian alum Olivia Murray

(“Olivia Murray: Being Part of a Village” by Laura

Scaletti). So happy to see her killing it out there!

—Ahna Phelps

JUNE Issue

Every parent’s dream is to have their daughter

be recognized in a national publication like

Sidelines magazine. Well, Isabel McGovern has

made her parents, Rachael and Patrick, very

proud and happy to have Isabel and Eclipse

featured in a story about her journey from a

beginner rider to making it on the NCEA riding

team at Auburn University. Check it out—it’s

a great read (“Isabel McGovern: Walking On,

Despite the Odds” by Jessica Grutkowski). To

Isabel, a heartfelt congratulations and continued

success going forward. You are an amazing

young lady and I am very proud to have been

August 2025 | SIDELINESMAGAZINE

Stay in touch! Email letters to editor@sidelinesmagazine.com

LettersTo THE EDITOR

CONNECT WITH SIDELINES MAGAZINE ON FACEBOOK

AND INSTAGRAM TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION!

LettersTo THE EDITOR

part of your amazing story. Never forget, “Great

Horses make Great Riders.”

PS: Kudos to Jessica Grutkowski for the story

and Lauren Ann Wagner on the portraits.

—John Charlebois

sidelines spotlight

Sidelines photographer Kacy Brown, center,

had a great time taking photos of Sarah Barge,

right, and her fiancé, Anthony Field. Don’t miss

Sarah’s story in this issue.

Naomi Feagin, left, and Denise Leatherwood

spend their days at the beautiful Balsam

Mountain Preserve’s restaurant, Mine Tavern,

and they also enjoy catching up with Sidelines.

Visit Balsam Mountain in Sylva, North

Carolina, and say hi to Naomi and Denise.

Juliana Chapman showed off the June issue

of Sidelines while enjoying a Grand Prix at the

World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida.

Dressage rider Callie O’Connell, left, and

Sidelines photographer Melissa Fuller had some

fun during Callie’s photo shoot. Don’t miss

Callie’s wonderful story in this issue.

Jerry Bauer enjoyed a visit to The Equestrian Hotel

at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida.

Mark and Jana Stribling always enjoy reading

Sidelines magazine—including the August issue

featuring Ellie Goodfriend on the cover. If you

need to catch up on any issue of Sidelines, visit

www.sidelinesmagazine.com and click on the tab

that says current issue. Enjoy!

Sidelines writer Jessica Grutkowski, right, wrote

the story on Ryan Haselden, second from left,

in the July issue. If you missed Ryan’s amazing

story, make sure to read it on the Sidelines

website. Despite some rain and cold weather,

Jessica was thrilled to catch up with Ryan and

her parents, Will, left, and Lindsay.

Sidelines photographer Kristie Scholten, center,

along with her assistant, Cindy Ruzicka, caught

up with Sidelines art director Mark Kerley in

Kentucky. They enjoyed coffee and, of course, a

chance for a photo op with a Sidelines magazine.

Sidelines was happy to catch up with Cassie Kahle,

center, who appeared on the cover of our January

2023 issue. Left to right: Claire Burke, Cassie, and

Sidelines photographer Melissa Fuller.

August 2025 | SIDELINESMAGAZINE