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SIDELINESMAGAZINE | May 2026
What began as a childhood love of art and horses has
developed into a vibrant vocation for Susan DiFelice.
She has channeled her passions into helping the next
generation attain the tools they need to succeed as
blossoming equestrians with her company Allpony.
com. Once a personal venture, Allpony quickly caught
the attention of the U.S. Pony Club, which took over the
platform. It’s now used as a resource for young riders
across the country.
Susan’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t end there. She
developed The Pony Island, a comprehensive curriculum
with an approachable, engaging and easy-to-use format
which allow kids to follow different “Pony Paths” based on
how they connect with horses.
The Pony Island offers accessibility to an activity that
can seem out of reach to many families. “Horses teach
patience, empathy, responsibility and resilience,” Susan
remarked. “Those lessons extend far beyond riding. My
goal with The Pony Island is to help more young people
experience those lessons, whether they own a horse,
take weekly lessons or simply dream about them.”
Tell us about your background—were you
always an equestrian and an artist, or did
those two worlds come together later in life?
I have always been both. I started riding as a
child, and horses quickly became the center of
my world. At the same time, I was constantly
drawing them in the margins of school papers,
in sketchbooks, anywhere I could. That passion
carried into adulthood. I earned a degree
in fine art and built a career as a designer,
illustrator and web developer, but horses were
always the subject that mattered most to me.
Over time, those two paths naturally merged.
My professional skills allowed me to create
the kinds of horse-related learning materials
I wished I had when I was young. I began
designing educational resources that combine
accurate horsemanship information with clear
illustrations and activities. I enjoy building
things from the ground up. Over time, those
creative and business interests came together in
the work I do now.
What inspired you to create Allpony.com
and what were your goals for it?
Allpony began very personally. At the time, I
couldn’t ride as much as I wanted, but I still
wanted my children to grow up understanding
and appreciating horses. I realized there
were very few online resources that explained
horsemanship to kids in a way that was
engaging, safe and accurate. My goal was to
create a place where horse-loving kids could
learn real information about horses, even when
they weren’t at the barn. I wanted something
SUSAN
DIFELICE
Merging Equestrians
and Aesthetics
By Annelise Klepper • Portraits by Libby Langley
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
Susan DiFelice with Toby,
owned by Susy Shearer, in
Chapel Hill, North Carolina.