Sidelines May 2026

This Issue! Michelle Mercier—Leading the Ride at University of Florida; Toasting Women in Business—2026 Women Entrepreneurs; And Much More!

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SIDELINESMAGAZINE | May 2026

ROSEANNE

SPALLONE-NAGLE

Two Careers, One Path

By Jessica Grutkowski • Portraits by Sophia Donohue

oseAnne Spallone-Nagle has built not

one, but two successful careers—living

proof that hard work and humility can

turn passion into purpose. Throughout her

adolescence, she leveraged her love of horses and

an insatiable desire to learn as a pathway to the top

of the equestrian ranks. Shortly after becoming

a first-time mom, life took an unexpected turn

when her son was diagnosed with a severe horse

allergy—forcing her to reinvent herself.

RoseAnne discovered her passion at an

early age when her father—an Army veteran

with a playful sense of luck—won a racehorse

in a friendly bet. “There was a catch: He had a

broken leg,” RoseAnne said. Luckily, her first

childhood home was next door to a farm that

assisted with its rehabilitation. “There is a photo

of me as a baby sitting on top of this horse with

a huge grin on my face.”

Growing up an “army brat,” RoseAnne moved

frequently and wasn’t able to ride consistently

until her family settled in Farmingdale, New

Jersey. At only 4 years old, she started at Nancy

Bloom’s Best Chance Farm, following in her

sister’s footsteps, and celebrated her 8th birthday

there before beginning regular lessons. “My

parents had since divorced, and my mom,

Mary Margaret Myers, was working full time

in Manhattan as a journalist for ABC News.

RoseAnne Spallone-Nagle and Newton, leased by Zoe

Grutkowski, at Old Salem Farm in North Salem, New York.

WOMEN IN BUSINESS