Lana Buccieri
Born and bred in Stamford, Lana was originally trained by Mead Farm's former owner, Mona Raymond. A graduate of King and Low-Heywood Thomas School (1989), the University of Connecticut (1994) and the CT Center for Massage Therapy (2001), she is now a member of the marketing firm Fletcher Knight, Inc. Five years ago, Lana returned to Mead Farm. She has taught all ages and abilities and can most often be found teaching the newest students how to master the skills needed to advance. She loves spending her spare time with her favorite mare, Cleo.

Samantha Epright
Sam moved in August 2007 from California and has been riding for fourteen years. She will be entering her senior year at Staples High School in Fall 2008 and plans to major in Animal Science when she goes on to college. With past experience as a lifeguard, she is certified in First Aid and CPR from the Red Cross. She is at the barn almost every day teaching western lessons, taking out trail rides, and riding her own two horses, Bently and Rocky. The three of them have been here at Mead Farm for almost ten months now and absolutely love it!

Jenny Hoover
Jenny graduated from the British Horse Society with her Degree in Horsemanship. She then traveled Europe with eventers and show jumpers as a groom and competed on a variety of horses whenever the chance arose. She came to the USA in 1989 as a nanny, but after five years needed to be back with the horses. She was Barn Manager at Windswept Farm for a few years, and then worked as a vet-tech with New England Equine before moving back to the Grand Prix world as Manager and exercise rider for a local Grand Prix rider. Happy to be back at Mead Farm (which she considers home), Jenny now concentrates on the managing side of the business, filling in for instructors when needed and having fun with clients and horses alike. She owns Jester, a Border Collie and has owned two horses of her own.

Emily Lentz
Emily will be a senior at Greenwich High School. She has been riding horses since she was four and with her mother would spend entire Saturdays at a barn in New Jersey. Emily has admired and loved many horses and ponies with different abilities and temperaments but two have stolen her heart. "Justice" who lives at Mead Farm is one of them. Emily has been a Barn Rat since she moved to Greenwich in 1999. When she turned 16, she was able to move up to a teaching position and incorporate what she has learned as a rider taking instruction for the past 12+ years. Emily was a CIT with our Summer Program for the last couple of years and last year was a Counselor. She now can't imagine a life without horses, the people who make Mead Farm what it is today, and the children she teaches.

Phoebe Moes
Phoebe Moes started riding fourteen years ago, when she was nine years and Mead Farm was known as Windswept Farm. She then moved her horse to North Salem, NY and began training for eventing. She has evented up to Preliminary, show jumped and has trained Dressage in Germany with Grand Prix rider Tina Roettgen. She is currently aspiring to make a career out of riding and teaches at Mead Farm part time.

Jen Murphy
Jen Murphy came to us in January of 2008. She has been a 6th grade science teacher at Turn of River Middle School in Stamford since 2001. After school, she coaches cross country in the fall, runs a science club for girls in the winter, and coaches track and field in the spring. Jen has also been a volunteer firefighter since 1992, and is a certified Medical Response Technician. She is a member of Noroton Heights Fire Department in Darien, and trains men and women to become firefighters during the summer. When she isn't at school or the barn, she is at the firehouse! Jen grew up riding horses, and even competed for her college equestrian team. She is thrilled to be able to ride again, and to share her love of horses and riding with everyone at Mead Farm.

Katie Peterson
Katie is now in her fourth year at Manhattanville College and will be graduating with a
Bachelors Degree in English and Secondary Education in the spring of 2009 with plans to continue her education for a Masters in American Literature. While maintaining her place on
the Dean's List, she still finds time to instruct riding lessons and visit her horse "Cadet" every day. She teaches all levels and ages of students and is also certified in First Aid from the Red Cross. Katie has been an instructor for five years and has been a part of Mead Farm for eleven years and still counting!

Susan Peterson
Better known as Mrs. P or the Mom of the Barn, Sue has been an instructor at Mead Farm for four years. She is a graduate of Greenwich Hospital School of Nursing and is a licensed nurse in the State of Connecticut. Mrs. P has worked at Yale New Haven Hospital in the Medical Coronary Unit, Medical ICU, Resuscitation Team and the past twenty years has been a choreographer for Central Middle School in Greenwich. A mother of four and grandmother of five, she enjoys all children. Mrs. P has experience in working with children with different abilities from very young to the novice adult.

Kate Stoupas
Kate Stoupas was born in England and rode in the local Pony Club as a child. She moved to Australia at eleven and continued to ride throughout her teenage years. Kate studied as a photographer working in film and television with such stars as Nicole Kidman. She also worked as a ski instructor which has transitioned well into riding instructor. Moving to the USA 10 years ago, Kate returned to riding with gusto. She is on the Board of the GRTA, owns her own horse "Willow" and teaches adults and teenagers at Mead Farm. "I love this job" she says "working with women and taking them from beginner to jumping fences is a great reward". Kate competes in local shows and Hunter Paces and can be found at the barn most days. She has also just published a book entitled "Women & Horses - Passion or Obsession".

Ashley Valentine
Ashley graduated from University of Connecticut one year ago with a Bachelors Degree in Animal Science with a focus in Equine Studies. She taught the intermediate and advanced lessons for the UCONN Equestrian Team during her senior year. A high point of her college experience was helping to foal out the babies at UCONN. She now has her own baby "Chardoneigh", who is a 3 ½ year old palomino thoroughbred and 99% of the time, she is extremely well behaved. Chardoneigh lives at Mead Farm where Ashley has been teaching for eleven years.

Andrea Zaleski
Andrea is now in her second year at Western Connecticut State University and will be graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and Psychology, she hopes to also obtain a Masters in Special Education. She teaches all levels and ages of students and is also certified in First Aid from the Red Cross. Andrea has been teaching riding for four years and has been a part of Mead Farm for eight years.