This month we would like to introduce three more NEW team members. You may have seen them in the office, around the farm, or teaching lessons. One is Buzz’s original owner, another comes to us from Centenary University and TRAC, and the third is our new Barn Manager! We hope you’ll take a few minutes to read their staff profiles and then introduce yourself the next time you see them.
Renae Flanagan
Renae recently joined the team as our part-time Volunteer Assistant. In addition to being in the office every Monday, she also helps the Volunteer Coordinator with hands-on training sessions and additional volunteer-related activities. Renae comes to us with years of varied experience after having managed a Manhattan dental office and coordinated fundraising events for her son’s Montessori school. She started riding horses as an adult and purchased BUZZ as a 5-year-old. They both trained together eventually showing in the Adult Hunters. When it was time for BUZZ to slow down, Renae donated him to Mane Stream in 2016.
In her spare time, Renae has a small business baking decorative cakes and rides her horse, Irish. She and her daughter enjoy riding together so much that they recently joined Pony Club and Renae has since accepted the position of Vice Regional Supervisor for the NJ Pony Club.
angela D'Alessandro,
riding instructor & barn assistant
New to Mane Stream in 2023, Angela is now one of our weekend instructors as well as barn assistant picking up extra shifts as needed. Angela is a recent graduate with an Associate of Science in Equine Studies from Centenary University. During her time at Centenary, she was a work-study student making sure the large herd of horses was happy and healthy all year long. Angela was also an exercise rider for TRAC (Therapeutic Riding at Centenary) and then became a volunteer for the program which she really enjoyed!
As a little girl, Angela always wanted to be a cowgirl when she grew up and she took the chance in high school to follow her dreams. She has worked in show barns and worked horse shows since she was 16. During the summer breaks, she ran summer camp where her love for teaching really blossomed. Having ridden mainly in hunters (2’), equitation (2’), and dressage, she also loves to ride western and practice natural horsemanship in her free time when she has the chance, but usually, she reads, goes offroading in her jeep, plays chess, and spoils her dog.
aLEX wILLARD, bARN mANAGER
Our most recent addition to the team is Alex Willard whose main job is to make sure the herd is happy, healthy, and looking good all year long. She has spent her entire life around horses learning from some of the best in the industry and takes pride in giving exceptional horse care. In 2019, she participated in the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program where she was selected as a Barn Management Alternate for the National Finals. Alex rode competitively as a junior rider, a Coastal Carolina College IHSA athlete, and soon after as a professional rider. She loves teaching in the barn and in the ring where she can share her love and passion for the animal and the sport. Alex also has professional social media experience so look out for fun shots of the herd enjoying their downtime!
