Farm Ocean Crest Farm

by Jennafer Maselli

When Sam Bonsignore and Jess Stoukides first met, they immediately recognized a familiar passion in one another: their pure love and adoration for the creatures that make equestrian sports possible. As Jess settled into her new life in Rhode Island, the two became fast friends while Sam showed Jess all around her home state.

ponies, about half of which are owned by boarding clients, and half are our personal or lesson horses. For two trainers, we are at a very manageable size of about 20 lesson clients, including the students on our Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) team. We do have a waitlist for both boarding and lessons until we find our next opportunity to expand further.

After realizing how perfectly their ideals on proper horsemanship and sportsmanship aligned, they saw a clear path forward in opening their own program together. Sam’s professional, client-driven business model was exactly what the duo needed to enact what she and Jess were envisioning. Founded in 2019 and currently operating out of Hammond Hill Farm, Sam and Jess’s Ocean Crest Farm in Saunderstown captures the spirit of the robust Rhode Island horse community.

CH: What community does Ocean Crest Farm cater to?

Sam: We’re a hunter/jumper barn with a strong emphasis on correct, foundation flatwork that focuses on equine body mechanics and communication. Our barn is currently at capacity with 14 horses and

CH: What do each of you feel was the most influential time in your equestrian career? How has it shaped your role at Ocean Crest Farm?

Jess: I started riding at just four years of age and it’s been a part of my life ever since. I’ve always been an active competitor, especially when I found my show horse, Louis, who was 14 years old at the time and is now happily retired at Ocean Crest. We always did the hard work ourselves. My parents trailered my and my sister’s horses; I was my own groom.

When I made the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) team at Skidmore College as a freshman, my riding career really developed and took off under the instruction of Cindy Ford, Belinda Colgan, and Karen Hurff. Being able to ride and compete on such a variety of horses was huge. Cindy chose me to represent our team at IHSA Nationals as a flat rider where I earned reserved champion and in doing so helped contribute to Skidmore’s seventh national championship. It was such an incredible honor as a first-year student on the team.

My sophomore year, Cindy and Belinda asked me to become a team captain, and for the next three years we returned to IHSA Nationals as a team, achieving third place my sophomore and junior years. Not only did Cindy and Belinda help bring my riding to the next level, but I also learned so much about leadership and sportsmanship nary school changed that I really explored Johnson & Wales. I wasn’t on the IHSA team, but I earned my Bachelors in Equine Business Management.

One of my professors connected me with a previous student who had a working student position open at the farm she and her husband owned in Germany. Previously, I wasn’t very interested in dressage, but it was just too different of an opportunity to pass up. It was a massive program, with anywhere from 40 to 60 horses in training, ranging from half a million euro Grand Prix horses down to the school master dressage ponies. It was tacking and untacking and riding usually three to ten horses a day. The program was so efficiently run on such a large scale and had an element of professionalism that was unmatched. The way we work with clients at Ocean Crest and the standard to which we keep our barn are motivated by my time in Germany.

CH: What drove your decision to start an Ocean Crest Farm IEA team?

as a captain. Those skills guide me every day at Ocean Crest.

Sam: I was hooked after a pony ride at a fair when I was young, and I remember years later telling my mom that she’d better get out her wallet because we were doomed. I went to private school and got out late in the afternoon so during the school year, I really only rode on the weekends and looked forward to summer break when I got to lease a horse and show.

The first big leap for me was when we bought my first horse, a Thoroughbred mare, from her exercise jockey at the track. It was a whole new level of growth and involvement for me. With my trainer’s help, I was able to retrain her and compete in 2'6" Mini Medal classes.

My mom had tried to get me interested in the program at Johnson & Wales University earlier in my riding career, but it wasn’t until my original goal of veteri-

Jess: We hadn’t originally planned on having an IEA team, but it came into our minds when we wanted to offer showing on a less expensive scale for our students who don’t own or lease a horse. When we finally did decide to do it, there were other trainers in our IEA region who were great role models and supports for us. It made getting started easy.

I love that riders get the full horse showing experience without horse ownership. The exposure of riding different horses [in the IHSA] was so influential for me, I wanted our students to have that opportunity as well. Like IHSA, IEA makes riding into a team sport and teaches the kids to help and cheer on their teammates and even other teams.

CH: What makes the community at Ocean Crest Farm unique?

Jess: We place very high value on proper horsemanship skills. You cannot be in equestrian sports without caring for the animals first and foremost. We want our students to be well-versed in all aspects of horse care, and we stress the significance of recognizing the signs of a happy horse and a not-so-happy horse. More than that, riders need to know how to care for a sick or injured horse.

Sam: Camaraderie is important to us. Just because you jump higher or have a more expensive horse doesn’t make you better, nor do you have the right to look down on someone. Many of us experience that in the horse world — I know I did — and we strive to ensure that our students understand the importance of supporting one another rather than passing judgment. IEA plays well with that mentality and teaches young riders to work through the rough times together and then celebrate the wins.

Jess: We want to create an empathetic group of people who love the animals but also love the people who love the animals. We’re all here because we love these special creatures, and we all need to remember that every day. Everyone deserves to feel relief and excitement when they walk through the barn door to do their favorite thing with their horse-crazy friends. Our community really embodies that. It became very clear through the pandemic, and shortly after that when I was ill for several months. We never would have made it if it weren’t for all the supportive, compassionate people who make up the Ocean Crest Farm community.

CH: What exciting plans are you looking forward to?

Jess: When the right opportunity comes along, we’re looking forward to expanding. We share the goals of wanting to take on a few more boarding and lesson clients, as well as have a bit more room in the barn for some young or green project horses that we can put some miles on and resell. Recently, our clients have been enjoying competing in a new circuit at Next Venture Farm in Medway, Massachusetts. They host year-end finals modeled off the bigger equitation finals, but on a more attainable scale. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the continued success for our students and their horses throughout the next season and seeing them be able to show off their hard work.

Sam: Ocean Crest Farm is going into its fourth year. Right after we got the program started, and managed the challenges of a new business, we were hit with the pandemic. Now that we know this is going to work, we can finally enjoy seeing it pay off. It’s exciting for us to be able to breathe a bit and just put our focus going forward into how else we can enrich the lives of our clients and their horses.

Horseperson Windsor

by Mike Wilson