By Jessica Grutkowski
Portraits by Melissa Fuller
Alexis Iaccarino had the childhood most pony-loving kids only dream about. Days before she entered this world, her parents purchased a 150-acre property in Lumberton, New Jersey, called Gleneayre Farm. Her mother, Ellen Healey, had always loved horses, but Ellen and her husband, Bob, had little knowledge of the equestrian world.
What their family lacked in equine knowledge they made up for in spirit. It wasn’t long before Ellen transformed the cow farm into a recreational horse property. “My parents noticed early on that being involved with horses taught important life skills,” Alexis said. “They saw a larger opportunity to give back to their community and formed a non-profit called Gleneayre Equestrian Program (GEP) to help teach those skills through horses.”
By the time Alexis was 8 years old, her family purchased her first show pony, Flyer. “He was a naughty little pony who loved to spin me off,” Alexis said. “We’d be lined up at the show ready to do our figure-eight pattern in the walk-trot division, and he refused to leave the middle.”
Despite Flyer’s opinions on horse shows, he taught Alexis invaluable lessons. “I loved riding and wanted to compete, but it was all very new to our family,” she said. “My younger sister and I showed locally, and we would haul in with our minivan and two-horse trailer. We relied on the equestrian community to give us guidance on attire and turnout, and anything else we could glean in the process.”
Hands On Horses
The Healeys enlisted help from local trainers and the 4-H club, where they learned about horsemanship, farm maintenance and equine nutrition. Ellen even took a leadership role at 4-H, helping her daughters give public presentations, participate in “Equestrian of the Year” award programs and bring horses to display at the county fair. “My mom was always very hands-on; she would feed and muck stalls in the morning, and then get us ready for school,” Alexis said. “We did it all ourselves. It was an amazing experience that we truly loved.”
Eventually, Alexis and her sister moved to a show barn to pursue a higher level of competition, while their parents continued to manage their family farm and evolve their mission for the GEP. “We ended up at Beacon Hill with Frank and Stacia Madden. Their assistant trainer, Frank Hernandez, was coming to help us at the home barn, so we knew it was a good fit,” she said. “At first, it was really strange to have a groom at the shows, but we still spent a ton of time helping at the barn.”
Throughout high school, Alexis competed on the ‘A’ show circuit, focusing on the equitation and jumpers. “I had an amazing 5-year-old Brazilian mare named Lauren,” she said. “Lauren was fast and careful; she jumped like a gazelle.”
Alexis had the opportunity to show at many indoors and finals including Madison Square Garden, after qualifying for ASPCA Maclay and Junior Jumper Finals. “We had grooms, but we were still held accountable,” she said. “We would spend the whole day at the barn working. It was a work-hard-play-hard mentality—and I loved every minute.”
Early End to Riding
During Alexis’ last Junior year, while showing in Wellington, Florida, in the High Junior jumpers, Alexis’ horse slipped on wet grass, tripped and crashed through the open water. “It was almost the last week of circuit. I was well mounted and very prepared,” Alexis said. “Back then, the morning dew made the grass field so slippery. I was instantly paralyzed.”
Her initial diagnosis was grim, but luckily Alexis regained a substantial amount of function. She spent several months at the Kessler Institute, an inpatient rehabilitation center in New Jersey. She had to re-learn all of the basics. “At first glance, I appear very able-bodied,” she said. “I don’t need assistance anymore, but I have an unusual gait and some weakness in my right hand. You won’t see me running, but for the most part, I’m thankfully just fine.”
Alexis was released from her rehabilitation program during the spring of her senior year in high school. “I should have taken a year off, but I went straight to college,” Alexis said. “I just wanted some normalcy. I knew that going home and looking at the horses outside would be torture.”
While her sister, Leigh, went off to compete at Spruce Meadows, Alexis moved to Washington D.C. to attend Georgetown University and start a new life. After graduating from college in 2006, Alexis took a gap year before applying to medical school. “I returned to riding so I could end that chapter of my life on my own terms,” she said. “I leased a very sweet and safe horse to show in the Adult Amateurs, and had an incredible mini circuit back with Beacon Hill. It was certainly a risk, but I had to do it for myself.”
In 2007, Alexis went back to Georgetown to study medicine. She completed her residency at Harvard University and went into physiatry, a very small field of medicine that focuses on rehabilitating people after spinal cord and brain injuries. “It certainly wasn’t surprising that I ended up in this field,” she said. “I love working with athletes. My mentor specialized in sports concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI), which consequently led to my fellowship at Harvard, working with athletes and military service members suffering from TBIs.”
In 2010, Alexis married her college sweetheart, Jon Iaccarino. Together, they started a family and she continued with her work. Alexis was a consultant for professional sports, and eventually ascended to become Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Home Base, a non-profit clinical program for veterans and military service members at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Home Sweet Home
Alexis received news that her father’s health was failing, and after he passed in late 2021, she made the decision to return home. “I had been contemplating the idea for a while,” she said. “I wanted to be closer to my mother, raise my kids as I was raised, and carry on the GEP legacy. My dad’s passing created a need for more help, and with the support of my loving husband, we moved our family back to New Jersey.”
For more than 20 years, the GEP has helped to subsidize the equestrian experience for at-risk children in their community and beyond. “The working student program allows children to work for lessons, and the opportunity to compete at shows,” Alexis said. “We also have equine-facilitated learning programs for various communities through partnerships with local schools. We help kids with behavioral challenges and first-time youth offenders, and now also offer programs for military families.”
The program provides real instructors and quality mounts, many of which are step-down horses donated to Gleneayre by riders and trainers in the industry. “These are unbelievable horses ready to teach the next generation and live out their lives on our beautiful farm,” Alexis said. “Many of these children need the benefits of being at the barn, and riding, but simply don’t have the means. The GEP gives them a place to belong.”
With the help of Bill Rube, executive director of the GEP, and many others, the GEP is making a huge impact. “Bill has been involved for five years. He’s a high-energy person who loves the mission and is fanatical about horses—the perfect combination for this job,” Alexis said. “My mom launched new programs and grew the working student program. It’s truly a family affair.”
Bill is a lifelong equestrian who has been vocal about his life’s challenges as he celebrates over 40 years sober. He is excited to have Alexis back on his team to offer fresh perspective. “Our mission at the GEP truly resonates with me; I’m so passionate about what we’re doing for these children,” Bill said. “If I had access to a program like Gleneayre when I was a kid, I may have turned left instead of right.”
Alexis’ primary charge will be assisting with her family’s foundation, a separate non-profit from the GEP. “I will continue to support the GEP at a high level, working closely with Bill on how to manage its long-term sustainability,” she said.
Takes a Village
Alexis’ family is building a home on the property, as is her brother, Bob, a long-standing board member for the GEP. Looking back on her childhood, Alexis has particularly fond memories of growing up on the farm. “My parents didn’t do all of this because they thought I was going to the Olympics, or because they knew a lot about horses,” she said. “They did it because they loved us and wanted to give us a healthy way to grow up and express ourselves. I see that from a completely different lens now as a parent. My dad would go to the Friday-night auction and come home with random critters. He was the best!”
Alexis is looking forward to raising her family alongside her siblings back at Gleneayre. Eloise, the oldest of the Iaccarinos’ three children, is 6 years old, and already a full-blown horse girl. “All she wants to do is go work with the big kids. She gets up at dawn to go up and scrub buckets and feed. We even got her a tiny wheelbarrow,” Alexis said. “Sometimes she’s too tired to ride after her work is done, but she’s perfectly OK with it. She doesn’t care about television or screen time; it’s just dirt, friends and horses.”
Eloise’s brother, William, is 4 years old and rides twice a week. “I’m getting back to my roots, and grateful and excited for this next chapter,” Alexis said. “Being home and seeing the GEP in action reminds me of the impact horses make on all of our lives. I’m excited to carry on my parents’ mission, give more kids the chance to love horses, as I did, and learn skills to navigate life’s challenges.”
For more information about the Gleneayre Equestrian Program, please visit gleneayreequestrianprogram.org
Photos by Melissa Fuller, melissafullerphotography33.mypixieset.com
