By JESSICA SHANNON
Rider, trainer, and sales agent Shane Powell has never forgotten where he came from. He kept his horses at home growing up, and Powell’s first pony, Fresh Paint, recently passed away. Ponies like that one, he says, made him the professional he is today.
Powell has strong roots in Massachusetts’ north shore, and the location is a natural fit to rebuild his dream horse business along with his location in Ocala, FL. It was always Powell’s plan to be a horse trainer. To speed up his career path, he graduated high school in 3.5 years in order to make it to Florida in time for the winter circuit.
He’s had valuable opportunities as a working student and assistant trainer for talented riders and trainers such as Mark Jungherr, Susie Schoellkopf, and Jen Alfano. With lessons from his time as a working student, assistant trainer, and his former businesses, including Evermoor, Powell is excited for the growth of his new venture. He says, “I want to create good riders and good horsemen.”
Rediscovering a Passion
Powell says he wants his business to allow “my passion to be a passion again.” He thoughtfully named his business Connelly Brook, LLC, after the river that runs through his parents’ yard, giving him the nostalgia and motivation to always remember where his dreams began. Powell was able to create a boutique training and sales business piecemeal, reflecting on what worked in his past equestrian ventures, competing in hunters and jumpers as a professional, and working alongside some of the nation’s top trainers.
Connelly Brook, LLC is a seasonal, full service barn on the north shore of Massachusetts and Ocala, FL. At homein Massachusetts, Connelly Brook has around 12 horses, some belonging to clients and some sale horses. Connelly Brook in Ocala has an individualized care-retirement program with pasture board, some horses on lay up, ponies in full training, his donkey, and 10-12 consignment horses. The barn in Ocala is 15 acres with a fully irrigated arena. Powell speaks highly of his assistant, Margaret Swanson, who runs the barn in Ocala during the six months of the year that Powell is in Massachusetts. Swanson has worked with Powell for a long time, and he trusts her deeply and calls her
“a gift.”
Powell does not want Connelly Brook to have more than 25 horses, including his retired herd and beloved donkey. He says, “Quality versus quantity will allow me to cater to each individual horse and rider’s goals.” While many boutique barns’ size create space for individual programs, Powell’s is truly set apart from the rest with his teaching philosophy and skills.
Strong Connections
Powell says, “I want to provide an atmosphere that allows me to teach each individual rider and horse and guide both juniors and amateurs towards national and year end goals.” To that end, he wants Connelly Brook to focus on private lessons, which can expedite the process of getting riders where they want to be. Powell finds group lessons work well in a clinic setting, and he loves teaching clinics. Day to day, however, he prefers private lessons that let him adapt his training styles and techniques to each rider.
When Powell was young, he helped out at a local preschool, often in the role of assistant teacher for little kids in an extended after school program. Coupled with his own learning disability of dyslexia, the skills and empathy he built from working in the preschool are now evident in how he teaches his riders, particularly juniors. “I think they are drawn to me, because I am open with who I am. They find that powerful,” says Powell. Kids, especially teenagers, value mentors who are authentic and true to themselves, and the junior riders in Powell’s program see that in him. Powell’s strength in assessing each rider’s needs and altering his style to connect with them does not stop in training.
He uses those same skills of empathy, listening, and connection as a sales agent. He prefers to think of himself as an agent rather than a broker, finding that agents often possess the same skills he does and can be a bit more versatile and relational. He is passionate about sales. Powell excels at sending a client’s horse to Florida for the winter to be marketed, as well as consignment and producing sale horses
at his barn to be sold down the road. If a rider’s trainer is not able to join them on a horse shopping trip, Powell is able to step in and utilize his gifts as both a trainer and agent to assist. He is ready to make any accommodations necessary to make the buying process as personalized as it is to ride in his program.
The Great Rebuild
As Powell builds his new business from the foundations of previous businesses, learning experiences, and a childhood dream, he is also rebuilding himself. One of the lessons he learned from former businesses is to create space for a solid work-life balance. He finds that the more well-rounded he is in his own life, the better it is for the horses and riders in his care.
In his barn, Powell says, “I want a kind partnership with the horses I ride and the students. I’m responsible for teaching people how to ride but also how to be a good horseman.” He does that through his relational presence, connecting with students, adjusting his teaching to their learning style, and being an agent that is both flexible and versatile. He also inspires his riders with his authenticity and setting new goals for himself.
Known largely for being a hunter rider, Powell believes his heart is in the jumper ring. He says, “There’s something beautiful and exhilarating about knowing you laid down a beautiful hunter round, but I also love the rush of the jumpers.”
He has set goals for himself to compete in the Grand Prix, preferring to show a horse he brought up through the levels and feeling that satisfaction of putting in the work. Powell has already competed in international derbies, and he would love to add Derby Finals to his rider résumé as well. He finds showing a young horse he developed to be incredibly rewarding, and he hopes to achieve these goals while guiding juniors and amateurs to realize their own dreams.
