Our Team
Regina Esterman, Ph.D
Owner / Manager
After earning an A.S. degree in Horse Science from The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute in 2000, and a B.S. degree in Equine Science from Colorado State University, Regina came to Gainesville, Florida to pursue graduate work in Animal Sciences at the University of Florida. She completed a M.S. degree in Reproductive Physiology in 2006 and a Ph.D. degree in the Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology Program in 2010.
Regina began showing horses in 4-H and Pony Club in Ohio, taking entries to the Ohio State Fair twice. At Colorado State she was a member of the polo team and interned at Royal Vista Equine reproductive center. Upon coming to Florida, Regina embarked on her first farm venture, operating Shady Grove Farm, a small boarding and training facility.
Eclipse Sporthorses LLC was created to encompass the existing boarding and training services, offer greater leasing opportunities, and better promote the expanding sporthorse breeding program. Opened in 2011, Haile Equestrian has allowed Regina and Eclipse Sporthorses LLC to expand and serve a greater number of Gainesville clients. The farms grew again in 2017, with the opening of a third location in nearby Archer. Today, Regina and her husband, Mauricio, operate three farms in the Gainesville area that are home to around 100 horses.
Feenix Hartell
Riding Instructor
Feenix’s journey with horses began at just five years old, and by eight, she was already stepping into the show ring. With over 20 years of hands-on experience, Feenix brings a lifelong love of horses and a deep-rooted equestrian background to everything she does. Raised on a farm in a family of horsemen, she grew up training, riding, showing, and teaching—and hasn’t looked back since.
Feenix is well-versed in both Western and English disciplines. She competed on the Illinois State University Equestrian Team and later took the reins as the team’s Western coach, where she shared her expertise and enthusiasm with riders of all levels.
Her teaching style blends fun with fundamentals, focusing on strong horsemanship, solid basics, and building confidence in both horse and rider. Feenix specializes in Western and English Pleasure, as well as pattern classes, and is known for creating a positive, supportive learning environment for all her students.
Whether you’re riding for the ribbons or just for the love of the ride, Feenix is here to help you reach your goals—one stride at a time.
Katie Pontone
Riding Instructor
Katie has experience of over 15 years competing and developing horses on the A circuit. She has earned titles at all of the USEF National finals as well as trained clients to qualify in both the hunters and jumpers. Her training style focuses on the fundamentals of good flatwork and building rider strength to develop a solid position and body control that stays out of the horse’s way allowing for optimal performance in and out of the show ring.
Elyse Bishop
Riding Instructor
Elyse Bishop brings a lifetime of passion and dedication to her teaching. She began her riding journey at just six years old in Indiana, and by the following year was already competing in the hunter/jumper ring. Her natural talent and drive soon led her to the world of eventing, where she has spent the past decade honing her skills across dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.
For four years, Elyse had the invaluable opportunity to train under a 5* eventer, gaining firsthand experience at the highest levels of the sport. This mentorship not only refined her technical riding ability but also deepened her understanding of the patience, horsemanship, and precision required to bring out the best in both horse and rider.
As an instructor, Elyse is known for her energetic and supportive teaching style. She emphasizes safe and effective riding practices, strong groundwork, and the importance of building confidence in the saddle. Her versatility allows her to connect with students of all ages and experience levels—whether they are brand-new riders learning the basics or more advanced students preparing for competition.
Elyse loves sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with others and takes pride in creating lessons that are both educational and fun. Her students appreciate her ability to balance technical instruction with encouragement, helping them achieve their goals while enjoying every step of the process.
Morgan Wesley
Riding Instructor
Morgan’s passion for horses began at just a few months old and has only grown since. Growing up in West Palm Beach, she trained in Western & English pleasure before moving to Gainesville, where she expanded into jumping and eventing. Morgan has participated in 4-H, FFA, & the United States Pony Club. She specializes in natural horsemanship and works to build trust and respect between horse and rider. She looks forward to every opportunity at the barn and hopes to inspire the same excitement in her students!
Madison Sawyer
Riding Instructor
Madison began riding at the young age of four, beginning in western pleasure and participating in local 4-H shows. She then joined the United States Pony Club where she continued for almost a decade, including competing in their national championships in Lexington, Virginia. She has over 9 years of eventing, western pleasure, dressage and hunter/jumper experience. She has extensive teaching experience, specializing in beginners and novice riders. In addition to her riding and teaching experience, she has trained multiple green horses and advanced them into training level eventing. Madison is a great, well-rounded instructor for beginner to advanced riders.
Marissa Brandhuber
Riding Instructor
Marissa’s love of horses began as early as she can remember. She has been an equestrian for over 20 years and began her riding career with Full Partners Farm at the age of 5, where she was on the show circuit regularly. With Full Partners Farm, she took her first pony all the way to the State show in Tallahassee. She later joined 4-H where she had two mounts qualify for the Area-B State qualifier. She grew up competing in various disciplines from Western pleasure to Hunter/Jumper, Dressage and even Rodeo Games. Marissa has ridden with a diverse selection of instructors which has given her the foundation she uses to assist her in sharing her knowledge and love of horses with others.
Throughout her experiences Marissa has learned that riding is ultimately about the bond between horse & Rider. As Winston Churchill once said “No hour of life is lost, that is spent in the saddle”.
Emily Medina-Finsen
Riding Instructor
Emily is currently enrolled at Santa Fe College studying journalism to become a teacher. She is originally from upstate New York and began riding when she was 5 years old. Her speciality is in English riding, specifically hunter-jumper and dressage. Throughout her schooling, she trained and showed through her IEA (Interscholastic Equestrian Association) team. She also competed separately from IEA in shows ranging from pleasure classes, hunter/jumpers, equitation, cross country, and dressage. She loves hunter paces, and they are one of her favorite things to do! Horses mean the world to her and her goal as an instructor is to find new and fun ways for riders to learn effectively, whether that is with fun games or through demonstrations. She looks forward to seeing each student grow and become a strong, confident and successful riders. When she's not at the barn or studying, she also works as an ABA therapist working with children of all ages with Autism.
