ABOUT US
Our goal is simple: produce talented and knowledgeable riders and horses.
Stonewood Equestrian is situated on 20 acres of rolling hills in the heart of Claremont, Ontario and has a deep-rooted history in the equestrian industry. Originally built in the 1970’s by the Wade family it had been a training center for young horses and riders as well as a notable breeding operation for Canadian Sport Horses in its day.
After an extensive renovation in 2012 the facility was restored and upgraded to meet the needs and desires of today's horses and riders.
In November, 2021 Benchmark Equestrian purchased the riding school at Stonewood Equestrian and has modeled the program after their original location in Nobleton, Ontario. The expansion of the Benchmark Equestrian footprint in the Ontario equestrian industry has given this new geography exposure to our partnerships with several highly regarded equestrian professionals across Canada, the United States and Europe that allows Stonewood to provide the highest calibre riding instruction and horse care that has been developed from a strong foundation of knowledge and experience.
Under the Benchmark Equestrian umbrella, Stonewood Equestrian is committed to providing our students with an environment in which they can excel in the sport at whatever level they choose to participate in top-down training programs developed by highly experienced trainers for riders at every level. At Stonewood we offer the perfect blend of family-oriented riding school fun and quality of horses and instruction that can help you reach your riding goals both at home or in the show ring.
Conveniently located in Claremont, Ontario, just 35 minutes from Toronto, and near competition venues, our facility offers an ideal environment and all the amenities both horse and rider need to be successful.
FACILITY
A renovated training centre that combines elegance and practicality. Designed with the happiness of horse and rider in mind, the barns feature natural light in every corner, and the latest in modern comforts.
Facilities include:
Spacious & bright stalls
Large indoor riding arena attached to the barns
150 x 250 brand new outdoor sand ring
Beautiful large grass paddocks for good weather, sand all season paddocks for inclement weather
Separate area with grooming and wash stalls
Heated viewing room with full kitchen, washroom, and internet connection
We are conveniently located within a 35-minute drive from Downtown Toronto with multiple accessible highways in the immediate area.
Contact us for rates, or view the images below to see for the facility for yourself.
TEAM STONEWOOD
Joanna Solomon, CEO
Joanna Solomon brings an extensive corporate background having worked in the executive search industry for the majority of her career. She has worked in the not-for profit industry right through to specializing in the financial services industry at the executive level.
Her most recent experience was working with RBC Financial Group with the mandate to build their Senior Leadership Recruitment function to eliminate vendor spend at the senior levels of the organization. She has worked with many Fortune 500 companies over the years such as Goldman Sachs. More recently, she has established her own Research Consulting practice – Solomon Integrated Research Consulting – which provides research, candidate development solutions and knowledge management solutions to clients.
Her true passion is horses, and her dream has always been to create a world-class academy in the Toronto region. She has been riding horses since she was 10, and is extremely well connected within the Canadian riding circles. Joanna has competed on the Hunter/Jumper “A” Circuit both in Ontario and Wellington, Florida receiving numerous awards as a junior and amateur competitor, namely several top ten year-end rankings in core divisions such as adult amateur hunter and ownership of a pre-green level II hunter. She also achieved a top ten placing in the prestigious adult amateur medal final her first year competing as an amateur.
Joanna currently owns two horses competing on the internationally acclaimed winter circuit in Wellington, Florida.
Kristen Gerrits, COO
Kristen’s passion for horses began at a very young age. She attended a horseback riding camp for the first time at the age and 5, and instantly fell in love with the sport. She returned to camp every week for the rest of the summer and began weekly lessons that fall. Kristen began competing on the A circuit at the age of 9, and showed successfully in the pony hunter divisions up to the Junior Hunter division for years in both Canada and the U.S., including qualifying for the Royal Winter Fair in the Large Pony Hunter Division.
Kristen enjoyed competing as a junior and young adult, but her true passion has always been teaching. After working for years as a groom, camp counsellor, barn staff, and many other roles, Kristen began teaching lessons at the age of 18. Kristen has always enjoyed working with students of all ages to develop their skills and work towards their individual goals. She particularly enjoys working with young students that would like to take the step from recreational riding to competitive sport.
After high school, Kristen studied Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University and Human Resources at Georgian College. She began as a part-time instructor at Benchmark when we first opened. After about a year, Kristen decided to change career paths and turn her focus solely to the horse industry and joined the team full-time as Benchmark Equestrian’s Riding Lesson Program Director.
While Kristen does continue to teach lessons, she is also our main point of contact for new and existing clients. Kristen works behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly through client communication, the oversight of our staff, the care of our lesson horses, and planning and implementing the various programs we offer.