United States Eventing Association

The Power of Community: How Eventing Helped Alison Eastman-Lawler Through Her Hardest Year

Alison Eastman-Lawler has been an active part of the sport for 44 years—this past year was her toughest yet, as she battled breast cancer while running her two eventing facilities in Areas I and III, organizing countless schooling shows and clinics, and teaching close to a hundred students. But thanks to her close-knit barn family she’s heading into 2025 with a bright future.

As a child, her neighbor’s pony sparked an early interest, and after moving to Connecticut from Massachusetts, the promise of lessons became a reality. When her family settled down in Hollis, New Hampshire, she joined Groton Pony Club, laying the groundwork for a lifetime in the saddle. After starting out in local shows, she got her first taste of eventing while training under Olympic-level dressage rider Kathy Connelly. Then she went on to ride with Olympic legend J. Michael Plumb and Tad Coffin who coached eventers and helped Eastman-Lawler progress up the Pony Clubs levels and earn her A-rating.

Experience with various instructors (Ashley MacVaugh and Alex Conrad), including time at Olympian Karen O’Connor’s, helped Eastman-Lawler hone her skills through the Preliminary, two-star, and Intermediate levels, and after earning a Bachelor’s degree in English from University of New Hampshire, she took a position running Kent School’s riding program in Connecticut. Financial challenges prompted a return home and a shift to nursing school, though teaching remained a constant in her life. Eastman-Lawler’s program in Hollis expanded, and after balancing both careers, her focus ultimately shifted entirely to training.

Around that time, the family’s Apple Tree Farm began its journey towards becoming one of the busiest facilities in Area I. The wooded property was cleared and expanded, and she also met her husband, Shawn Lawler, a general contractor who built a larger barn. By the mid-90s, the business took off, and Alison began traveling to Aiken, South Carolina, for the winter season. Balancing both locations was—and remains—a challenge. Without an indoor at home, operations shift in November to a rented indoor facility nearby for the 28 horses who remain up north, while two dozen or more head to the Aiken facility in December.

Located 45 minutes from Boston, Apple Tree Farm’s diverse program—with around 80 to 100 riders and about eight instructors—nurtures riders of all levels: “Tiny Trotters” for small children; lessons for older children; a summer eventing camp; and an off-site camp for experienced riders. “My main love is training people who are eventing, but I say that I’ve ‘grown them,’ ” Alison says. “I’ve brought them along for years.” Additionally, the facilities host dozens of schooling shows and clinics throughout the year.

Both farms operate with the support of a dedicated team, including assistant trainers and working students. Shawn manages his own business while also assisting with farm maintenance. In Aiken with less staff on hand, various helpers contribute to daily operations, including folks who assist with paddock cleaning and general chores—one being an 88-year-old neighbor, Jerry Keeler, who helps maintain the property.

After returning from an annual one-week vacation to Jamaica with Shawn in mid-December 2023, a routine mammogram led to a diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. Initially classified between Stage 1 and Stage 2, the tumor itself was small, but the cancer cells were highly aggressive. As a result, doctors pursued an intensive treatment plan throughout the next several months:16 rounds of chemotherapy, followed by surgery and 26 radiation sessions.

Despite her diagnosis, plans continued as usual, with a post-Christmas departure to Aiken, hauling a six-horse trailer while Shawn transported another load of horses. After settling in, Alison returned home in early January to have a port put in and begin chemotherapy. Soon after, she hitched a ride with a client back down to Aiken where she continued her treatment.

Early on, the impact was manageable, and Alison, 58, and her team still managed to host 13 two-phase events and dressage shows in Aiken. Unsure about the future, however, she put her own competitions on hold. “I sold my spectacular horse and just hunkered down,” she says. Alison continued to ride, but by March, fatigue set in, and from April to June exhaustion led to extended periods of bed rest.

Her treatment involved two types of chemotherapy. The first phase lasted 12 weeks, with weekly sessions every Monday. After that, a second, more intense round followed, with the final four treatments being particularly brutal. Throughout the process, time in the infusion room brought encounters with many others facing similar battles. “I was very lucky,” Alison admits, “because there are some people that didn't make it out.”

During her treatment period, support from the Apple Tree Farm community was overwhelming, with many stepping in to help maintain operations. Since an established team of instructors was already in place for the annual trip south, they seamlessly took over teaching responsibilities. Riders like Ann Grenier and Caitlin Dwyer, both school teachers who had trained under the program for decades, balanced their full-time jobs while teaching lessons and training horses to keep everything running smoothly. Meanwhile, Shawn took on driving duties. “My barn family is amazing,” Alison said. “Ann Grenier, Caitlin Dwyer, Beth Moody, Anneka Paelinck, Tori Donaghue, Erin Furler, Claire Eiane, and Lisa Toli all stepped up to continue teaching and riding because I couldn’t do anything. My long time friend, Amy Goodnow, also jumped in to help with teaching and coaching at events.”

Through it all, Alison missed few shows—the generosity and flexibility of the eventing community played a crucial role in keeping everything on track for her business. Event organizers, such as GMHA in Vermont, supplied her with a Gator and golf cart for course walks. Friends stepped in to coach at events, ensuring students continued their training when she couldn’t be there. “Despite the chemo, she maintained a breakneck pace of teaching lessons, coaching, riding, hosting shows, and apprenticing and testing for her USEF ‘r’ eventing judge’s license,” said Grenier.

For Alison, one of the most difficult aspects of treatment was hair loss, and it began much earlier than expected—around the fifth week of chemo. So, she made an appointment with her stylist to shave it off. The following day, while attending a jumper show at Bruce’s Field in Aiken, show jumper Ronan Moloney and eventer Mike Pendleton were asked if they would also shave their heads in solidarity. Grenier, who manages Alison’s website and social media, turned the challenge into a full-blown fundraiser for Locks of Love, a non-profit that provides custom-made hair prosthetics to children. Ronan took it a step further—offering donors the chance to pull a wax strip from his head for $25 after shaving. “Two days later, most of the competitors at the farm’s weekly combined test decked out in pink outfits for the Bald is Beautiful Beauty Pageant and helped raise over $4000 for Locks of Love,” said Grenier.

When Alison returned to New Hampshire in April, a new chemo regimen hit her hard, but she was ringside at almost all the events coaching in her pink hat or sitting in her ring at home teaching lessons when she could. Always striving to further her own training, she’d been working towards additional credentials, and in May she got her USEF ‘r’ eventing judge’s license. “It’s a long process and a lot of work, but I really enjoyed the educational aspect,” she said.

In June, Alison finished chemo and had surgery in July, followed by a month of radiation. And even though she had sold her beloved horse earlier in the year, and she hadn’t been looking for another during her treatment—one ultimately found her. Alison was seeking a horse for a client, and a woman named Laura Welsh reached out about a chestnut mare she had for sale in Florida. “She wasn’t quite the right fit for my student, but she caught my eye,” said Alison. Despite not knowing each other, mutual trust led to Game Face (aka “Ivy”) being sent north for a trial. Dwyer began riding her while Alison recovered from surgery, and Alison took over when she was well enough. “Ivy’s just a very safe, good girl–she tries so hard,” Alison says. Soon, the mare officially became part of the Apple Tree Farm family, and the pair completed their first event together last September at the University of New Hampshire Horse Trials.

By the fall, things were looking up. “Doctors are cautious about declaring a patient cancer-free,” Alison says, “and they typically wait three years for an official statement.” However, after undergoing extensive scans and an MRI in October, the response was positive. Immunotherapy infusions (Keytruda) continued through mid-December, and the final treatment was completed. The next day, her port was removed, marking the official end of the treatment process.

Since then, Alison’s been taking it one day at a time, slowly getting back into the swing of things down in Aiken. “Right now, I’m not physically strong,” she said. “I entered some events in February, but realized I wasn’t ready. When I come down here, I usually start out by riding seven to eight horses a day—whereas back home, it’s only maybe two or three. It’s a big increase, so I’m usually feeling it, but my body has been so sore. I just keep reminding myself that I’ll get there.”

Even though her own competitions weren’t on her radar, Alison was able to stay active with one of her favorite USEA programs: the Adult Rider Virtual Teams. The program fosters connections among a diverse group of riders, including both professionals and amateurs, and last year, she earned over 500 points largely through volunteering. “The virtual Adult Rider Program is one of the best programs,” Alison said. “It's really fun and motivational. And it really helps the events, because everybody’s looking to get out and volunteer.”

This past January during the Area I Annual Meeting, Alison was awarded the Living Courageously Sportsmanship Award, given in memory of Devyn Merritt Anderson and Jessica Halliday, two local adult riders who lost their lives to cancer in 2021. Alison had never met Merritt Anderson, but knew Halliday well from the competition circuit over the years. “Jess was an inspiration with an incredible work ethic and served as an amazing role model for both her students and younger riders,” Alison said. “Receiving an award in her honor was a meaningful and humbling recognition.”

Alison’s resilience was especially noted by those closest to her, including Dwyer who began riding at Apple Tree Farm when she was a young teen and considers Alison and Shawn to be second parents. One cherished memory occurred in 2008 when Alison helped ease Dwyer’s nerves at an event by following the timid young rider around a cross-country course on a mini dirt bike. Years later, as Alison recovered from cancer treatment, the roles reversed. Dwyer had spent the summer riding Ivy, and when Alison headed out of the starting box at her first event back in the saddle, Dwyer jogged along the tree line, following her through the course. “It was then I realized Alison and I had come full circle in our relationship,” Dwyer said. “I was able to be there for her the way she was for me, and it was a very special moment for me that I will never forget.”

For Dwyer, her mentor remains an inspiration, especially after the challenging year. “There aren’t many people who can say they ran a full lesson and training program with over 100 students, hosted weekly and monthly shows at ATF South and North, and coached or arranged coaching and transportation for events every weekend all while going through cancer treatment,” Dwyer said. “It wasn’t easy for her, but she did it with grace. I always knew Alison was well liked, respected, and an all-around good person, but seeing everyone come together to support her shows how much of an impact she has had on the eventing community.”