Varsity & JV Equestrian

Carolyn Mainardi became the head coach of the Loomis Chaffee Equestrian team in 2019. In the 22-23 season, she coached the LC equestrian team to a win at the regional finals for the Interscholastic Equestrian Association. The team as a whole, along with many individual members, moved on to Zone finals for the first time in their team's history. In 2023, two members of the LC equestrian team won their respective year end finals at the Connecticut Hunter Jumper finals.

Coach Mainardi has owned Valkyrie Equestrian Center since 1999. She has been involved in the IEA for over 20 years, and has led many teams to regional, zone and national finals. Outside of the IEA, many of Carolyn's riders have won individual medals at both local and national year end finals.

Coach Mainardi attended the Stoneleigh Burnham School and competed on their IEA team. She then received her undergraduate degree from Goucher College, where she was a captain of her college riding team. She then went on to receive her Masters in Education at NYU, while managing the iconic Claremont Riding Academy in New York City. 

Kevin "Hendo" Henderson came to Loomis in the fall of 1993 and is a teacher in the History and Social Science departments, a dorm affiliate, and an assistant football coach, and has been involved in a number of other athletic programs as well. He lives on campus with his wife Heather, who is the Director of the LC Community Engagement program and both of their children, Molly '19 and Zac '22 are graduates of Loomis Chaffee.

He is an assistant with both the Varsity and JV football teams and works primarily with the specialists in the kicking game, and more than a dozen Pelican kickers and punters have gone on to play in college during his tenure with the program. 

Kevin is also an assistant coach in the Equestrian program and was a captain of his college team at Connecticut College, and the team rode out of Mystic Valley Hunt Club in Mystic, CT under the direction of trainer Sally Hinkle. Additionally, he used to volunteer with the Therapeutic Riding program at High Hopes in Lyme, CT.

He is a 1993 graduate of Connecticut College in New London, CT and also earned a J.D. from the University of Connecticut in 2000 and an M. Ed from Harvard University in 2007.

A Class of 1995 Loomis Chaffee alumna, Petagay received her bachelor’s degree in both English and philosophy from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. She returned to the Island more than 20 years later to start her work as a member of the teaching faculty in the English Department as well an advisor, dorm resident, step team coach, and an admission affiliate. Petagay is very excited to be back on the Island and now proudly wears the title “legacy” as she has two daughters, a freshman and a sophomore, in attendance.