by Carol Hodes for the SBOANJ
MANALAPAN,
NJ – October 15, 2014 – Margret “Maggi” Romano, a founding member of the
Standardbred Pleasure Horse Association, has been selected to receive the 2015
Spirit of the Horse Award from the Rutgers Equine Science Center.
Romano,
who resides in Clarksburg, NJ, is the wife of Anthony Romano, a member of the
Board of Directors of the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New
Jersey.
“The
award recognizes people whose lives have been impacted by horses and who
continue to give back to horses and the equine industry through dedicated time
and service,” said Dr. Karyn Malinowski, director of the Rutgers Equine Science
Center. “Maggi is a person who eats, breathes and lives horses
24/7/365. She doesn’t take short cuts when the well-being of a horse is
involved. Her philosophy is that when dealing with horses one should give
110 percent at least, but never less than 100 percent.”
As
a young person in Germany, she went with her father every year to Aachen to
watch the international jumping competition. After high school,
vocational school, advanced night school and an office job, she traveled to New
York in 1977, and she was introduced to standardbred horses at the Meadowlands.
Romano
served two years as president and one year as show manager of the Standardbred
Pleasure Horse Organization of New Jersey [SPHO/NJ]. She is a board
member of the New Jersey Horse Council, serving two years as president and as a
delegate to the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board, where she served two years as
vice chair and two years as chair.
She
currently serves as a delegate to the New Jersey Agricultural Convention and as
the delegate from New Jersey to the Coalition of State Horse Councils and
American Horse Council, where she serves on the Racing Advisory
Committee.
Maggi
and her husband, Tony, currently have eight horses on their farm -- one active
standardbred racehorse, six retired racehorses that she either owned or
adopted, plus a mixed breed that she rescued in 2014.
“Of
course, it’s an awesome honor to receive the Spirit of the Horse Award,
but I still haven’t figured out why me, so I don’t know if I can live up to
it,” Romano said. “Previous recipients were tops in their profession and
received national accolades. Maybe, it’s because I am just an example of the
many people who love and care for horses, day in and day out, without expecting
and receiving fame and glory. And for all those people, I gratefully
accept the Spirit of the Horse Award.”
Previous
recipients include: Sandy Denarski, Dr. David Meirs II, Dr. Stephen P.
Dey, Elizabeth Durkin, Toni Nigito, Rick Wills, Nancy Jaffer, Linda Toscano,
Dr. Patty Hogan, and Peter Cofrancesco III.
Romano
will receive her award at the Rutgers Equine Science Center’s Evening of
Science and Celebration on Monday, November 10, 2014 at the Cook Campus Center,
59 Biel Road, New Brunswick, NJ from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
From
5 to 6 p.m. is the optional tour at the Red Barn on College Farm Road. A
light supper will be available from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by the Science &
Celebration, featuring speakers Angela Howard on “Preparing for Disaster” and
Dr. David Horohov on “The Inflammatory Response to Exercise.”
Maggi
Romano’s Spirit of the Horse Award and the Gold Medal Horse Farm Award to Wood
Hollow Farm of Colts Neck, NJ, will be presented by the Equine Science Center.
Tickets
are $30 for adults and $15 for full-time students.
For
more information, contact Kyle Hartmann at hartmann@aesop.rutgers.edu, call 848-932-9419
or visit esc.rutgers.edu.
