MANALAPAN,
NJ – June 9, 2014 – New Jersey’s standardbred horsemen will celebrate June, the
Month of the Horse in New Jersey, with donations of the new book, Standardbred
Old Friends; a personal appearance by the retired racehorse Indy and an
open house at Fair Winds Farm.
The
Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey is donating 20
copies of Standardbred Old Friends, featuring the work of award-winner
equine photographer Barbara Livingston and text by racing writer Ellen Harvey
of Freehold, NJ, to New Jersey regional and consortium libraries as well as
local libraries in communities located near racetracks and training centers.
Standardbred
Old Friends
portrays 43 horses, from age 19 to 37. Some became multimillionaire world
champions but most have more modest racing credentials, moving on to retirement
or second careers, including as pleasure and show horses or mounts for law enforcement.
The book’s 153 photos and 43 stories were selected from thousands of photos and
150 interviews.
The
Monmouth County Library System has a series of events at its various locations,
including a personal appearance by Independent Act – aka Indy – who made the
successful transition from racehorse to show competitor under the care of his
owner, Suzanne D’Ambrose of Neptune, NJ.
Indy
will be at the Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Drive in Manalapan, on Monday,
June 30, 2014 at 6 p.m. The well-mannered trotter will meet the public,
accept carrots and horse treats, and pose for photos. He will also be at
the Fair Winds open house.
Fair
Winds Farm, a standardbred breeding farm that is home to dozens of mares and
foals, and site of the Hogan Equine Clinic, will host an open house on Sunday,
June 29, 2014 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The farm is located at 74 Red Valley
Road in Cream Ridge, NJ.
Prominent
equine surgeon Dr. Patricia Hogan will show visitors the workings of her
clinic, where hundreds of horses, mostly thoroughbreds and standardbreds, are
treated each year.
Blacksmith
Tom Mulryne will demonstrate how horse hooves are kept healthy by regular
trimming and shoeing, and there will be kids’
activities and information from the NJ Farm
Bureau, Future
Farmers of America, Harness Horse Youth Foundation, Pony Club, Rutgers Equine Science
Center and the Monmouth County 4H.
This
is a rain or shine event. Visitors are asked to leave dogs at home and to
be aware that there are very few paved surfaces on the farm, so it may be rough
going for wheelchairs and strollers.
New
Jersey is home to thousands of pleasure horses, show horses and
racehorses. In 1977, to honor its importance in New Jersey’s economy and
quality of life, the horse was named the official state animal. In May
1998, Governor Christine Todd Whitman proclaimed June as the Month of the
Horse, a practice continued by her successors. Month of the Horse
festivities opened on June 6 with an appearance by New Jersey Secretary of
Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher at the Gloucester County 4-H Fairgrounds.
-Submitted by Carol Hodes
