Hoof Beats - Friends of Lord Stirling Stable

Hoof Beats
FIRST QUARTER 2016
NEWSLETTER OF THE FRIENDS OF LORD STIRLING STABLE
Lord Stirling Stable Manager Receives
"Outstanding Women of Somerset County"
Award
2016 Officers
President: Robin Gehringer
V - President: Robin Marion
Secretary: Laura Held
Treasurer: Kay Birkholt
Board of Trustees:
Martha Wells, Trustee Chair
Mary McHale
Nancy Williams
Jean Stamey Whitmore
Pat Millward
Paige Gilberti
Terry Heide
Contact Info:
Friends of Lord Stirling Stable
P.O. Box 240
Basking Ridge NJ 07920
Editor: Laura Lowich Held
On March 18, Marge Margentino, Manager of Lord Stirling Stable,
was one of ten women honored by the Somerset County
Commission on the Status of Women for the group's "Outstanding
Women in Somerset County" award. Margentino was selected to
receive the Environmental Initiatives Award for her notable
superintendence of LSS toward its receipt of the 2015 "Gold Medal
Farm" designation from the New Jersey Equine Environmental
Stewardship Program.
A fifth-generation professional horsewoman, she previously served
at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension's Equine Science Center as the
state's Program Associate for equine and livestock, where she
helped to develop best management practices that support
sustainability and ecology for horse farms in New Jersey.
Congratulations Marge!
Community Events
Rutgers Ag Field Day
G. H. Cook Campus
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ
April 30, 2016
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Want to see a horse run on a
treadmill? Rutgers Ag Field
Day features that and much
more, including a dog show,
vendors, information booths,
gardening information and
plant sales, environmental
information, experiments for
the kids...the list goes on! For
more information, please visit
the website:
www.agfieldday.rutgers.edu
US Equestrian Team
Interested in the NJ Region
Pony Club? Like to try a side
saddle clinic? Want to watch
a driving trial? The US
Equestrian Team sponsors a
number of different equine
activities. For further
information, please visit the
website:
www.uset.org
Trail Riding Day Trips
Looking for some interesting
and relaxing trail rides in the
Garden State? From the
northwest to the south, New
Jersey has many scenic areas
with stables which offer
guided trail rides through the
natural areas of our beautiful
state. For further information,
please visit the website:
www.funnewjersey.com
Dressage Show Highlights Riders' Skills
Crisp jackets, sparkly stock pins, and freshly polished tall boots
were on display at the 21st Annual Betty Cohen Memorial Ineffable
Open Schooling Dressage Show, which was held on March 13th.
The weather was mild, tails were braided and the horses' coats
shone as the riders presented their best in alliance with their
(largely) cooperative equine partners.
Twenty-nine riders participated in
fifty rides, which ranged from
Introductory level, Test A to Training
level, Test 3. Two pas de deux and
two quadrille team performances
added a touch of showmanship.
Susan Herster, US Dressage
Federation level "L" judge, former
LSS student and current dressage
rider, officiated.
According to Chuck Rosen, event
Chair, the dressage show
memorializes Betty Cohen, a former
LSS instructor, because of her great
passion for the discipline, which she
enjoyed performing with her bay Thoroughbred, Rip.
Sincere thanks go out to the many new and returning volunteers
whose expertise, experience, time, and hard work helped to make
the show the enjoyable and successful event that it was!
Family Fun Day Adds New Activities!
"Meet the Breeds", a scavenger hunt, riding demos, a photo booth,
and "Story Time with Rebel" are among the newest activities to join
the 33rd Annual Family Fun Day on May 15th. Additional vendors
are planned for this year's event, as are new horse-themed crafts
for kids and face painting. These activities will join the traditionally
popular pony rides, arcade
games, riding games, hay
rides, and great food. The
fun begins at 8 a.m. and
lasts until 3 p.m. Volunteers
are always needed and
welcomed! For more
information, please visit our
website at www.flss.org or email us at
friendsoflordstirling@
gmail.com.
FLSS CALENDAR
APRIL
10 –Spring Nature Ride
17 – Spring Pleasure Drive
24 – 23rd Annual Private
Horse Hunter Pace
MAY
1 - Friends Meeting
8 –Mother’s Day Ride
15 - Family Fun Day
28 – Saturday Dog Walks
change to summer hours;
check in 9:15am,
walk 9:30-10:30am
30 – Memorial Day – Stable
closed
JUNE
4 - Open House at Lord
Stirling Stable
12 – Spring Adult Horse
Show
19 – Father’s Day Ride
JULY
4 – Independence Day –
Stable closed
16-17 – Camp Stirling
AUGUST
27-28 – Gail Field Centered
Riding Clinic
For more information, please
visit our website at
www.flss.org; find us on
Facebook or e-mail us at
friendsoflordstirling@
gmail.com.
Spotlight on...Kathy Poppe
Kathy Poppe was the featured speaker at FLSS's recent meeting on
February 28th. She was the recipient of the 2015 Central Jersey
Horsemen's Association "Trainer of the Year" award. She has
practiced equine therapy for over 20 years while rehabilitating
former race horses. She is an instructor and a United States
Equestrian Federation judge,
as well. Along with her
husband, Gary Pullen, she
operates Wood Hollow Farm in
Colts Neck, which was awarded
the prestigious "Gold Medal
Horse Farm" designation from
the New Jersey Equine
Environmental Stewardship
Program in 2014, which
recognizes environmental
sustainability and
management. She has undergone some personal challenges as
well, including the amputation of both legs. With adjustments to
her prostheses, she plans to return to her beloved foxhunting soon.
Barn Banter
Wonderful news . . . Morton has been adopted! His new owners live
on 26 acres in New Jersey with several other rescue animals,
including a Shire mare named Gretchen, a mule named Carl, and 2
mini donkeys. Morton is reportedly adjusting very well!
Spike is a very sweet 26-year-old Appaloosa gelding, who spent
many years as an English lesson horse, but clearly has a Western
background. Nemo is a kind, gentle 25-year-old Registered Quarter
Horse gelding who stands approximately 15.2h. Beethoven is a 19year-old, chestnut Quarter Horse-type gelding with a sweet nature
who was a school horse for 9 years, serving the lower intermediate
levels as well as the drill teams. Finnegan is an 18-year-old Quarter
Horse-type gelding who has been in the lesson program for 9 years.
He is lightly rideable and is a wonderful companion horse. Zeb is a
gentle Appaloosa gelding who stands 15.2 hands high. As he has
some visual and other medical issues which require care, he will
remain at LSS.
Please consider becoming a Sponsor for one of our retired horses.
Sponsors provide financial support for a particular horse until its
forever home is found. Sponsors either make a small donation each
month toward the horse’s care or a one-time donation in its name.
They can contribute toward board, medications, shoeing,
acupuncture treatments, etc. To become a sponsor, contact
Jennifer Graham at [email protected].
Weekly Dog Walks
Dog walks are held
every Saturday, with
check-in at 10:15
a.m. and walks from
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Summer hours for
dog walks: check-in
at 9:15 a.m. and

walks from 9:30 10:30 a.m. Fee: $3
per dog (people are
free!)
Hoofnotes...
Hoofnotes... is a new column which is a retrospective on the ways
in which our former school horses, now retirees, are enjoying their
new homes. Roxy, a sweet mare who retired from the program in
2012, has written a piece about her new life, with a little help from
her new owner.
Hi, it’s me – Roxy. As most of you know I was at Lord Stirling for
several years. I enjoyed being in the lesson program but one day I
hurt my leg and had to “retire”. My new mom came to visit me
several times and then one day she arrived with friends and a big
beautiful horse trailer. I said goodbye to my friends at Lord Stirling
and walked into the trailer. My traveling companion was a pony
named Butterfly. We ate hay and chatted during the trip. The trip
wasn’t that long and before I knew it we had arrived at my new
home, a farm in northwest NJ. Mom walked me into the barn and
into my stall – it was big – 12 x 15, 2 water buckets, big salt block,
lots of bedding, and lots of hay! Even a fan to keep me cool in the
summer. Lots of people came to visit me. I was much admired and
everyone brought treats.


Finnegan and Spike
enjoying the sunshine.
Questions or comments?
Contact us at:
[email protected]
The Friends of Lord Stirling
Stable is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization. Donations are
tax-deductible. Tax ID #222512100
Since my first
day, Mom and I
have had many
fun adventures.
In the summer we
go to the stream
and look for
turtles,
sometimes we see
the beaver. Mom
and I go for rides
around the farm
(it is 90 acres so
there are lots of
places to go).
I’ve been to some
horseshows. Some of Mom’s ponies come to the farm in the
summer so it's always fun to talk with them. I have lots of friends
here at the farm – human, equine and feline. Although Mom doesn’t
live here (her farm is not too far away) I see her almost every day.
Sometimes some of my old friends from Lord Stirling come to visit
me – that is a special treat. I feel very safe and happy living here.
As for taking care of Mom – well that can be a challenge sometimes,
but we do have a lot of fun!