Horses in New Jersey

I have the privilege of having horses outside of my home. As I sit and write this post, there are three grazing in the field outside of the window.

Horses are kind, regal, heard and grazing animals. They do not like to be alone and need companionship of other horses or perhaps a mule or a goat.

I did not know too much about horses until about five years ago when we were looking for a property. Every time there were horses at or near the property I was so taken with their beauty that tears would come to my eyes. The "waterworks" got so bad that I started to wear sunglasses when viewing properties, even if I did not need them.

Finally, after much searching, we found a property with horses next door. Shortly after that, I started to get horses. I took a class at Rutgers in Equine management and took some riding lessons.

There is something about a horse that touches my soul and makes my spirit soar. I am far from an expert, but I have learned a lot.

The horse is the New Jersey State Animal. In 1977 two students, one in the fifth grade and one in the eighth were responsible for making the horse the NJ state animal. The horse represents power and strength and is included in the state seal. It has also been very successful in making New Jersey farming successful. A visit to Howell Living History Farm, www.howellfarm.org will show how the horse worked in the past.

New Jersey is home to the United States Equestrian Team www.uset.org.

The Horse Park of New Jersey has a full calendar of events through out the year. There are competitions and auctions and they are open to the public. www.horseparkofnewjersey.com

A good place to adopt a horse is either a Standard bred from the Standard Bred Retirement, www.adoptahorse.org or a retired Thoroughbreds at www.rerun.org

Rutgers is also a great resource for learning about horses and seminars. Dr. Sarah Ralston was my instructor, heads the Young Horse Teaching and Research Program where every year 30 students train and handle young horses. The horses are then auctioned at the annual AG Field Day. www.escrutgers.com

Different municipalities and counties in New Jersey have parameters for number of horses per acre. If you are interested in finding a horse property, please contact me at mailto:coshea@nationsrealtors.com. com I will be happy to help you find that special property so you too can have a horse or two.