Agriculture
Secretary Art Brown will host the groundbreaking
for the new covered work area at the Horse Park
of New Jersey in Stone Tavern, Monmouth County,
at noon, Sunday, August 20. The event will highlight
the 14th annual Festival of Horses being held at
the Park. The covered work area, which will be
a 161-foot by 300-foot by16-foot structure, will
have open sides and indoor lighting to permit night
use. This area will enable the Horse Park to offer
clinics, seminars, workshops, training and instructional
sessions almost all year round regardless of the
weather. The area can also serve as another lighted
ring which will expand the number and diversity
of the shows the Park can host. During this year's
Festival of Horses, more than 150 New Jersey Bred
Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds will compete before
horse lovers and racing fans in mare-and-foal and
yearling classes. Brown will award trophies, ribbons
and $15,000 in cash prizes. Throughout the day
there will be riding and driving demonstrations,
a 10-class versatility contest dubbed the "Challenge
of the Breeds," pony rides, and horse and pony
information. The Festival of Horses is sponsored
by the department and its Equine Advisory Board,
which is a 52-member organization representing
14 different breed associations, the New Jersey
Farm Bureau, New Jersey Horse Council, New Jersey
Professional Horseman's Association, New Jersey
Agricultural Fairs Association, 4-H Horse Clubs,
Garden State Fair Harness Racing Circuit, Inc.,
Horseback Riding for the Handicapped of New Jersey,
New Jersey State Board of Agriculture and the New
Jersey Veterinary Medical Association. For further
information about the Festival or New Jersey's
equine industry, contact the agriculture department's
equine program at (609) 984-4389, email lynn.mathews@ag.state.nj.us,
or visit NJDA's website.
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DIRECTIONS: From
the New Jersey Turnpike Exit 7A or Garden State
Parkway Exit 98, follow I-195 to Exit 11. Take
County Route 524 and follow the Horse Park signs.
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