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  • History
    One of the earliest farmers to farm this property was Earnest Johnson, the son of Russell Johnson who owned a farm on the land that is now Rosedale Park.  Earnest utilized the land for dairy and crops.  In the 1960’s, the MacDonald Family purchased the farm and renamed it The Hadda Farm.  The MacDonalds leased out the cropland to a local farming family, the Schaafsmas.  They grew crops and raised farm animals.  In 1979, Janet Schaafsma built the main horse barn with the indoor arena and began operating a riding and boarding facility.  Her daughter Debbie took over the business until the County acquired the property in 1994.  Since then, the Mercer County Equestrian Center has been updated to feature 31 stalls, and indoor and two outdoor rings, two grooming stalls, two tack rooms, two feed rooms, two wash stalls, and eleven horse pastures.
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  • Facilities
    • The 243 acre facility has marked trails for bird watching, walking, hiking, and horseback riding that lead to Rosedale Park and Mercer Meadows via the Lawrence Hopewell Trail.
    • The Mercer Educational Gardens are located here
    • Parking for Curlis Lake and Curlis Woods access
    • Parking for the LHT access
    • Horse trailer parking for trail riding
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  • Programs and Activities
    • Riding Lessons
    • Therapeutic Riding Program for individuals with special needs. Please call or email for additional information
    • Summer Camps
    • Pony Parties
    • Educational Tours for scouts, schools, or groups
    • Pony Rides
    • Ring Rentals
    • Horse Shows and Seasonal Events
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  • Program Descriptions
    Riding Lessons 2013

    3- 10 week sets per year- winter, spring, and fall

    --> Winter Set- Runs the week of January 7th through the week of March 11th.

    --> Spring set- Runs the week of April 1st through the week of June 5th.
           Spring Registration March 2nd at 9am.

    --> Fall Set- Runs the week of September 9th through the week of
           November 13th.  Fall Registration August 10th.
    --> 2014 Winter Registration, December 7, 2013
    Lessons Prices 2013 (for the 10 week set)
    --> Private lessons - $440.00
    --> Advanced Private-$590.00
    --> Semi-Private-$420.00
    --> Group - $400.00
    Please refer to the Lesson Brochure for additional information

    Summer Camps 2013

    --> $375.00 per camper
    --> ½ day- 8:30 am-12:30 pm
    --> 7 weeks of camps available

    Week 1 June 24 through June 28 Beginner Only
    Week 2 July 1 through July 5 Advanced / Intermediate
    Week 3 July 8 through July 12 Beginner Only
    Week 4 July 15 through July 19 Advanced / Intermediate
    Week 5 August 5 through August 9 Beginner Only
    Week 6 August 19 through August 23 Advanced / Intermediate

    Pony Parties

    A great place for a child’s birthday party. Please refer to our Pony Party Brochure for additional information. To book a party please call (609) 730-9059.

    --> Basic Party $175.00
    --> 2 hour party
    --> Indoor and outdoor party areas
    --> Options available: additional pony, grooming session, hayride

    Educational Tours

    Educational Tours are available for scouts, schools, and groups. Please call or email for more information. Educational portion developed towards each group and various ages.
    --> Scout badge program
    --> Parent & child groups
    --> $15.00 per person for educational tour
    --> $20.00 per person for educational tour with grooming and pony ride

    Pony Rides

    Pony Rides Plus grooming and tacking lesson with a ten minute pony ride are available for children during regular hours of operation with reservation.
    --> Approx. ½ hour / $25.00
    --> Please call or email to make your reservation

    Ring Rentals

    The indoor and outdoor rings are available for rental during regular hours of operation when they are not being used for our programs. (We do not rent horses)
    --> $15.00 per hour
    --> $25.00 private ring rental per hour
    --> Please call or email to make your reservation

    Program Registrations/Reservations

    On line registrations and reservations is available for Riding Lessons, Summer Camps, and Pony Parties. Please call or email for all other programs. In-person registration is available. Please call or email for more information.

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  • Interesting Fact
    The farm's green and white color scheme came from Janet Schaafsma.  That was, and still is, the color scheme of the historic barn on Old Mill Road, which is on the farm of her late husband’s childhood home.
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  • Hours and General Information
    Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 7 A.M.-8 P.M., Saturday and Sunday 7 A.M.-5 P.M.
    Dates of Operation: Open Year Round
    General Information: (609) 730-9059
    Lesson Line: (609) 818-1397
    Fax: (609) 730-9701
    Address: 431 Federal City Road, Pennington, NJ 08534.
    Sign-up: for lesson programs, summer camps, and pony parties at https://register.communitypass.net/mercer.
    Handicap Accessibility is available
    Self guided tours are encouraged during operation hours: visitors can walk through the barns and the property at their leisure for no charge.
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  • Contact Information
    For more information or for any questions regarding the Mercer County Equestrian Center’s programs please call or email us at:

    Manager of the Mercer County Equestrian Center- Christine Cardinal,
    (609) 730-9059

    Email- ccardinal@mercercounty.org 

    Head Riding Instructor-Maria Malkiewicz, (609) 818-1397

    Email- mmalkiewicz@mercercounty.org 

    https://register.communitypass.net/mercer
    Please visit the link above to register for lesson programs, summer camps, and pony parties.

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