Another step in re-imagining the Stable at Lord Stirling Park will offer new housing for 16 horses and related facilities as part of a project to update the facility in Basking Ridge, N.J.
Now that the Somerset County Commissioners have agreed to approve the barn, it is expected the project can go out for bid by the end of the year. The cost of the work and its timeline won’t be known until the contract is awarded.
Formerly known as Lord Stirling Stable, the equestrian operation was a busy lesson facility for a half-century. In 2019, there were 76 horses in residence at the stable, 58 of which were used for lessons. There also were boarders and lead-line ponies on the site. In 2018, 430 juniors and 570 adults rode in group lessons at Lord Stirling, while 1,140 private lessons were given.
But after Covid struck in 2020, the stable was closed and the horses were sold, with only ponies and boarders’ mounts remaining on the property.
A plan to revitalize the park got under way in 2022. Trail ride horses to be used by the public were brought in, along with the therapeutic riding program, Rocking Horse Rehab. There are seven horses for trail rides and five ponies owned by the Somerset County Park Commission at the stable, which also is home to a group of equine boarders.
The old dairy barn at Lord Stirling.
The thinking behind the need for a new barn is the fact that the re-purposed dairy barn that has been used for much of the stabling on the premises “doesn’t properly support modern equine services,” according to a release from the commissioners. It has 21 box stalls and a number of unused straight stalls.
“The dairy barn was built for cows and not necessarily for a modern equestrian program. That said, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any uses at all. It may or may not be part of the future of the stable,” said Nathan Rudy, a spokesman for the county.
“This is an ongoing process to make sure this stable can operate with equestrian programs for the foreseeable future. That’s why a new barn is so important to this process.”
The new stable, which will have runs for 12 of the 16 stalls, also will include three tack rooms, feed rooms, a laundry and an ADA-compliant bathroom.
“It’s exciting to see this vision for Lord Stirling Park taking shape with the new barn plan, expanded trails, and renovations to the historic buildings as we prepare for the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026,” said county Commissioner Paul Drake, the liaison to the county Park Commission.
Rocking Horse Rehab operates at the stable.
In other work at the park, upgrades to the trail system will combine the historic buildings, Environmental Education Center (EEC), the stable and new amenities proposed in the plan. The trail network will include approximately three miles of combined equestrian and pedestrian trails and ten miles of equestrian-only trails.
A new trail has been constructed connecting the EEC to the stable, which will allow visitors to access both trail networks. Ongoing improvements include new information kiosks, directional signage, trail markers, fencing and gates, and parking lot upgrades.
Lord Stirling Park is 1,015 acres of parkland, natural waterways and open space in the northern area of Somerset County that is home not only to the stable and EEC, but also the Revolutionary War-era Boudinot Southard Ross Farmstead. These resources previously have been operated independently of each other.
