by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 13, 2019
Jane Gilbert’s contributions to New Jersey’s equine industry were eclectic and embracing, from eventing and showing, to thoroughbred racing and breeding.
She was all about being involved, leading the way for so many organizations while serving as president of the New Jersey-Bred Hunter Association, the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association, the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board, ReRun Inc. and the Horse Council of New Jersey.
In addition, she was involved in organizing the old Essex Horse Trials, had been secretary of the Horse Park of New Jersey and was a U.S. Equestrian Federation “R”-rated judge in the hunter, jumper and hunter equitation divisions.
So it was a shock and a tremendous loss when word arrived that Jane died Nov. 4 after a short illness. The 73-year-old Pennington resident gave freely of her time to insure a safe and useful future for former thoroughbred race horses.
Jane was a former president of the multi-state ReRun thoroughbred adoption group, but in 2012, she and Laurie Lane, its former executive director, decided to narrow the scope of what they were doing to concentrate on New Jersey.
“ReRun was focusing more on New York, we were already doing a lot of work at Monmouth Park,” Jane said at the time, so the women decided, “Why not become a whole new entity?”
The Second Call Thoroughbred Adoption & Placement program took off just a few months after its founding and is still going. Second Call’s mission is to find new careers for the racehorses, who are evaluated for soundness and potential, then re-acclimated and retrained.
Laurie Lane, and Jane Gilbert of Second Call with thoroughbred breeder Eileen Munyak of Millstone. (Photo courtesy of Laurie Lane)
“She was a visionary. She brought the horse community together,” said Laurie Lane, noting Second Call will continue because, “I’m sure Jane wouldn’t want it any other way. Jane’s legacy will live on in the work we do. We’re going to keep fighting the fight and make sure these thoroughbreds have a place to go post-racing.”
Karyn Malinowski, director of the Rutgers Equine Science Center, knew Jane since 1965, when she was president of Karyn’s “Boots and Saddles” 4-H horse club.
“The New Jersey horse industry owes Jane much for her decades of dedicated service,” said Karyn.
“She opened many doors for all of us with wisdom and humor. Just an amazing person and top notch horsewoman,” stated Dan and Nancy Wolek of Millstone Township.
Survivors include Jane’s husband, Charles Gilbert, and her sister, Laurie Bradshaw. Those who wish to make donations in her name may do so to Second Call at https://sctap.com. A tribute to Jane is planned for the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event at the Horse Park of New Jersey in May.
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 6, 2019
Eagala, the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, will receive $637,700 to fund services shown to improve mental and emotional health of veterans and service members across the United States.
This funding, provided by the Veterans Administration Adaptive Sport Grant (ASG), will serve veterans and military service members through September 2020. It will cover equine-assisted psychotherapy – where horses are involved in focused, professional clinical interventions to address trauma and other mental health needs, including substance abuse, depression and improving family relationships.
This was one of the largest awards in recent history, with just under half of the $1.5 million specifically designated for equine-assisted mental health within the ASG’s full budget. The organization’s recent grant funding from the VA has nearly tripled, thanks in part to clinical outcomes showing extremely positive results.
The funding will serve veteran and military individuals or groups in partnership with Eagala’s national network of Military Designated Programs across the country. Eagala Military Designated programs have facilitation teams of licensed mental health professionals and certified equine professionals who work in partnership with horses to provide services.
The Eagala Military Designation was created as a way of setting and maintaining the standard of clinical training and cultural competence required to effectively work with military populations in a mental health setting. There are currently 19 programs in the U.S. that have earned the Eagala Military Designation, and CEO Lynn Thomas expects that number to grow rapidly.
“Eagala is proud to be the only equine-assisted mental health organization in the industry to put forth and maintain these critically important clinical and cultural competence standards,” Thomas said. “This grant will enable us to grow our programs providing this effective approach serving veterans.”
Halina Kowalski, Eagala military services director, will oversee its management and coordinate collective outcome-based projects in collaboration with Eagala Military Services programs. According to Kowalski, “Very early preliminary program evaluation outcomes from last year’s ASG-funded programming are showing that veterans are experiencing a clinically meaningful reduction of PTSD symptoms and their quality of life is significantly increasing as well. We are expecting to see this trend continue and we have plans for future research projects and publication.”
Data is showing that this population is more likely to start and complete treatment with this model than with traditional therapy in an office.
Veterans who want to receive services or find out about participating in Eagala Military Designated programs can contact 228522@email4pr.com. A detailed listing of Eagala Military Designated Programs can be accessed at http://eagala.org/military.
Since 1999, Eagala has set the global standard for equine-assisted psychotherapy and personal development. With over 500 regional programs, and more than 2,500 certified members in over 40 countries, it is the leading international nonprofit association for professionals incorporating horses to address mental health and personal development needs. For more information, visit eagala.org.
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 2, 2019
One of New Jersey’s greatest assets for equestrians is the Rutgers Equine Science Center, where research and education have a home at an institution addressing horse industry issues and challenges.
To be part of the process, attend the center’s “Evening of Science & Celebration” on Thursday Nov. 14 from 6-9 p.m. at the Cook Student Center in New Brunswick. The evening is sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center.
Who goes to this annual gathering? Equine professionals, horse owners, farm owners, barn managers, educators, students, 4-H members and other equine enthusiasts. Those attending can do some social and professional networking while learning about current projects and research at a center that addresses horse industry issues and challenges through science and research.
This year’s keynote presentation will highlight research about the effects of performance-enhancing practices on the physiological responses of the equine athlete, and offer information about an alternative to Lasix for exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). That condition is seen most in racehorses, but also affects horses in other sports requiring strenuous exercise for short periods of time, such as polo, barrel racing and three-day eventing,
The talk will be presented by Dr. Kenneth McKeever, a professor in Rutgers’ Department of Animal Sciences, and associate director of research at the Equine Science Center, part of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.
His research has focused on comparative exercise and cardiovascular physiology, while looking at the effects of aging on the integration of the cardiovascular, renal and endocrine systems in controlling blood pressure and blood volume, as well as fluid and electrolyte balance.
The evening begins with dinner, followed by a presentation comparing the effectiveness of a natural homeopathic organic-style fly spray with a commercial-based pharmaceutical-style fly spray. Pasture research also will be updated.
Dr. Michael Fugaro of Mountain Pointe Equine Veterinary Services in Long Valley will receive the 2020 “Spirit of the Horse Award” for his lifelong commitment to horse care and education.
“Dr. Fugaro is most deserving of this award because of his dedication to the care and well-being of horses, the education about horse health to horse owners and his demonstrated leadership to the veterinary community,” said the center’s director, Dr. Karyn Malinowski.
“The Spirit of the Horse award represents the commitment that I have to the horse and the equine community, and I am honored to be considered alongside other dedicated professionals who have previously received this award” said Dr. Fugaro, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. He is president of the New Jersey Association of Equine Practitioners and a member of the Rutgers University Board for Equine Advancement.
The Center will also present its annual Gold Medal Horse Farm award to Mark Mullen and Fair Winds Farm. The award, part of the New Jersey Equine Environmental Stewardship Program, gives recognition to outstanding equine farms for their dedication to environmental sustainability and management. Fair Winds is a 600-acre boarding and breeding facility in Upper Freehold Township. It maintains a broodmare band of trotting and pacing mares, whose offspring are primarily sold at the Standardbred Horse Sales Company’s annual “Harrisburg Yearling Sale” in Harrisburg, Pa.
To register for the event, go to http://bit.ly/2019Evening . The fee, which includes dinner, is $35 for adults and $15 for full-time students.
For additional information, contact the Equine Science Center at (848) 932-9419 or Kyle Hartmann at kylehart@njaes.rutgers.edu.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 22, 2019
Carl Bessette, who died Sunday in Wellington, Fla. at the age of 89, was always the picture of equestrian elegance; tall, slender and impeccably turned out.
A horseman who emphasized the classical approach with no shortcuts, he took his last ride on Father’s Day in June, wearing his usual polished boots and spurs, according to M. Douglas (Dougie) Mutch, who noted he was still able to demonstrate the skills that made him such a wonderful horseman and teacher.
Creigh Duncan, who took lessons from him when he was based at Tewksbury Farms in Pottersville during the 1970s, remembered, “He was tough on us, yet we all adored him. He was widely known for being a very good equitation trainer.”
His dressage background was part of the fabric of his teaching.
“You did a turn on the haunches when you were asked to reverse, we did shoulder-in and shoulder-out,” she recalled. Carl’s students had to show up for lessons in polished boots, breeches and a shirt or sweater—but never a jacket, because he wanted to see his riders’ form in the saddle. He insisted on practice making perfect, “you did it until you could do it,” said Creigh.
The riders were expected to listen to what he told them. “It wasn’t a dialogue,” she pointed out.
At the same time, when something unexpected happened in the ring, “he’d end up laughing at us and with us” to defuse a situation. As an example, she remembered the time her horse ran off with her after completing the outside course at the old Junior Essex Troop Farm in West Orange, heading downhill and galloping across the brook. “The only thing that stopped my horse was the fence around the jumper ring.”
She said Carl left Tewksbury to teach at Southern Seminary in Virginia. He also taught at the Champlain Riding School in Vermont and eventually wound up in Wellington, as so many trainers do.
Dougie advised that there will be a celebration of life for Carl there next year after the Winter Equestrian Festival gets under way, and suggested that people can remember him by making a contribution in his name to the charity of their choice. “He would love that,” she said.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 17, 2019
Bill Rube, the former funds development director for the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Foundation, is the new executive director of the Gleneayre Equestrian Program that utilized horses to help, teach and heal people in difficult situations, from at-risk youth to those taking advantage of equine-facilitated mental health care.
The Merchantville resident, who most recently was executive director of the Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund, noted about GEP, “This is a very special non-profit because their mission means so much to me.”
“Simply said, if this were available to me as a teen, it could have helped change my path,” noted Bill, who successfully battled drug and alcohol addiction after suffering through it in the 1970s and ’80s.
Of GEP, he noted, “Their mission statement , ‘Bringing Children and Horses Together for the Betterment of Each Other’s Lives’ really resonates with me. I look forward to helping expand the awareness of this amazing program.”
Established in 1998, the GEP’s offerings include Equine Facilitated Learning, Equine Facilitated Mental Health and a unique Working Student Program that matches horses with youth seeking to learn about horses and caring for them. It’s “horses helping children helping horses.”
At-risk youth learn so many things from horses during the time they spend at Gleneayre. (Photo by Stephanie Enoch)
The mission statement for the GEP, which is located in Lumberton, reads in part: “We exist to provide a hands-on, experience-based learning environment for people in difficult situations, including children, families, and military personnel. We believe that the powerful connection between people and horses is transformational. Through horsemanship, we develop character, learn ethics and responsibility, grow physically and emotionally, and discover ourselves. Our own lives improve as we improve those of our horses.”
The GEP also provides a safe haven for their donated program horses to live with dignity, peace and veterinary care for the remainder of their lives. When the horses are unable to continue being ridden in the Gleneayre programs, they are transitioned to become equine ambassadors in the GEP’s non-riding activities.
“Bill is a wonderful partner to have, and we’re so excited to have him join us,” said GEP Founder Ellen Healey.
“We started some in-depth conversations about what horses mean and do and how they change people’s lives. I saw in Bill a very kindred spirit to the mission we have for this program. It’s a leap for us to jump from our local and regional community to be nationally known, but we’re ready for that and so confident in Bill’s guidance.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 16, 2019
The Readington Trail Association is offering family-friendly fun for horses and riders of all ages with an optional costume context and trail challenge Oct. 20 at the Round Valley Youth Center, 1124 Route 629, Lebanon,
The costume class starts at 10 a.m. followed by the trail challenge involving a course of eight to 10 trail obstacles, an opportunity to school horses on new challenges.
The cost is $40 per rider and includes optional costume contest and obstacle course. There are training level, open, junior (13 and under) and in-hand divisions, with prizes to third place and ribbons to sixth place.
Helmets and negatives Coggins tests are required. For more information, email ReadingtonTrailAssociation@yahoo.com or call (908) 797-9750.
