Lord Stirling Stable has served Somerset County and beyond for 50 years

For a half-century, the Somerset County Park Commission’s Lord Stirling Stable has meant a variety of things to many people. From lessons and trail rides to hunter paces, horse care workshops, educational offerings, pony parties, camp and therapeutic riding, the stable functions in ways that go well beyond an hour in the saddle. But perhaps the most important aspect of the facility in Basking Ridge is the sense of fellowship it provides.

As it marks its 50^th anniversary this year, Lord Stirling celebrates the bonds that have grown not only between horses and riders, but also among the thousands who have enjoyed the stable for several generations.

“It’s my home away from home,” declared Libby Lux of Warren Township. “It’s a family atmosphere where you can volunteer and give back to the community and come out and have fun. There’s always something going on here. For the riders and the whole community, it’s just phenomenal.”

There are 76 horses at the stable, with 58 used for lessons, eight lead-line ponies and 10 boarders. Last year, 430 juniors and 570 adults rode in group lessons, while 1,140 private lessons were given.

The number of places in the country where aspiring riders can be introduced to horses and riding has diminished under the pressures of development and the ever-increasing costs of horsekeeping. That makes a stable like Lord Stirling important in terms of an inexpensive opportunity to get involved with horses, while also growing equestrian sport.

If people aren’t able to locate a barn where they can start riding affordably, they will give up and find something else to do. Weakness in the base of the spot means there will be little chance to expand the equine business or develop potential equestrian stars among any but the very wealthy, affecting the vitality of the horse industry.

“Riding horses is an experience like no other, and not everyone has the wherewithal to have that experience,” observed Somerset County Freeholder Brian Gallagher.

“So what the park commission, in concert with Somerset County does, is provide for everybody to have that experience. Having the equestrian component adds an element to our park commission that not a lot of counties can provide.”

Those who have found their way to Lord Stirling treasure the time they spend there.

“It’s my life,” said Bonnie Deo of Warren Township, who started riding with Lord Stirling’s original manager, Harry Case, in 1981. Bonnie, her husband and their daughter all rode there. She’s gone out on the trails practically every day for nearly four decades, noting “it relaxes you.”

“I’ve been coming here for so many years, I don’t think my car would know anywhere else to go,” laughed Bonnie, noting how much more is being offered now than when she first came to Lord Stirling. “Things change, but everybody’s attitude is always the same.”

The stable is located on a former cattle farm started in the 1890s by Dr. Charles Frederick Baker, a Newark physician. The property was purchased in the 1940s by John Jacob Astor VI, a survivor of the Titanic disaster (his mother was pregnant with him when she escaped the sinking ship.) The land east of Maple Avenue included a barn complex where he raised prize cattle; stables, paddocks, riding trails and extensive wetlands along the Passaic River.

After the Great Swamp was named New Jersey’s first National Natural Landmark, Helen Fenske, who led the fight to save it from becoming an airport, approached Somerset County Park Commission Secretary-Director Jack Moody in 1967 with $75,000 (worth about $573,000 today) from Sarah Mellon Scaife to help the county preserve the Astor farm. Moody obtained a matching grant from the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

With the popularity of horses in Somerset County, Moody suggested to the park commission that it convert the Astor barns and stables to a county riding facility.  He recalled, “We wanted to promote a broad appreciation of horses and the sport of riding among the general public.”  The commission approved, opening the stable in 1969 with 30 horses and riding programs for adults and children.

Nancy Williams, who succeeded Harry Case as stable manager, has been associated with Lord Stirling for 46 years. She got involved when she worked at a hardware store in Bernardsville, where the stable’s maintenance men would come to buy supplies.

“One day they said, `Wow, they hired a girl to work in the barn.’  I’m like, ` Great, let me know when the next opening is.’ Two weeks later they came and told me, so I applied and got the job,” said Nancy. From stable worker, she became a senior stable worker, then assistant manager and finally manager in 1991. Now retired from her position, she still is a familiar face at the barn. People who come to Lord Stirling never seem to leave.

One of the most important developments in the last 20 years was the formation of the Friends of Lord Stirling Stable, a support network for the facility.

Terry Heide, the Friends’ president, notes how heartwarming it is to see “the impact horses have on people of any age; the gifts the horses give to the rider, especially lesson horses, they are incredible.”  The Gilette resident noted the Friends group is able to fund things that the stable can’t afford as part of a budget-conscious public entity.

Margie Margentino, the stable’s manager since 2007, calls the Friends a key asset.

“They provide volunteers for various events, are instrumental in organizing and implementing events for the stable, such as the hunter paces, the holiday festival, fall festival, and Family Fun Day.  The proceeds from the events come back to the stable in the form of capital improvements (i.e. lighting and footing for the arenas, run-in sheds, etc.) and other purchases such as specialized medical supplies, equipment, saddles, and horse purchases.

“Specific funds are designated for the School Horse Retirement Program. When a school horse retires, the Friends take care of the horse physically and financially until they can find the horse a suitable ‘forever’ home.”

Through the Friends, “over 50 horses have found new homes,” Terry reported.

With so much going on at the stable, Margie has her hands full, but it would seem she has been training for the task since the days when she participated in the Somerset County 4-H Horse Program in the 1960s and 70s. There were 500 kids enrolled at that time, and her father led the local 4-H horse club. An avid driver, she has competed on the local, national, and international level, predominantly with Morgans and Quarter Horses, and has been a driving judge, technical delegate and course designer.

A former board member of the Horse Park of New Jersey, she also served on the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board and the board of U,S. Driving for the Disabled, among other organizations.

The stable has been recognized as the Best of Somerset County Parks by the PATCH, and was named the Rutgers Equine Science Center’s Gold Medal Horse Farm for Environmental Stewardship.

But the best endorsements for Lord Stirling comes from those who ride there.

Friends’ Vice President Nancy Brown, who did not start riding until she was in her early 50s, was involved in organizing the September celebration of the stable’s 50^th (complete with band and barbeque) that drew 300 people. She now is leasing a horse and is busy volunteering for the therapeutic riding program. The Hillsborough resident called the stable her focal point.  “It means life to me,” she explained.

“It represents everything beautiful in my world.”