Concerned that the riding programs at the Somerset County Park Commission’s Lord Stirling Stable in Basking Ridge won’t resume next year after its 2020 Covid shutdown, a woman who understands the importance of the stable has started a petition to Save Lord Stirling Stable and what it offers.
The lesson horses were sold and all activities at the facility were suspended for the year due to a pandemic-related shortfall in the Park Commission’s budget after golf revenues suffered for several months. The stable already was running at a loss of as much as $500,000, (Click here for the background on Lord Stirling’s closing) and the park commission has not committed to bringing back the lesson program and other activities in 2021.
A trail ride at Lord Stirling stable last year. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Lord Stirling’s closing is not just a county issue. In 2018, people from more than 4,000 households across the state were involved in Lord Stirling’s programs, which are offered at a lower rate to county residents.
And another reason to keep Lord Stirling going is that nationally, there are fewer and fewer stables that offer lessons to beginners or lower level riders, which means there are far less opportunities to begin riding than there were even a decade ago.
Sharon Vopal, a Realtor from Basking Ridge who rode at the facility as a child and then enrolled her daughters, knows firsthand how important Lord Stirling’s offerings are to a wide variety of people.
On a personal basis, one of her 12-year-old twins who has Down Syndrome blossomed during her interaction with horses and instructors, an individual example of how being involved with riding can make a difference in people’s lives.
In addition to lessons, Sharon pointed out, Lord Stirling offers many other activities, including trail rides, hunter paces, horse care workshops, horse shows, pony parties, summer camps and therapeutic riding.
Over the last half-century, generations of those who ride at the stable have bonded not only with horses, instructors and the stable staff, but also with each other.
As Sharon put it, Lord Stirling “is so much more than just a riding stable to county residents and the ridership—it is their home”
That inspired her to draft the petition, Save Lord Stirling Stables, which has more than 3,600 signatures as of this morning.
Speaking of her children, she said, “I want horses in their live forever.
“I doubt that will happen if this place closes,” Sharon added, citing the expense of being involved with horses in private settings elsewhere.
She also feels the sense of community created at the stable is important. Sharon would like to see it expanded with more activities for the general public, so they can appreciate the beauty and atmosphere of the former dairy farm.
Basking Ridge is part of Bernards Township, where Sharon has asked the local governing body to pass a resolution supporting the reopening of Lord Stirling. She hopes to approach other towns in the county to do the same, and plans to appear at the freeholder meeting July 14 and the park commission meeting July 16 to lobby for the reopening, with the signed petition to back up her case.