Reflecting on her decision to retire after 47 years of a high-profile career at Rutgers University, Dr. Karyn Malinowski explained simply: “It’s time.”
Yet it’s hard to think of the Rutgers Equine Science Center, of which she is the founding director, without Karyn at the helm. She has been behind so many research projects that have made a difference, such as those involving her irreplaceable expertise in equine aging and stress management.
“Her whole life has been dedicated to the horse. I would call her a towering figure in the equestrian world,” said Max Spann Jr., who serves as a member-at-large on the Rutgers University Board for Equine Advancement (RUBEA), which advises the Equine Science Center at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.
Karyn in her familiar spot at the lectern. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)_
“No one has had more energy and passion about the horse and equine industry,” observed Max, who grew up riding quarter horses.
Although Karyn has a special fondness for Standardbreds, he noted that she “reached out to all different disciplines and did so much not only to promote, but also encourage, the next generations to get into the equine world. I often refer to her as a force of nature, someone with so much energy, so much drive, constantly moving.”
Karyn enjoyed interacting with Standardbreds and driving them. (Photo courtesy Rutgers Equine Science Center)
And of course, she won’t stop moving, even after having closed her office door for the last time on June 30. The professor of animal science will continue her efforts to help keep standardbred racing going in New Jersey (she’s also involved with the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in New York) and she’ll stay involved with many aspects of horse welfare. She has plans to do some consulting and as you would expect, is getting “tons of calls” from people who want her expertise. First, however, she will take some time to relax and do a little gardening at her Manville, N.J., home.
Karyn with the late Assemblyman Ronald Dancer.
Although her accomplishments are many, building the Equine Science Center, recognized by the board of directors in 2001, stands out.
The question of what is next for the Equine Science Center and who will lead it has yet to be answered, but “We’re very proud of it and we want to continue it,” said Executive Dean Laura Lawson of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.
“It’s always complicated transitioning when you’ve had a great leader. We are being careful, we are involving the advisory group, the stakeholders, the board of managers. It’s not going to be an immediate announcement of a new director, but we are definitely in the planning stage and we have every intention of hiring new faculty and continuing to support the Equine Science Center,” the dean commented.
In the meantime, she said, the center will continue to operate, even if “it will be a little quiet” during the faculty hiring process, but existing research involving graduate students will not be paused.
“It’s not going anywhere,” the dean promised about the center.
“We’re just going to keep making it stronger.”
Discussing what made Karyn so effective, the dean cited, “her commitment and her constant work with her advisory board and engaging with the industry. She’s the model of that kind of real commitment to working with an industry. She’s a rock star.”
Among Karyn’s other leadership achievements, one that stands out is the 2007 Economic Impact Study for the state of New Jersey which set the standard for all economic studies for horses nationwide and globally.
At this point, Karyn thinks the status of the horse industry in New Jersey is good, even though breeding for both racing and pleasure has declined.
“It’s at a lull. I’m hoping someone will keep that bumped up,” Karyn said, but she is disappointed that there is no longer any representation from New Jersey at the American Horse Council, where she was president of the American Youth Horse Council for two years in the 1990s.
“I loved my time in my career,” reminisced Karyn, who is often seen in vibrant red jackets that reflect her high energy (and Scarlet is Rutgers’ official school color).
Over the decades, Karyn’s mentorship has offered a valuable learning experience to a legion of students. (Photo courtesy Rutgers Equine Science Center.)
“I’ve loved making a difference and enhancing the horse industry in New Jersey. I wish those in the future the best. Times are not going to get easier for pleasure, racing, recreation and sport,” she offered, noting the difficulties presented by such issues as equine welfare, development and the cost of having horses, among other things.
“It’s a huge challenge now,”” she pointed out.
Dr. Jeffrey Thomason from the University of Guelph, one of the many experts Karyn Malinowski brought to Rutgers for seminars..
Dr. Amy Butewicz, the Equine Science Center’s chair emeritus, commented on Karyn’s positive influence.
“In an industry that can often times be divided, she has brought unity and clarity to many research and welfare areas by always focusing on the majestic creature itself — the horse.
“Her love for the horse transcends all boundaries, a deep passion that has led to success and a resume that is truly astounding. Her fierce determination and spirit are the center of her character.”
Another influential horseman who serves as a RUBEA member-at-large is Sam Landy, owner of Congress Hill Farm in Monroe Township, N.J., and operator of Special Strides, a nonprofit that facilitates healing for more than 130 disabled children each week through therapeutic riding and occupational therapy.
He emphasizes that “Equine science is more of a necessity than ever. Equine science can determine the health and happiness of horses. There are people who form opinions about equine and environmental welfare without any scientific knowledge. The only way to legitimately prevent people who wish horses not to be used by humans at all from getting their wish is through science and education.
“Dr. Malinowski championed the use of the Rutgers Equine Science Center to define standards of care for horses and horse farms. The expertise of Karyn’s students and the Equine Science Center is relied upon by the judiciary and legislature to create policy to preserve the horse, New Jersey’s state animal, as a partner to humans in athletic and recreational pursuits.”
Karyn Malinowski with Amy Butewicz and Dr. Michael Fugaro, the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board’s 2025 Horse Person of the Year.
Dr. Ellen Rankins, a post-doctoral research fellow at Colorado State University, did research for her doctorate under the guidance of Karyn and Dr. Ken McKeever.
She is starting a faculty position at Tarleton State University in Texas this autumn and notes her work at Rutgers “set me up for where I am now and the career path I am on. It gave me those research, critical thinking and writing skills that are necessity for a career in the academic world.”
Ellen emphasized Karyn “very much cares for her students as people and that they’re successful in life and that they’re happy in the work that they’re doing. Thinking about Dr. Malinowski’s career trajectory; she’s been a really strong role model, certainly for females. She set the stage for the rest of us who would follow her.”