New Brunswick, N.J. – The Rutgers Equine Science Center will host its 2020 “Evening of Science & Celebration” on Thursday, November 12 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. For the first time ever, the event will be virtual and completely free to all participants.
The Evening of Science and Celebration is an opportunity to unite equine professionals, horse owners, farm owners and barn managers, educators and students, 4-H members, and all equine enthusiasts for the purpose of learning about current projects and ongoing research initiatives being conducted at the Equine Science Center. The Center aims to address horse industry issues and challenges through sound-science and research.
This year Dr. Karyn Malinowski will deliver the keynote presentation titled, “Equine Welfare: A New World For Equine Athletes.” Her talk will focus on equine health and well being as affected by racing and sport to create a safer and level playing field.
Dr. Malinowski is a Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Rutgers University, and Founding Director of the Equine Science Center, a part of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. Her research and extension programs concentrate on improving the well-being and quality of life of the equine athlete while ensuring the vitality and viability of the equine industry, both statewide and nationally. She played a lead role in building the equine science program at Rutgers University and in the formation of the Rutgers Equine Science Center.
Dr. Allen Page will provide a supplemental talk, “Can We Use A Blood Test To Predict Cata-strophic Racing Injuries In Horses?”, which will focus on the use of blood tests to examine and find markers of potential future injuries. Dr. Allen Page holds a Scientist/Veterinarian position at the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center, from which he obtained his Ph.D. in 2013. His primary research focus is on the inflammatory response to exercise and injury in equine athletes across a variety of disciplines, and includes determining whether messenger RNA (mRNA) expression can be used to predict impending injury in racehorses. He also has an interest in developing diagnostics for various infectious diseases based on mRNA expression analysis and/or serum antibody detection.
The evening will also include the presentations of the “Spirit of the Horse” award, and the “Gold Medal Horse Farm” award.
Ms. Lynn Mathews, Equine Specialist for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) and Secretary of the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board, is the 2021 recipient of the “Spirit of the Horse” award. This award recognizes persons whose lives have been impacted by their involvement with horses and who continue to give back to horses and the equine industry.
“Lynn Mathews serves the New Jersey equine community with great passion and commitment,” NJDA Secretary Douglas Fisher said. “She epitomizes the spirit of helping others, working hard, and getting results. In countless equine endeavors in New Jersey, Lynn has benefitted so many people and activities throughout the years.”
For over thirty years, Ms. Mathews has held numerous positions in the NJDA as the Coordinator of the NJ Junior Breeder Program, Agricultural Fair Coordinator, and as a Member of the Animal Emergency Working Group. In her spare time, Ms. Mathews and her husband Rob own a small Christmas Tree Farm, and both volunteer as emergency medical technicians (for over 30 years) as well as CPR and First Aid Instructors.
The 2020 winner of the Gold Medal Horse Farm award is the Centenary University Equestrian Center, located at Centenary University in Long Valley, NJ. 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.
The Centenary University Equestrian Center is a 64-acre equine facility in the heart of Long Valley, NJ. The Equestrian Center is home to approximately 90 University-owned horses, two indoor arenas, a newly renovated outdoor arena with GGT and sand footing, a derby field, and a Kraft 8-Horse Covered Walker.
All manure from 90 horses is removed daily, stored in a facility with concrete flooring and block walls, and removed to a compost facility quarterly. The farm follows a nutrient management plan developed with the assistance of the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. The farm is also committed to pasture management. Yearly soil samples are taken and pasture land is fertilized to maximize fertility and optimal pasture growth and performance. The farms management is very proactive with the goal of environmental stewardship.
“On behalf of everyone at the Centenary University Equestrian Center we are honored to be receiving the Gold Medal Award for equine environmental stewardship,” said Professor Kelly Martin Munz, Chair of the Equine Studies Department. “It is our goal to continue appropriate manure management, pasture maintenance and continue the best management practices for equine farms in NJ.”
The event requires registration that can be made online at: https://go.rutgers.edu/Evening2020.
For additional information, please contact the Equine Science Center at 848-932-9419 or
Kyle Hartmann at kylehart@njaes.rutgers.edu.
About the Equine Science Center at Rutgers University
The Equine Science Center is a unit of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Its mission is “Better Horse Care through Research and Education” in order to advance the well-being and performance of horses and the equine industry. Its vision is to be recognized throughout New Jersey as well as nationally and internationally for its achievements in identifying issues in the horse industry, finding solutions through science-based inquiry, providing answers to the horse industry and to horse owners, and influencing public policy to ensure the viability of the horse industry.
For more information about the Equine Science Center, call 848-932-9419 or visit esc.rutgers.edu.
About The New Jersey Gold Medal Horse Farm Program
The award and this overall program give recognition to outstanding equine farms for their dedication to environmental sustainability and management. It also underscores the efforts of the New Jersey equine industry to maintain the beauty of the Garden State.
The program is a collaborative initiative by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers University (NJAES), the Rutgers Equine Science Center, and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA).
The Centenary University Equestrian Center joins Fair Winds Farm (2019), Mortonhouse Farm (2018, Dorsett Arabians (2017), Hidden Hills Farms (2016), Lord Stirling Stables (2015), Woodhollow Farm (2014), D’Arrigo Racing Stable LLC (2013) and Showplace Farms (2012) as the state’s only Gold Medal Horse Farms. Farm owners interested in applying for next year’s award may access the application at: https://go.rutgers.edu/ESC-GMHF