Rutgers University
Equine Science Quarterly
From Our Stable To Yours
Winter 2016
Inside the Issue: Lord Stirling Stables: The History Of A âRevolutionaryâ Location In New Jersey
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From The Lab & Top 5 Facts from The Evening of Science & Celebration
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Horse Management Seminar
NELSONâS CORNER
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Nelsonâs Corner: Itâs Someoneâs Anniversary!
ord Stirling Stable, the 2015 recipient of the âGold Medal Horse Farmâ award, is a 450acre equestrian facility located in Basking Ridge New Jersey. One of only three county owned and operated equestrian facilities in the state, the propertyâs history dates all the way back to the Revolutionary War. A part of the much larger Lord Stirling Park run by the Somerset County Park Commission, the land was originally part of the estate of William Alexander (established in 1761). Alexander, who petitioned the English House of Lords for the title of âEarl of Stirlingâ, was eventually given the title âLord Stirlingâ (which is what gives the park, and stable, its name today). Alexander was not only a Major-General in the Continental army, but he was believed to be a close personal friend of George Washington himself.
There are accounts that Washington visited Alexanderâs estate on multiple occasions during the revolutionary war, and was so close to Alexander that Washington gave away Alexanderâs daughter at her wedding. During the years that followed the farm was sold and purchased multiple times. âAt the end of WW II, the Astor family established a well-known dairy operation and stable,â said Margie Margentino, manager of Lord Stirling Stable. âThe farm housed five different breeds of dairy cattle. All of the animals were very well bred, and Mr. Astor enjoyed crossing the different breeds to see how he could improve the quality and quantity of the milk produced.â Around 1912 the use of the farm would yet again change. John Jacob Aster, IV perished at the age of 48 on the Titanic. Continued on pg. 4