June is designated as the month of the horse in New Jersey, and Fair Winds Farm in Cream Ridge will host an equine event to celebrate.
The farm will host an open house 1-4 p.m. June 28 at 74 Red Valley Road, Cream Ridge.
Mark Mullen, the owner of Fair Winds Farm, said the farm held an open house last year, with approximately 300 people attending.
“We were inspired to do it another year,” he said.
Mullen said guests at last year’s event told him they would drive by the farm and not know what was going on there. He said the open house gives him an opportunity to tell his neighbors about the horse farm.
“It is easy to see while driving around western Monmouth County that it still has a vibrant agricultural industry. Horses are a vital part of that for a variety of reasons,” said Ellen Harvey, executive director of Harness Racing Communications.
Fair Winds Farm has bred dozens of champion horses, she said.
On June 28, visitors will see foals — a horse that is 1 year old or younger — and learn how they are raised and trained to be harness race horses, according to a press release from the farm.
“Horses are born weighing about 100 pounds and finish up at about 1,000 pounds, so visitors will see how they grow — and maybe they can spot a future champion,” Harvey said.
Dr. Patricia Hogan, who runs Hogan Equine, a clinic for horses on the farm, will discuss her work with thoroughbreds and standardbreds that are treated there.
“We show some of the imaging techniques used in the clinic, like endoscopy and digital X-rays of horses with broken legs. We tour the surgery room and see the hoist we use to get horses on and off the table,” Hogan said.
She said the event is “very interactive with show-and-tell items, such as stones that have been taken out of horses during intestinal surgery.”
Farrier Tom Mulryne will demonstrate how a horse’s feet are kept healthy by regular trimming and shoeing. Guests will be able to pet and groom horses. Horse-drawn wagon rides around the farm will be available.
The Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organization of New Jersey will demonstrate the ways standardbreds excel off the track, and trainer-driver Jacqueline Ingrassia will demonstrate the equipment standardbred horses wear on the racetrack, according to the press release.
The event is free and will be held rain or shine. Food concessions and educational materials for all ages and levels of equine knowledge will be available.
Guests are asked to leave dogs at home and to wear sensible footwear, as there are no paved surfaces on the farm.
Fair Winds Farm is one of New Jersey’s largest farms, producing champion standardbreds that compete at Freehold Raceway, the Meadowlands and all over the world.