My Favorite Time of the Year!

Hello Everyone!

June, my favorite month, is almost here! Can you guess why June is my favorite month? Not only is everyone grilling hot dogs, but it is also the Month of the Horse! Way back in 1977, when I was still a young colt, the New Jersey Legislature and Governor Byrne proclaimed the horse as the state animal. In 1998, while I was working the beat as a mounted patrol horse, Governor Whitman declared June as the Month of the Horse here in New Jersey. Even back then, the folks in Trenton realized how important the horse was for the Garden State. All of you still know that the horses here today are part of what makes New Jersey a great state!

Can you do me a favor? During the month of June, take some time to learn about things that are important to me and my equine friends, like proper nutrition, proper housing, and horse behavior. Remember, even if you have been around horses all your life, there is always something new and exciting to learn about us (like the weird things some of us like to eat)! That is a large part of what my friends at the Equine Science Center do.

Finally, if you own a horse or help take care of a horse, be proud of it! If you know someone else who works with horses, congratulate them! If you know someone who is not directly involved with horses, but is a horse enthusiast, pat them on the back! Every breed and type of horse is unique, but we all share a special bond with our human friends. That is something everyone can celebrate in June! I'll check back in later with more fun facts about the Month of the Horse.

Until next time!

School's Out for Summer!

Hello again!

Finals have finished and summer is fast approaching, and with that comes the annual graduation ceremony at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences here at Rutgers. Several of our Equine Science students are preparing to graduate with a degree in Animal Science! Many are making plans to go to vet school or to work in fields related to equine science. We are very proud of our graduates! My friends at the Equine Science Center are also excited in anticipation of meeting the recent high school grads who will be joining our program in the fall!

I'm having a busy spring just like my friends at the Equine Science Center. A few weeks ago I underwent some spring cleaning. My owner gave me a nice bubble bath and got rid of the last of my winter hair! He also put plenty of sunscreen on my nose to keep it from getting sunburned. I ate enough peppermints and carrots that day to last a whole month! Boy I sure enjoyed all of the attention, and my pasture mate, Christi, was a little jealous!

Last Friday other members of my barn were leaving early for the races, so my caretaker, Wendy, called for me to come in for an early breakfast. Since I knew it was way too early for feeding, I just thought she wanted to pester me while I was munching on grass in the cool morning, so I kept right on grazing - I didn't want to mess up my schedule! Mr. Gale, (Wendy's dad) came out and called for me to come in and then I knew it was chow time! I surprised them both by how fast I ran up to the gate, and they considered loading me up to go to the races that day! Luckily for me, horses older than 14 are not allowed to race (Phew!). I guess getting old does have some advantages!

With all the cool weather, rain, and sunshine I have plenty of grass growing in my pasture. Luckily the weather cooperated enough so that the first cutting of hay is already baled and stored. Thinking about all that grass and hay has made me hungry, so it's time to sign off for now!

Stay tuned; I'll have more stories and news next time!