Star Power at the State 4-H Horse Show

Hello again!

It's going to be another great week for horses and horse-people in New Jersey! This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is the New Jersey State 4-H Championship Horse Show. Young equestrians from all over the Garden State who have advanced from their county shows will be competing in different events, such as Western and English riding, Driving, and Dressage. Other attractions at the horse show will include the 4-H Youth Art Show, 4-H Drill Team Exhibition, and the Horse Costume Class!

Rumor has it that there will be a special guest at the horse show on Friday, August 27th. Do you have any guesses about who will be there? Could it be Justin Bieber? The cast of Jersey Shore? Governor Christie?

I can't keep a secret - I'm making a guest appearance Friday night! Stop by to see yours truly and get the scoop on the Equine Science Center straight from the horse's mouth. You can probably find me by the ice cream; being a VIP definitely has its advantages!

Come out to the NJ State 4-H Championship Horse Show from August 27-29 at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown to support your fellow young horse enthusiasts and to see me!


Your pal,

You're Virtually There!

Hey friends!

Have you had a chance to check out the Ryders Lane Virtual Tour on the Equine Science Center website (http://www.esc.rutgers.edu/rlp/rl_virtual_tour.htm)? There you can find all kinds of cool information about what farmers, particularly horse farmers, can do to keep the environment clean. The guidelines farmers follow when trying to preserve the environment are called "Best Management Practices." The professors at the Equine Science Center sometimes refer to them as just BMPs.

When I was clicking (or maybe it was clopping) through the virtual tour, I saw a lot of other acronyms. It seems like grown-ups are awful fond of saying things like:

• CNMP (Certified Nutrient Management Plan)
• ICM (Integrated Crop Management)
• LNFP (Lord Nelson Feeding Plan)

Okay, I made that last one up! But there are a lot of interesting things mentioned in the virtual tour. Have you ever heard of rain gardens or bioswales? What about humus (not hummus, which is what vegetarians eat) and pH balance ? Something that is near and dear to my heart was the rotational grazing system at Ryders Lane. Rotational grazing is the reason I have plenty of grass to eat during the summer, even during the hot and dry summer we have had this year.

If you enjoy the Ryders Lane virtual tour, you can always visit the actual farm and take the self-guided tour. You can see the BMPs up close at the farm. When you visit, please tell my equine friends I said hello!

Until next time,

King Nelson?!

Hello Friends,

My ears were burning last week, and it wasn't because of the heat! People were talking about me!

Some of my friends from the Equine Science Center attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Animal Science in Denver. They wanted to spread the word about Equine Science 4 Kids, but most of the professors and students at the meeting already knew about our website and yours truly! Some were a little confused though; they thought my name was Prince Nelson, or King Nelson. I'm normally pretty happy to be called Nelson, but I REALLY like the sound of "King Nelson."

While in Denver, my friends had many opportunities to listen to lectures and presentations about very interesting research, not only in horses, but in every animal species. Topics covered during the conference included nutrition, animal husbandry (or animal care), signaling between and within cells, the immune system, animal growth, the environment, and animal reproduction, to name just a few of the many, many talks.

Conferences are also a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and colleagues, and to forge new relationships. I hear Denver is an amazing city to visit with a great view of the Rocky Mountains. By the end of the year, my friends at the Equine Science Center will have attended conferences and meetings in Baltimore, Denver, Washington, D.C., Australia, Brazil, Ireland, and South Africa! Who knew that the life of a scientist could be so eventful!

While you are deciding what you want to be when you grow up, think about becoming a scientist. If you like to ask questions and find answers, you already have two of the most important qualities of a good scientist. Everyone, including horses, will depend more and more on scientists to work on the challenges facing us in the future. Plus, think about all the opportunities scientists have to travel and meet new people!

That's all for now; I wonder who I need to talk to in order to be promoted to "King" Nelson...