Rumors To Close, Sell Lord Stirling Stable Not True, County Says

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Rumors about the sale or permanent closure of Lord Stirling Stable in Basking Ridge have been circulating amid the coronavirus pandemic hit. Officials with the Somerset County Park Commission say this is not true and are dispeling these rumors.

"First and foremost, a decision has never been made to close the Stable permanently," Park Commission officials stated. "In addition, there is neither a plan in place nor has any consideration been given to selling the Lord Stirling property to any third party — including, most notably, a developer."

The stable, located at 256 S Maple Ave. in Basking Ridge for the past five decades, is run by the Somerset County Park Commission and funded in large measure by the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

It has remained closed since March when the coronavirus pandemic hit. The park commission says they have had to make "some very difficult decisions over the last four months" to comply with Governor Phil Murphy's Executive Orders and to ensure the financial survival of the Park Commission for the balance of 2020.

Facilities were closed and programming was canceled. The hiring of seasonal and part-time employees has been constrained. The closure since the pandemic "has had an extreme effect on the financial well-being of the Park Commission, and the loss of revenue experienced will, no doubt, result in long-lasting aftereffects."

At the beginning of the pandemic, the number of lesson horses in the herd was reduced and staffing was cut to the minimum possible. However, day-to-day expenses caused the commission to get rid of the remainder of their lesson remaining horses.

"Financially there was no other option," the commission stated.

After learning that the lesson horses were sold off or rehomed Sharon Vopel, a Basking Ridge resident, started a petition last month that garnered more than 4,000 signatures to save the stable.

"It is so much more than just a riding stable to County residents and the ridership—it is their home," Vopel wrote on her change.org petition.

The petition was then sent to Somerset County Freeholders and the Somerset Country Park Commission.

"Much like the pandemic itself, the recent events at Lord Stirling Stable are indeed emotional since riders have attachments to the horses, and therefore can be difficult to understand and embrace. The Freeholder Board and Park Commission are working their very hardest to ensure that a herd of horses will continue to roam Lord Stirling’s pastures and that the Stable’s programmatic component will resume," the commission wrote.

Moving forward the plan at Lord Stirling Stable is to "hibernate" for the balance of 2020.

"Frankly, since the Stable consistently operates at a significant loss, the Commission cannot afford to do much else. The plan has never been to close the Stable permanently. Rather, there has been a suspension of programmatic activity. Currently, there are 30 horses boarded at Lord Stirling. And, as the Stable's loyal ridership knows well, many of those horses were previously a part of the Commission's lesson herd," the commission stated.

Even before the pandemic hit in January, Park Commission officials met to try and find other ways to address the financial challenges of the Stable.

"While one option could be to cease stable operations, the committee quickly and unanimously dismissed same and is now focused on a financially prudent plan of reopening Lord Stirling Stable," according to the commission.

The Park Commission and Freeholders are continuing to work to reopen the stable in some fashion that makes sound fiscal sense.

"It is unequivocally agreed that the presence of horses in the Stable’s pastures is a securely knit fabric which has facilitated the establishment of Somerset County’s exemplary quality of life," the commission stated.

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