2-28-2026 4:41pm

Youth Horseback Riding Lessons Return to Stable at Lord Stirling Park

Donnella Tilery Editor

BRIDGEWATER, NJ – The Stable at Lord Stirling Park is welcoming the return of Horseback Riding Lessons this spring, marking the next step in the reimaging of The Stable that began during the COVID epidemic. Students aged 9 to 17 years old will be able to experience the thrill and joy of horseback riding with The Stable’s highly qualified instructors and lesson horses on some of the most beautiful trails in Central Jersey.

“The Stable at Lord Stirling Park team is dedicated to creating a great equestrian atmosphere, and we are all thrilled to bring horseback riding lessons back to our community,” said Dan Hayes, Somerset County Park Commission Director. “We have a variety of horses and ponies suitable for any level of rider, and fantastic instructors who make the lessons both fun and educational.”

Whether a true beginner or an experienced equestrian, students will enjoy a fun, fit, and progressive learning experience from our instructors. Horseback riding is one of the few sports that challenges both body and mind, improving a person’s self-confidence, personal growth, decision making, focus, and emotional control. Riders will progress and become a well-rounded equestrian as they bond with their horse, gain new skills, and challenge their physical and mental coordination.

Private one-rider and semi-private two-rider lessons will be offered at The Stable on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00 p.m. for students between 9 and 17 years old and weighing less than 190 lbs. Private classes require the rider to groom, tack, and ride one of The Stable’s lesson horses.

Packages are five private sessions for $400 or five semi-private sessions for $350. Riders can register for classes starting Monday, March 2, 2026 by calling (908) 722-1200 or emailing jnatanzon@scparks.org.The Stable at Lord Stirling Park’s programs were temporarily suspended when COVID struck in 2020, and Somerset County and the Somerset County Park Commission used the down time to form the Lord Stirling Stable Advisory Group to develop plans to ensure the Stable could fully provide community equine services.

The reimagining resulted in a much more inclusive Stable, including: a new state-of-the-art horse barn; twenty-two miles of scenic equestrian bridle paths and pedestrian trails throughout Lord Stirling Park; pony parties and holiday festivals; summer camps and equine grooming programs; equine assisted therapy services from Rocking Horse Rehab; pony rides and guided trail rides for the public; and now the return of youth riding lessons.

More information on programs and services available at The Stable at Lord Stirling Park can be found at https://www.somersetcountyparks.org/stable-lord-stirling-park.Somerset County Park Commission.

The Park Commission has 15,000 acres of county-owned open space, which is visited by two million park users each year. Five golf courses have three driving ranges, a pitch and putt course and a recreational putting course. Other attractions include a riding stable, an environmental education center, two tennis facilities, an outdoor pool, paddle boating, a rock and rare plant garden, an award-winning rose garden, an arboretum, and a sensory and fragrance garden. Six county parks also offer amenities such as athletic fields, picnic facilities, bike paths, fishing, birdwatching, cross-country skiing, and hiking.Photo: Teenagers riding at the Stable at Lord Stirling Park.