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Photo of Al Murray, Cyndee and Jacque Roszel and Karyn Malinowski - Click to enlarge
For Immediate Release: January 29, 2015
Contact: Lynne Richmond
(609) 633-2954
lynne.richmond@ag.state.nj.us 

(TRENTON) -- The 2014 Governor’s Award for Horseperson of the Year was awarded to Jacque and Cyndee Roszel January 25 at the annual Breeders Luncheon by New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Alfred Murray.

The Roszels, former agricultural education teachers and FFA advisors at Allentown High School, have owned and shown horses for the last 45 years.

“Jacque and Cyndee Roszel are tireless supporters of New Jersey’s equine industry,” said Assistant Secretary Murray.  “Their love of horses has continued into retirement, with both involved in various equine organizations while still taking time to show their horses.”

Jacque Roszel got his first pony at age 6 and both he and Cyndee were 4-H members who showed their project horses, Jacque in Mercer County and Cyndee in Morris County.  They both were officers in their respective clubs.

“We actually met at a horse show where he mispronounced my horse’s name and I called him on it,” recalled Cyndee.  “That October we really met on a blind date to the Harrisburg Horse Show.”

The Roszels purchased Jacque’s father’s farm in New Egypt and have lived there for 35 years.  Over the course of their long marriage, their show horses, mostly half-Arabians, have won various regional and local titles and placed in the top ten at national competitions. 

They are both original members of the Eastern Half Arabian Horse Association, which later became NJHAHA and have served as the organization’s president and other officers.  They are members of the United States Equestrian Association and the Arabian Horse Association.  Cyndee also is a member of the Pinto Horse Association and the Western Dressage Association of America.

A committee of past horsepersons of the year awarded the honor to the Roszels for their dedication to horses and many accomplishments with their show horses.

The annual Breeder’s Luncheon celebrated the state’s best in the equine field in 2014. Other awards presented at this event were:

Secretary of Agriculture Award for New Jersey Thoroughbred Horse of the Year: Rainbow Heir, owned and bred in New Jersey by Eb Novak’s New Farm was trained by Ben Perkins Jr.  The son of Wildcat Heir won the Teddy Drone Stakes on Haskell Day at Monmouth Park, NW2X allowance race and the New Jersey Breeder’s Handicap, bringing in $147,750 in winnings in 2014.  He has won seven of 12 career starts with a career of $321,210.

Secretary of Agriculture Award for New Jersey Standardbred Horse of the Year and New Jersey Sire Stakes—Premier Horse of the Year: Trixton, raced for the partnership of Bengt Agerup’s Brixton Medical AB of Orsundsbro, Sweden and Christina Takter of East Windsor.  He was bred by Steve Stewart of Kentucky, Martti Ala-Seppala of Finland and John Bootsman of Sweden.  The three-year-old colt won the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands, the Good Times, Simpson, Reynolds, Simcoe and the New Jersey Sire Stakes Championship in 2014.  In two seasons of racing, Trixton earned $947,057 with 12 wins in 19 career starts.  He will begin his career as a stallion this year, standing at Deo Volente Farms in Franklin Township.  Trixton’s sire, Muscle Hill, is a son of Muscles Yankee; all three generations are Hambletonian winners who have stood in New Jersey.

Green Acres Horse of the Year: Strut My Stuff – Trained by Ross Croghan for co-owners Let it Ride Stables of Boca Raton, FL and RBH Ventures of New York, Strut My Stuff was undefeated in three NJSS Green Acres series starts at Freehold, including the $25,000 championship final for two-year-old pacing fillies in that series where she established a new Green Acres record for her division.  Additionally, the daughter of Western Ideal was victorious in the $59,000 filly division of the Lou Babic.  Strut My Stuff finished the year with career earnings of $52,620.

New Jersey Equestrian of the Year: Kirsten Jeansson, Tabernacle A Seneca High School junior, Kirsten also is the 2015 New Jersey Agricultural Fair Ambassador and 2014 4-H Equestrian of the Year and Burlington County Farm Fair Queen.  She plans to follow a career path into equine management or equine science.

New Jersey Agricultural Achievement Award: Angela Howard, Mullica Hill – A 17-year-old Kingsway Regional High School student, Angela was the 2014 New Jersey Equestrian of the Year.  She belongs to 4-H and has participated in horse shows, horse-related activities and state events since 2008.  Angela plans on attending college for bio-environmental/agricultural engineering or genetics.  She hopes to combine her love for horses and her love of science and the environment in her future career.  Howard received a $500 scholarship.

Sara Dubinin Scholarship: Ashlyne Bacorn, Ringoes – The sophomore at South Hunterdon Regional High School is a member of the Hunterdon County Round Valley Riders 4-H Club.  Bacorn plans to use her $1,000 scholarship to cover the expenses of horse shows, lessons and any items needed to sustain her horse’s health as well as her relationship with him.  She hopes to become an equine veterinarian.

Bell Scholarship: Catherine Seeds, Jackson -- A senior at Rutgers University, majoring in animal science with a minor in endocrine physiology and health sciences, Catherine is s student supervisor at the Rutgers farm and serves as secretary for the Society of Animal Science.  She is currently applying to veterinary school and hopes to work with large animals.  The scholarship is named for Ernest C. Bell, a horse breeder and one of the founders of the Equine Advisory Board.  Seeds received a $1,000 scholarship.