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Nancy Hutcheson
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Beginning with a little Shetland pony named May in her childhood, Nancy Photo of Nancy HutchesonHutcheson’s love of horses has grown into a lifelong commitment to New Jersey’s equine industry. 

Spending summers at her sister Anita’s Bridle Vale Farm in Vermont, Nancy and her four children enjoyed riding, training and showing Morgan horses.  That eventually led to Nancy representing Morgan Horses on the New Jersey  Department of Agriculture’s Equine Advisory Board for more than 38 years. 

While on the board, it became obvious to Nancy and others that New Jersey needed a large show facility located in the central part of the state.  This facility would need multiple show rings, stabling, office space, an indoor arena and an outside course. 

Over the next 10 year, under then-Secretary of Agriculture Phillip Alampi’s jurisdiction, a property was located, an agreement was reached with the state Department of Environmental Protection to use the land and funds were acquired for the development of what is now one of the premier equine facilities in the state, the Horse Park of New Jersey at Stone Tavern. 

It wasn’t until 10 years later, under then-Secretary of Agriculture Art Brown, that funding was allocated for the indoor arena.  Now, a world class equine and agricultural exposition center, the Horse Park has been a passion for Nancy, who often could be seen mulching or watering some of the many trees, flowers and bushes within the park’s property or doing any number of other chores needed to keep the Horse Park appealing to all who visit.

Nancy served as the president of the Horse Park Board of Trustees for 20 years.  She was twice awarded the Governor’s Trophy as Horse Person of the Year by the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board – in 1979 for developing and implementing the concept of the Horse Park of New Jersey and again in 1989 for having helped the Horse Park to become a functioning reality.  Nancy is now part owner of Scussell Farm in Pittstown, NJ where daughter Ann and Son-in-law Brad have their training facility.

Nancy Hutcheson is a visionary for the horse industry of New Jersey, committed to stimulating, improving and promoting the industry through her volunteer efforts.  For this, she is the 2010 recipient of the State Board of Agriculture’s Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award.