Sunnyside Equestrian Center is located at 628 Middletown-Lincroft Road in Middletown, New Jersey. Owned by the Monmouth County Park System, the Equestrian Center is part of the 135-acre Sunnyside Recreation Area.
The facility features an 18-stall stable, an outdoor instructional ring, and an 80’ x 200’ indoor arena that allows lessons to be offered year-round. The center also boasts classroom space, offices for the administrative staff and instructors, and a waiting area for participants and their families with large observation windows looking into the indoor arena. A portion of the site is preserved as open space in the form of a vegetation management project. This project is being coordinated with the United States Department of Agriculture/National Resource Conservation Service and Monmouth County Agricultural Extension. Across the street from the equestrian center, Sunnyside also features a short trail for walking, biking and rollerblading. The trail is 1.4 miles long with both paved and unpaved sections. A parking lot for the trail is located on Sunnyside Road.
A portion of the site is preserved as open space in the form of a vegetation management project. This project is being coordinated with the United States Department of Agriculture/National Resource Conservation Service and Monmouth County Agricultural Extension.
Sunnyside History
In the late 1700s, Sylvanus Grover, great-grandson of an original Monmouth County patentee, acquired two separate tracts of land on either side of what is now Middletown-Lincroft Road. The 18th century home that Grover originally constructed has evolved over time into the house that currently exists on the property. By the late 19th century, the property had changed ownership several times, eventually becoming known as “Sunnyside Farm.”
In 1933, Henry H. and Katherine Neuberger purchased the 121-acre property from George Crawford and began transforming it from a working farm to a country estate. The Neubergers made a number of improvements to the property, such as barns, enhanced landscaping, and colonial revival additions and alterations to the main house.
In 1990, the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders preserved the Neuberger property as county open space. After more than two decades of carefully planned development, today’s Sunnyside Recreation Area includes the equestrian facilities, refurbished Neuberger residence housing meeting rooms and the headquarters of the Monmouth Conservation Foundation, original outbuildings, and walking trails.
For more information on the Monmouth County Park System’s 30 park and recreation areas, 6 golf courses, and over 4,000 recreation programs offered each year, call 732-842-4000, ext. 4256 or 4312 or visit the website at www.monmouthcountyparks.com
With the exception of assistance animals, dogs and other pets are not permitted in or around the Equestrian Center. If you are visiting with your K-9 companion, you are welcome to enjoy the walking trail across the street.
