The “Spirit of the Horse” award recognizes individuals whose lives have been profoundly changed because of their involvement with horses and who have acknowledged the impact by giving back to the horse industry.

“Liz Durkin’s passion for horses is palpable, as is her commitment to philanthropy,” said Malinowski. “With her profound love of horses, Ms. Durkin wholeheartedly embraces the Equine Science Center’s mission of better horse care through research and education.”

Horses did not change Ms. Durkin’s life right away, but they did so quickly, deeply and forever. The lifelong animal lover was already a graduate of Seton Hall Law School when she took her first riding lesson in 1987. By 1994, she had been victorious at the National Horse Show, just one highlight of more than 20 years competing as a rider and as an owner on the A circuit.

Over more than two decades, horses have come to shape Ms. Durkin’s life personally, professionally, and morally. A transactional attorney of 25 years’ standing, she has carved a significant role in the area of equine law, helping horse owners to navigate issues from business deals to estate planning to buying, selling and breeding. For Ms. Durkin, however, the most important contract is always the one with the horse. “We ask them to do things for our benefit,” she explains. “They compete, they hunt, they hunter pace, they provide pleasure rides. Our end of that partnership is that we are in turn their stewards. It is our responsibility to take care of them.”

As the owner of a 140-acre preserved horse farm in Warren County, Ms. Durkin currently serves as the steward of nine horses, as well as two ponies rescued from kill pens. The six dogs and the cat mostly live at home in Essex County. Besides purchasing six horses from the Young Horse Teaching and Research Program auction, additionally, she has sponsored R.U. Levi, a mustang adopted through the program led by Dr. Sarah Ralston. Perhaps one should make that “Professor R.U. Levi”: thanks to Dr. Ralston’s advocacy and Ms. Durkin’s generosity, the yearling mustang was saved from a Bureau of Land Management round-up, and now serves as a teaching horse for veterinary students learning about neurological difficulties at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. She serves on the board of the Equine Science Center and on the Animal Law Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

As passionate as she is about horses, Ms. Durkin has also built a long and strong history as a humanitarian. A member of the Development Council of the Archdiocese of Newark, she supports many charitable causes, with a particular emphasis on educating and empowering women and children in poverty.

When it comes to the focus of the Equine Science Center, however, Durkin can capture her commitment in few words. “I have a very simple philosophy,” she says. “I am all about the horse.”

For additional information about the Spirit of the Horse award, please contact Tiffany Cody at cody@aesop.rutgers.edu or call 848-932-9419.