By Kim J. Harmon

Christina Kennedy may not have realized someone was willing to recognize her for doing the things she had been doing all along, but there was.

Windtrot Farm on Mount Nebo Road – owned by Kennedy for the last 13 years – received the Horse Farm Of Environmental Distinction award presented by the Horse Environmental Awareness Program (HEAP).

The HEAP award honors horse owners who take pride in being good stewards of the land and good neighbors to those who share common water resources and taking pride means storing manure in a covered dumpster and having it taken offsite, rotating pastures to promote healthy grass and prevent erosion, picking up manure from heavily-used areas on a daily basis, utilizing a sacrifice area, fencing horses out of wet areas, and diverting storm water away from the barnyard to minimize mud, prevent erosion and reduce polluted runoff.

The so-called “sacrifice area” is one of the things that threw her for a loop. A “sacrifice area” is the only space where a horse actually comes into contact with the barn, thereby minimizing damage around the outside of the barn. Kennedy has always had one outside the barn; she just never knew it was called something or that it was recommended.

“I’ve been in this house for 13 years,” said Kennedy, one of the founding members of the Newtown Bridle Lands Association, “and I’ve had it this way from the beginning. It’s just common sense.”

The HEAP program is a coalition of agencies, organizations and individuals focused on environmental education. It has no regulatory authority and its only interest is to protect the environment by education horse owners on how to improve their horse management practices.

For Kennedy, the award is a testament to pride she takes in her farm and comes at a time when she – like many people – is growing dissatisfied with the changing atmosphere in Newtown.

“Newtown is no longer considered a horse-friendly town,” said Kennedy. “There is great distrust between horse people and the administration.”

She cites the explosion of new developments, which she says are taking away horse trails and open space and alienating horse people who help provide to the economic foundation of the town.

“This is money,” she said. “There are businesses in town that support horse people. Having horses in town is money. Who else in this town cares about keeping open space? Who wants to fight for it?”

Kennedy has fought to keep her farm environmentally friendly and HEAP – which presented a nice Horse Farm Of Environmental Distinction sign along with the award – certainly appreciates it.