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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diana M. Orban Brown Director of Communications Rutgers Equine Science Center 732-932-9419 orban@njaes.rutgers.edu

EQUINE SCIENCE CENTER NAMES RICHARD ‘RICK’ WILLS

AS WINNER OF 2009 ‘SPIRIT OF THE HORSE’ AWARD

New Brunswick, N.J. (January 15, 2009) – The Equine Science Center at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has named Richard Wills as the 2009 winner of the Center’s “Spirit of the Horse” award.

The presentation was made at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Breeders Awards Dinner by Dr. Karyn Malinowski, Director of the Equine Science Center.

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 horses or the horse industry.

Mr. Wills is a popular entrepreneur within New Jersey’s horse industry. He is the founder and owner of Rick’s Saddle Shop, Inc., providing for New Jersey’s equestrians since 1977.

In presenting the award, Dr. Malinowski said, “Horses and horse people made a huge impact on Rick’s life, and his commitment to the animal and the industry is phenomenal. To this day he still remembers the name of his very first feed customer. Whether he is talking about kids and horses, the Horse Park of New Jersey, or the students and science projects of the Rutgers Equine Science Center, Rick displays the same amount of enthusiasm for all equally. His vision, passion, determination and work ethic embody the Spirit of the Horse.”

Mr. Wills began his professional career driving a truck for the Coca-Cola Company in Asbury Park, NJ. He quickly climbed the ranks into sales and later marketing management for the Dr. Pepper Company, where he gained the marketing expertise that would help build his sales management knowledge.

In 1977 Mr. Wills began to pursue his dream of starting a business from scratch. A favorite hobby, trading horses, created the opportunity to sell tack through classified ads and at the Englishtown Auction. His wife Rose Marie suggested the idea of opening a tack shop. After renovating a beauty shop in Englishtown in 1978, Rick’s Saddle Shop was born. The store has expanded to a thriving enterprise with 70 employees, two Englishtown locations, a superstore in Cream Ridge and a saddlery in West Chester, PA, carrying a wide range of equestrian supplies from feed to apparel and everything in between.

Among other honors, in 2007 Mr. Wills was recognized by the Department of Agriculture as its “Horse Person of the Year.”