A Family Affair

HAVE YOU EVER heard someone say hold your horses and actually mean it? When Karl Bauer and his son Karlson brought a mare and foal out of a stall at North Jersey Equestrian Center, I heard “hold your horse,” and knew I was in for a memorable visit.

TAKING THE REINS

Karl, CEO and trainer at both Karl Bauer Training Center and North Jersey Equestrian Center, stepped out to greet me wearing a cowboy hat and boots. Born and raised in Pequannock Township and an alumnus of Pequannock Township High School, you might be surprised to think of a cowboy in our suburban town. Upon their first meeting, his wife Deana declared “there are no cowboys in New Jersey.”

An Alabama native, she soon learned that Karl was indeed a cowboy from New Jersey. Bauer grew up in a beautiful home built by his grandfather, in Pompton Plains. To this day, locals still stop to admire the horses through the white fence of the home where he was raised.

“I started in this business by selling three ponies my uncle gave me to get my first horse, Mollie Brown,” says Bauer. While attending PTHS, he was offered a job at Sheepfield Farms in Basking Ridge by owner Lorraine Beresford. Bauer enjoyed his time there with trainer Bob Standish and would travel back and forth to work and high school. Sadly, when Beresford passed away, the farm was closed.

Karl later earned degrees in animal science from Delaware Valley College (now University) in Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, he worked at Top of the Line Farms in Montvale, and after his time there, built the Karl Bauer Training Center in 1685 in Pompton Plains. Bauer has bred, trained, and shown American Quarter Horses with national and world champions to his credit. His travels led him to that fateful meeting with his soulmate, Deana, where both were attending the American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio.

“I asked Deana to dance with me three times when we met, and she said no,” says Bauer with a smile. “So, I threw a lasso around her.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Deana had a beautiful family farm in Alabama, but after an illness and a sweet hospital bedside proposal from Bauer, the couple started a life together in New Jersey.

“We’ve been married 29 years and together for 30,” says Deana. “I’ve always had horses in my life; to marry someone in the same business and work together is so rewarding,” she says. “We travel with our horses and make wonderful memories and friends from all over the world.”

THE NEXT GENERATION

In 2001, the journey together continued with the opening of North Jersey Equestrian Center on 1 Carlson Pl. in Pompton Plains, which was a labor of love for the family. The road was named in homage to Bauer’s grandfather. NJEC is the largest equestrian center in New Jersey and home to the state’s largest climate controlled indoor arena.

“It’s a seven day a week job riding, caring for horses, making improvements, fixing the fences. Being a cowboy means all the time,” says Karl. “The horses come first, and we teach a Western way of life,” says Deana. “Instilling a good work ethic and teaching responsibility to our young clients is rewarding.”

The couple is extra proud when generations of riders walk through their door. “We have clients from years ago come see us with their children,” says Karl. The pair’s greatest source of pride is their son, Karlson. Now, 21, he was raised with horses as part of the family.

“I grew up with horses, I’ve always loved them and have traveled with my parents to state competitions and then national competitions,” says Karlson. A PTHS alumnus like his father, Karlson expresses what it’s like to work with his dad: “It’s not easy to follow in my

dad’s footsteps; he’s a perfectionist,” says Karlson. He explains that working with family can have its challenges, but “it’s worth it to be together.”

Working at NJEC through childhood and beyond, Karlson knew this was the path he wanted to take. His horses are Kitty (8), Sy (6), and Petey (2).

“You’re working every day with horses, all the time,” says Karlson, sharing his parent’s sentiments. “Getting a horse to trust you is one of the biggest challenges,” he says.

“But once the trust is there, it’s very rewarding.” He’s proud of placing at both Congress and Nutrena American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Championship shows and values the life lessons of working with horses, something his parents attest to.

“The horse industry helped show Karlson the necessity for a good work ethic,” says Deana.

“Karlson is very compassionate and does a wonderful job of stepping up to the plate when Deana and I travel,” says Karl.

Karlson’s dog Ruger has become a familiar furry face at NJEC and is loved by the entire family. In addition to being part of the family business at NJEC, Karlson started his own business that he operates in the afternoons (KTB Enterprises LLC), where he is a large equipment diesel mechanic. He also works in steel fabrication and welding. Through it all, his parents are always there for him.

“I’m so grateful to my parents for supporting me in everything I do,” says Karlson. The family has traveled to compete with their motor home and can haul four horses in the trailer. No matter where they go, the family ventures together.

“It’s rewarding because it’s a family affair,” says Karl. There have been very few times in my life that I’m without my wife and son thanks to working together.”

The entire family describes breeding champion horses as the biggest reward. Karl also prides himself on the professional organizations he has been a part of. He is the current director

at large for AQHA (the world’s largest equine breed registry and membership organization, dedicated to the American Quarter Horse) and helps to make rules and decisions, resulting in worldwide contacts.

“I have a big Rolodex of all the people we’ve met from neighboring states to across the country and overseas,” says Bauer. Among many awards and championships, Bauer is a mounted shooter and has been a three-time world champion.

THE JOY OF RIDING

There are various opportunities at NJEC such as riding lessons in both English and Western style disciplines. Beginners through advanced riders can learn about feeding, grooming and general care of horses. Riding lessons begin at 5 years of age and horsemanship and pony rides at 3.

Horsemanship 101 covers safety, hands on caretaking, fun facts, and anatomy. The Little Boots program teaches safe introduction to horses for youngsters. NJEC programs are offered seven days a week, (availability permitting), and there’s much more. Clients can host a party at the facility, bring their own food, and children can enjoy pony rides. NJEC has collaborated with Girl Scouts of America for horsemanship and animal caretaking badges, has worked with 4H of Passaic County, and offers a Summer Riding program. Children in such programs have gone on to pursue careers with animals and have even become junior counselors at NJEC.

Boarding at NJEC features 103 large 12x12 stalls, where horses are able to see outside; there are also automatic waterers and materials in the building, which are fire safe.

Compassion for the animals is number one. NJEC helps take in animals that are displaced by wildfire, flood, and storms. The center offers transport, temporary boarding, and care with the help of knowledgeable volunteers. The facility also boasts a Tack Shop/Pro Shop selling everything from riding gear to grooming supplies.

Clearly, the Bauer legacy shines at NJEC. But another valued member of NJEC is Megan O’Neill.

O’Neill is the program director of NJEC, founding member, and program director of Carousel Horsemanship and is the head of Horsemanship Education.

“Growing up, our house was actually a barn converted to a house (once a working farm) with horses on family land,” says O’Neill. After the passing of her mother, Maryanne O’Neill, in December of 2021, O’Neill felt closer to her mom when volunteering with horses. Her dad, James “Buddy” O’Neill, who passed in March of 2025, encouraged his daughter to pursue her passion. She left behind an established career in corporate management and jumped right in to the cowboy lifestyle.

“Working with horses is inherently therapeutic; it provides a profound sense of purpose. Purpose has been the thing that keeps me going,” she says. “I go to sleep feeling accomplished.”

She describes a conversation when her father was in hospice, asking him to tell her mom about the horses. “Within 10 minutes of his passing, the foal Sassy was born,” O’Neill says. “I took that as my sign.”

One of the programs at NJEC that O’Neill is passionate about is Carousel Horsemanship, which offers equine education and enrichment to veterans, military personnel, first responders, and their families. The program launched officially in January of 2025 after rebranding to Carousel Therapeutic Riding in April of 2024.

“The rebrand was a program proposal I brought to Karl,” O’Neill says. “NJEC is the place to work. I left so many voicemails, and in January of 2023 I heard back and have been living my little girl dreams ever since,” she says. “Karl made my dreams come true. He’s like family. I could never repay him for all of his mentorship, training, and the opportunity to impact so many lives with something that has helped me so deeply.”

O’Neill will marry her fiancé, Alexander Jones, in August 2026 on the farm at Karl and Deana’s home. In recent years, Karl and Deana moved back to Karl’s childhood home following the passing of his parents, Charles F. Bauer Jr. and Ruth A Bauer.

“Pompton Plains is a great town to grow up in, live in, and it’s safe. I know everyone and everyone knows me,” says Karl. He and Deanna love to travel to the islands and take camping trips to Cape May, Myrtle Beach, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nevada, Missouri, and Florida to name a few! Life is an adventure for the Bauers, but family values keep them grounded.

“I thank God for my wife, the ying to my yang, and am so fortunate to have her,” says Karl. “I’m grateful to my son, a strong young man who is the center of our lives, who is striving to take over our legacy someday.”

BY ANTONIETTA HENRY