Suzanne D’Ambrose is a Jersey Shore girl. She was born in Neptune, raised in Neptune and Avon-by-the Sea, and currently lives in Neptune ...
MANALAPAN, NJ -- January 26, 2026 -- Suzanne D’Ambrose is a Jersey Shore girl. She was born in Neptune, raised in Neptune and Avon-by-the Sea, and currently lives in Neptune.
For 26 years D’Ambrose taught law enforcement at New Jersey’s Academy of Law & Public Safety to students in the 11th and 12th grade, besides being a certified law enforcement officer for 12 years in Belmar, NJ.
Although she was not brought up around horses, today D’Ambrose spends much of her time around horses, especially standardbreds.
“I’ve always loved horses, and at one time I co-owned two racehorses,” she said. “One was too slow to race, and the other is currently living his life retired with his second owner.”
After retiring from her career in law enforcement, D’Ambrose became involved in various fields of racing.
“Currently, I am the secretary/trustee/instructor with Harness Horse Youth Foundation,” she said. “I enjoy working with our HHYF team by teaching and developing educational materials for youngsters and teens.
“I am also a 4-H advisor in Monmouth County [NJ] and have introduced the members to standardbreds and harness racing. I schedule tours for the youngsters from HHYF, 4-H, and the Pony Clubs in New Jersey."
The past few years the members have toured Fair Winds Farm, Southwind Farm, Offshore Farm, and Freehold Raceway. Now that Freehold has closed, I plan to give tours of the paddock area at The Meadowlands.
“Since I also ride, I have introduced many standardbreds to riding under stable.”
D’Ambrose is also an equine masseuse.“I am the owner at Free Motion Massage,” she said. “Yes, I do massage therapy on all breeds, but mainly work on standardbreds. Occasionally I will work on my friend’s [Veronica Spicer] standardbred racehorses, as well as anything else needed.
“I studied horse anatomy and equine massage years ago. I could see improvement in the equine athlete and have continued researching acupressure and reiki for horses.
“The great standardbred Foiled Again was one that I had my hands on. I have also taught equine massage to the campers at HHYF. They love to learn.”
D’Ambrose is also a celebrated equine artist.
“I am an artist and 90 per cent of my artwork is horse related,” she said. “Most of my commissioned works are of standardbreds, Chincoteague ponies and specific personal horses, plus, I add in a few dogs.
“Much of my work is done on glass — specifically wine glasses.
Last week I painted a head shot of the horse Lexus Kody on a wine glass that will be auctioned at the Dan Patch Awards banquet.”
D’Ambrose also paints on canvas.
“I can paint on almost anything. Last year I taught two art classes for the 4-H and pony clubs: ‘How to Draw a Standardbred Horse.’ The drawings included mares and foals, as well as horses racing on the track.”
According to D’Ambrose, she always loved art and went to art classes as a youngster and teenager.
“I was constantly drawing horses and other animals,” she said. “
This past spring, I was one of the 15 artists to be chosen to paint one of the 15 horse sculptures showcased in downtown Freehold… The blank sculptures are 2 feet by 2 feet.
“The finished sculptures were displayed from July-October. The theme I chose was, ‘Grown and Recognized in New Jersey.’
I added New Jersey fruit, vegetables, the state bird and more. The front half was of the Jersey bred Muscle Hill.”
As a horse lover, perhaps it’s no surprise that D’Ambrose was also a horse owner.
“I owned two standardbreds for riding,” she said. “One was Chai Mister who passed away in 2009 at the age of 26. He never raced.“The other one was my heart horse, Independent Act [aka Indy].
Indy was a trotter who raced, but got a suspensory injury at the age of 6. Mike Posner was his trainer at the time.“When Indy was 7, he became my horse. We did everything together. We went to meet and greets, competing at horse shows, hunter paces, trail riding, and color guard at parades.
In 2014 [for three years], I was color guard with my loyal sidekick Indy for Open Space Pace at Freehold Raceway. That was a memory I will always cherish.
“This December I lost Indy. He was 24 years old, and his body was tired.
I am heartbroken, but I know he is up there trotting around with his friends.
This is the thing about owning and loving any animal. As much as you want them with you forever, it isn’t possible.”
D’Ambrose said there are two women in particular that she admires in the sport of harness racing.
“The first is horsewoman Jacqueline Ingrassia who has paved the way for women in the sport,” D’Ambrose said. “
The second is Ellen Taylor, who is the executive director at Harness Horse Youth Foundation. Ellen is such a great role model for the younger generation for she knows the importance of educating our youth and teens about the sport.”
Anyone interested in seeing or purchasing art from D’Ambrose can do so on her Facebook page:
