Jamesport horse farm bought by Riverhead council member and his wife

A 107.8-acre preserved horse farm on Main Road in Jamesport is set for a new chapter, with the longtime B.J. Farms property being purchased by Riverhead Council Member Ken Rothwell and his wife, Debra Rothwell, who plan to continue its equestrian use under a new name, Thunder Road Stables. 

The farm, at 1394 Main Road, has been protected from development since 1979, when Suffolk County purchased its development rights. County records show the property has been owned by Brian and Jennifer Nixon since 1993, most recently through living trusts. The Rothwells said the couple, now in their 80s, were ready to step back after decades running the farm.

“We just wanted to make sure that, God forbid something happens to one of them, that that farm will continue on to the next generation,” Ken Rothwell said in a March 5 interview.

The Suffolk County Farmland Committee approved the Rothwells’ application for the preserved property last July, allowing a deed amendment to recognize commercial horse boarding and commercial equine operations, which were not permitted under the farm’s original 1979 development-rights agreement because the deed predates current county law. The approval also cleared the way for a new indoor riding arena and related improvements, subject to conditions. 

The county staff report describes the property as a horse farm with boarding, training and breeding, and identifies the proposed indoor arena as a key part of the Rothwells’ plan. The resolution approving the application describes the arena as 110 feet wide by 220 feet long, with associated utility connections, drainage, fencing changes, trailer parking and signs displaying the new farm name.     

Ken Rothwell said the indoor arena was essential because the farm currently relies on an arena on an adjacent parcel the Rothwells are not buying. He said he signed a one-year lease so riders can continue using that arena while the new one is built.

“What we had to do is we put in an application… to build an indoor riding arena. So we will be building a larger indoor riding arena on the property [to] exercise horses year round.” 

Debra Rothwell said the new indoor will be larger than the one now being leased and designed for year-round riding and training.

“We’re building a larger, new indoor on our side of the property,” she said. “So it’s kind of state of the art, great lighting, great footing, and a little bit bigger so you can have more space to exercise our horses.” 

For the Rothwells, the purchase, which was finalized Feb. 13, is both a business move and a personal milestone.

Ken Rothwell said horses have long been part of his family life. He recalled growing up around racing through his father’s work at Parr Meadows in Yaphank. Debra Rothwell, who grew up in Walton in upstate New York, said she has loved horses since childhood.

“I’ve been around horses all my life,” she said. “I was kind of a barn rat.”   

Today, she oversees much of the horses’ day-to-day care. She said there are currently 49 horses at the farm, including harness racing horses, pleasure horses, retirees and younger horses. The farm has six permanent employees, two of them part-time, she said.

“Everyone has their own nutritional needs, so we cater to whatever the horse needs to stay healthy,” she said.   

The Rothwells said they do not intend to change the fundamental character of the property. Ken Rothwell said the goal is to preserve it as an equestrian farm and improve the existing facilities, not alter the land itself.

“The ultimate goal is to preserve that property, to keep it operating as it is, an equestrian facility for generations to come,” he said. 

Debra Rothwell struck a similar note. In a text message after her interview, she wrote that owning Thunder Road is “a dream come true” and “my privilege to take care of this beautiful slice of heaven on the North Fork of Long Island and to preserve its beauty for generations to come.”

She also said in her interview that preserved status is part of what makes the property special.

“We’re gonna keep it. It’s preserved land, so that’s always gonna have that beauty and no development, which is fantastic,” she said. “I just hope to be a good steward to the land and a guardian to the horses living there.” 

The purchase drew some public scrutiny at the March 3 Town Board meeting, when Aquebogue resident Ron Hariri said Rothwell should recuse himself from matters that could affect the property and urged the board and town attorney to seek a formal opinion on any potential conflict. Rothwell responded that the property’s development rights had already been sold and that the land will remain restricted to farming.   

That issue, however, is secondary to the story the Rothwells want the farm itself to tell: that one of the North Fork’s longtime equestrian properties will remain exactly that.