SAN MARCOS: Equestrians to install bleachers at horse park Saturday

Group raised $13K for project at Walnut Grove Park

By ANDREA MOSS - Staff Writer | Friday, August 8, 2008 8:26 PM PDT ∞

SAN MARCOS ---- A diverse group of equestrians will pick up hammers and screwdrivers and join forces Saturday to improve a facility they all use and enjoy at Walnut Grove Park.

The Twin Oaks Valley Equestrian Association will spend the afternoon installing $13,000 worth of new bleachers at a horse center in the park off Twin Oaks Valley Road in the north end of the city.

The new seating will replace deteriorating bleachers erected in the 1970s.

Money for the project came from a fundraiser the association held last October.

"It's of value to the equestrian community, and we really want to make sure the center is in good shape so that it's here for many years to enjoy," association board member Patty Morton said Friday. "We just really feel like it's a great part of this community, and it's part of the history of this valley."

A rural area known for its large, spread-out horse properties and farms, Twin Oaks Valley is home to many equestrians who were drawn to the area because it was relatively undeveloped compared to the rest of the city. Horses and their riders are a common sight on the many riding trails that crisscross the area, which also has crosswalks with special horse buttons.

Walnut Grove Park is another popular attraction in the valley. The 39-acre recreation area includes a historic building known as the Red Barn, extensive grassy areas and soccer fields, picnic areas, and the horse center.

Set near the barn, the center has a large show arena, a smaller ring used for warm-up sessions, several pipe corrals, and a large parking area for horse trailers.

Morton, owner of a nearby horse-training business called Pathfinder Farms, said local horse clubs hold shows at the center at least twice a month. The facility also gets used daily by nearby residents who start and end their trail rides at the center and by individuals who are training their horses, she said.

"It's public, so everybody uses it," Morton said. "People trailer (their horses) in from all around, and they use the arena."

Each of the horse clubs focuses on a specific type of horseback riding, like jumper-hunter, dressage or roping. Although members of the different groups typically don't mingle much, the prospect of several proposed development projects in Twin Oaks Valley prompted them to form the association in 2005 so they would have a unified voice in their calls for preservation of the valley's rural nature.

Association President Carol Shuttleworth said Friday that the group also takes on issues related to the equestrian center and the trail system. That includes working closely with representatives of the city's community services department to promote the center and the trails, she said.

Last year's poker ride was the group's first fundraiser for that effort. A Sept. 14 gala the association will hold at the historic Twin Oaks Schoolhouse on Deer Springs will continue the fundraising efforts.

The group also has another poker ride planned for Oct. 5. Go to www.keepitequestrian.com or call (760) 744-4225 for information about either event.

Contact staff writer Andrea Moss at (760) 739-6654 or amoss@nctimes.com.