Fairgrounds loses bid to place horses at El Toro

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Orange County Fair officials lost a bid to take over the

riding facility at the closed El Toro Marine base, officials learned

Wednesday after having cut the existing equestrian facility nearly in

half to pursue a larger off-campus program.

Costa Mesa resident Kathy Hobstetter, a trainer at Fox Point Farm in

the existing equestrian center, said fair officials made premature cuts

based on assumptions not facts. It was too risky to base future plans on

the possibility of acquiring land at the closed military base, she said.

“It was extremely tragic for this board to make such a drastic cut

with the pipe dream of securing alternative real estate in Orange County

-- one of the most expensive land development areas in the nation,”

Hobstetter said.

Fairgrounds officials say they are still searching for an alternative

spot for an expanded satellite horse facility -- a concept that has been

outlined in the proposed master plan -- but do not have a specific

location in mind.

Becky Bailey-Findley, president of the fairgrounds, said she is

confident that another location will be found. The fact that the master

plan is still in a design and research stage also allows for more

flexibility in securing an alternate site, she said.

Bailey-Findley agreed that real estate in Orange County is hard to

come by but said that is not the only option. Officials will also keep an

eye on existing equestrian facilities that may fall on hard times in the

future, she said.

“As one door closes, another will open,” Bailey-Findley said. “We just

have to keep an eye out for that next door.”

In October, the board of directors of the Orange County Fair and

Exposition Center approved preliminary plans to cut the size of the

equestrian center from 240 stalls and five arenas, to 180 stalls and

three arenas.

No horses would be displaced as a result of these cuts, as the

existing facility has been operating under capacity because of a

moratorium on new boarders.

Fair board officials said the move was made to free up parking on the

160-acre site. Horse enthusiasts were pleased by the decision,

considering that previous plans included moving the entire equestrian

center to a satellite location, leaving no horses on the Fair Drive site.

“At least they decided not to cut the whole thing,” Hobstetter said

Thursday. “Then where would they be?”

Fairgrounds officials said they are looking forward and do not regret

any decisions, but said they had no concrete plans or timeline for a new

equestrian facility they are calling “the Ranch.”

Conceptual plans for the Ranch call for boarding and training, an

adjacent but separate venue for equestrian events and shows, and a

community recreational site, with trails and riding. Although it would be

off the main campus, the center would still be considered a part of the

fairgrounds with all revenue streams still coming to the same place.

Hobstetter said she supports any additional equestrian centers in the

county, as they are much needed, but hopes the fair board will revisit

their earlier decision to cut the existing facility.

“With the failure to secure that lease, I would hope that the board is

extremely receptive to alternative ideas [for the master plan],”

Hobstetter said.

Bailey-Findley said there was no pressing need to revisit earlier

decisions but said she could not speculate whether the plans would be

revisited because the project was still in a research stage.

Only two bids for the equestrian site at the closed El Toro Marine

base were received. One from the fairgrounds and the other from the Will

Rogers Institute in Los Angeles, which won the lease.

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .