Coastkeepers Shuts Down FEI level A Shows

[Peggy]

Email just received from Blenheim/Ridland.

Coastkeeper Reaches Agreement with The Ridland Group to Allow Equestrian Events to Resume at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park

May 18, 2024 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – As of May 18, 2024, the Orange County Coastkeeper and The Ridland Group have agreed in principle to a plan that will protect the San Juan Creek while allowing Blenheim EquiSports to hold its equestrian events this season at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano, CA.

“We are profoundly grateful to Coastkeeper for their hard work and cooperative efforts to assure the long-term future of equestrian events at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park under the strictest of environmental protocols,” said Robert Ridland, President of The Ridland Group. “This agreement confirms not only that the equestrian competitions will continue in 2024 but that all the other various community and charity events will as well. Most importantly, this agreement assures that all equestrian activities at the Riding Park will operate in a manner that provides the highest degree of protection to the environment and the surrounding watershed.”

The parties have been in longstanding collaboration in order to come up with a plan to protect the San Juan Creek and have settled on a clear course of action that will protect water quality while continuing equestrian operations at The Riding Park. The Ridland Group is committed to upholding Coastkeeper’s goal of improving local water quality to protect the people and wildlife of the San Juan Creek Watershed.

[Mardi1]

Well that’s good news.
I wonder if Coastkeepers had a little push from the local merchants to work it out with Ridland.

[MHM]

@Mardi1

Well that’s good news.
I wonder if Coastkeepers had a little push from the local merchants to work it out with Ridland.

I wouldn’t be surprised. I have to think all those horse shows bring a huge economic boost to the area.

[clanter]

my guess is one or more wives of Coastkeepers leadership are active participants in HJ or the equine activities world and they became pissed

However, the Clean Water Act is a Federal law that is actually really enforced by the Feds not a private watchdog group, those groups use such laws as a hammer to get their way on stuff they wish to be done. But Hell has no Furry greater than a pissed off wife or partner,

[Willesdon]

It only says 2024 is ok…

[Mardi1]

@clanter

However, the Clean Water Act is a Federal law that is actually really enforced by the Feds not a private watchdog group,

I wish this was true. The river that runs along the U.S. side of the San Diego/Tijuana border has been polluted for decades. The run off goes directly into the ocean. The source of the polluted runoff has been a broken sewer plant and trash (tires, plastic bags, etc.) thrown into the river. Imperial Beach is usually closed because of it. A bit farther north, the pollution affects the same beaches that the Navy SEALs use, and the iconic Hotel Del Coronado beachfront. Surfers, beachgoers, and residents who live nearby (US side) have medical problems, not only from the ocean water, but the related air pollution.
The state says it’s a federal problem, and won’t touch it . Some money has been granted to help clean it up, but it’s just not a priority. Maybe Coastkeepers could come take a look.

[Caligirl83]

@clanter

my guess is one or more wives of Coastkeepers leadership are active participants in HJ or the equine activities world and they became pissed

However, the Clean Water Act is a Federal law that is actually really enforced by the Feds not a private watchdog group, those groups use such laws as a hammer to get their way on stuff they wish to be done. But Hell has no Furry greater than a pissed off wife or partner,

Haha that would be neat if there was some behind the scenes trophy wife equestrian lady involved with Orange County Coastkeepers but we’ve been dealing with them for over 15 years and it’s not the case. The OC chapter very specifically had it out for horse properties and they have been found trespassing on private properties trying to collect “samples” that prove horses are huge polluters.

They target any and all horse properties in Orange County, including properties where the watershed does not flow in the waters of the United States and thus the federal Clean Water act does not apply.

The number of horse stables that have been forced to close in fear of lawsuits by the Coastkeepers is quite large.

The organization is a loose coalition of county chapters, with an overall state office and perhaps a national organization?

Kind of like Audubon, which is an environmental group who instead of targeting livestock has developed programs that recognize role of ranchers, cattle and horse people and livestock in protecting open space.

Conservation Ranching

Although of course there are very different manure management concerns for urban horse keeping vs rural horse keeping on working ranches vs giant event facilities like the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park, Wellington, HITS Ocala, WEC in Ohio & Florida, Del Mar Showpark and Del Mar Fairgrounds etc etc…,

The context of environmental issues are very different in each case even though it’s all horse manure.

[Amberley]

Yes, it’s honestly far more likely that someone has an ex-wife that is an avid horsewoman, they really do have it in for horse facilities very specifically, while ignoring some much larger polluters.

[Caligirl83]

@Amberley

Yes, it’s honestly far more likely that someone has an ex -wife that is an avid horsewoman, they really do have it in for horse facilities very specifically, while ignoring some much larger polluters.

@Amberley I agree 100%.

The targeting of horse properties seems super vindictive.

[Willesdon]

Equestrianism takes a fair amount of land, is predominantly a female occupation, the facilities are generally run on a shoestring by people who lack business smarts and they fold at just the threat of going to the law - so an easy target. Does this body attack golf courses, which completely change the natural environment in pursuit of their perfect greens?

[Caligirl83]

@Willesdon

Equestrianism takes a fair amount of land, is predominantly a female occupation, the facilities are generally run on a shoestring by people who lack business smarts and they fold at just the threat of going to the law - so an easy target. Does this body attack golf courses, which completely change the natural environment in pursuit of their perfect greens?

To the best of my knowledge, no golf courses in Orange County are threatened. And there are quite a few. Most are part of old money country clubs.

Anybody involved in this in Southern California heard differently?

[Mara]

Not to mention the drain (pun intended) that golf courses put on the water supply. I guess golf balls don’t play the same way on brown grass?

[fivestrideline]

I don’t have the receipts but I believe some of the higher ups at Coastkeepers were called out for maintaining memberships at these golf courses/country clubs (that absolutely are the biggest non-essential water drain in a given area, not to mention the runoff and habitat destruction).

So the prejudicial targeting of equestrian facilities is likely due to the fact that it’s often considered a “spoiled woman’s sport”, venues are easy targets due to the narrow profit margins and non-business minded individuals scared of lawsuits, and likely some personal vendettas.

[Mardi1]

The Fairbanks Ranch Country Club Golf Course near Rancho Santa Fe (San Diego) is in the flood plain of the San Dieguito River, which flows into restored lagoons and then to the ocean.
The golf course is also next to the sprawling Evergate Stables, owned by the Bill Gates family, and is upstream from HITS Del Horsepark and Del Mar Fairgrounds, which is practically oceanfront.
In 1984, it was the site of Eventing’s cross country phase for the Olympics in Los Angeles.
So the course is very much a part of the surrounding equestrian community.

The golf course uses well water, and reclaimed water for the grass. Between the horse properties and the country club, there doesn’t seem to be a problem.

[Caligirl83]

@Mardi1

The Fairbanks Ranch Country Club Golf Course near Rancho Santa Fe (San Diego) is in the flood plain of the San Dieguito River, which flows into restored lagoons and then to the ocean.
The golf course is also next to the sprawling Evergate Stables, owned by the Bill Gates family, and is upstream from HITS Del Horsepark and Del Mar Fairgrounds, which is practically oceanfront.
It was the site of the eventing’s cross country phase for 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
So the course is very much a part of the surrounding equestrian community.

The golf course uses well water, and reclaimed water for the grass. Between the horse properties and the country club, there doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Are there any golf courses adjacent to equestrian facilities in OC ?

This is accurate, but actually Coastkeepers in San Diego DID blame both the Del Mar Racetrack & Fairgrounds and the Del Mar Showpark facility for polluting the waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act several years ago, which resulted in Del Mar Showpark completely closing as a boarding facility and both facilities were forced to make extensive water retention changes.

Del Mar Showpark only recently re opened for big A rated horse shows under HITS management.

[MHM]

Horse shows can be held again at a well-known California venue - Nancy Jaffer...

[Caligirl83]

Yes great news for the future of the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park (although the annual rodeo in August is apparently now permanently canceled).

But the equestrian community in Orange County CA now has very little trust that Coastkeepers won’t keep changing the goal posts again and milking more money via the lawyers out of the city of San Juan Capistrano and the Ridland group (who of course then has to pass on that cost to horse show exhibitors)… I spoke with somebody involved in this issue, and this is a huge issue with a lot of ramifications.

Honestly there should not be double standards for golf courses vs horse facilities, and there seems to be some movement in Sacramento about reclassifying horses as an exempt CAFO livestock if it can be shown that manure and shavings are trucked away daily and aren’t sitting there like in a beef or dairy feed lot.

We can’t afford the closure of horse facilities, whether they be boarding facilities or large event venues like this one.

And then today is another big shakeup involving the Orange County Fairgrounds Equestrian Center, whose Fair Board and staff have been trying to get rid of the stables since 2009… the fun never stops

Housing Horses at the OC Equestrian Center is Getting More Expensive

[quietann]

Actually quite a few of the golf courses in Southern California use reclaimed or “gray” water. This does not eliminate the runoff issue, though.

[Janet]

COTH article
https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/new-agreement-reopens-rancho-mission-viejo-riding-park/

[Demerara_Stables]

@Caligirl83

But the equestrian community in Orange County CA now has very little trust that Coastkeepers won’t keep changing the goal posts again and milking more money via the lawyers out of the city of San Juan Capistrano and the Ridland group (who of course then has to pass on that cost to horse show exhibitors)… I spoke with somebody involved in this issue, and this is a huge issue with a lot of ramifications.

Why is it that a non-government entity has so much sway over the government and so much power to close a facility? Why is this situation not being challenged in court? Shouldn’t the facility have to follow the law, and that’s that?