Possible loss of Groton MA fairgrounds to equestrian use

[Lisa_Cook]

Many in New England have participated in some way with Groton Pony Club, either with the club itself (Karen O’Connor is a Graduate A from GPC) or through the schooling events that the club hosts at the Groton Fairgrounds facility 3 times per year. It is a safe place to ride and school and compete and the pony club has made many improvements to the town-owned facility in the past few years.

The Groton Parks and Recreation Department held a meeting last Saturday, in which 2 DCs from the pony club were informed that the Parks & Recreation commissioner is proposing to install a sports field the size of a football field on the infield of the racetrack. This will effectively render the land unusable for equestrian activity. The current opinion of the Parks & Recreation commissioner is that the residents of Groton do not use or need the facility as it currently exists.

The next Parks & Recreation meeting will be on March 9th at Groton’s Legion Hall. You have to be a Groton resident to actually vote, but hopefully a large presence of local equestrians attending to voice support for retaining the land for equestrian use will be helpful.

Thanks for any support!

[Scissors]

Thanks for the heads up Lisa (putting that on my calendar). Hopefully there will be a sizable turnout considering that there are at least 2 event barns in the immediate vicinity.

[Starhouse]

That would be such a shame. I grew up in Groton and have enjoyed schooling at the Fairgrounds on a couple of occasions. I am no longer a resident there but I hope that people rally and are able to keep riding there.

[cranky]

Wow, this is very startling and upsetting news! It’s such a great venue for so many people who are not ready for sanctioned, or bringing up greenies, or kids or whatever. What a shame it will be if we lose it! I will be out of town when the meeting happens, but if there is some kind of electronic petition, Lisa, please let me know.

[wanderlust]

Oh, that makes me so sad. I grew up around the corner from there, had lessons there at least once a week for many, many years.

[Loves_to_ride]

more info

Thanks Lisa for putting this out there.

I am currently a Groton resident and have been using the Groton Fairgrounds since they used to hold the Nashoba Valley Hunt hunter shows there way back when (70’s?)

I heard that this is actually not an agenda item for the March 9 parks commission meeting but I am planning on going anyway.

The Parks Commission guy (Don Black) is against the plan as he is aware that the Fairgrounds are used for many horse activities. I think he is looking for emails to show support for keeping it as an equestrian area.

dblack@townofgroton.org

Don is a great guy!

Lisa, please keep us posted if you hear anything as DC. There’s a local Groton horse community email going around as well. Also Pepperell Horse Owners (Judy Lorimer)…

And hey folks, if you want a low key, fun, great footing (melts quick and drains well!) place to take your horses for schooling shows, Groton Pony Club offers some fun events at Groton Fairgrounds!

http://groton.ponyclub.org/

[Lisa_Cook]

Loves to ride - thanks so much for that update! Good to know that Don is an ally in this.

[lucky_dog_farm]

No,no,No, NOOOO!!! I can’t believe they are thinking of doing this! Don’t the kids have enough places to play soccer while we DON"T have enough places to play/train? Both of my vets live in Groton and I am going to let them (ie. make them!) go to this and give their support.

[JWB]

I don’t know the venue personally (being from Florida) but this sounds like a re-run of the debate that is going on here over proposed soccer fields that are to be built on the grounds of a Freedom Ride, ahandicapped riding facility in Trotters Park (former race track) in Orlando.

With land becoming more and more scarce for equestrian activities, and the skyrocketing costs that are frequently prohibitive of developing new facilities, we must speak out to support the existing venues.

[Lisa_Cook]

Lucky Dog - as I understand it, this move for a new sports field was started because Lawrence Academy is going to be cutting back the town’s access to the Academy’s playing fields.

At any rate, Don Black has sent out an e-mail thanking those who have expressed support for maintaining the fairgrounds as an equestrian facility, and the topic IS on the agenda for this Wed night.

The topic has definitely energized the horse community here, which has been awesome to see.

(warning - shameless plug to follow! :lol:) A great way to show support for the facility would be to enter in the pony club’s schooling events this spring. April 17th, a 2-phase with xc schooling. May 15th 3-phase event.

Pony club website will have specific entry information & online entries available as we get a bit closer.

[OTTB_FTW]

Terrible!

I will write an email, and talk of what Pony Club does for kids, as well as the use of land for kids AND adults!!

[Loves_to_ride]

Topic IS on the the agenda

This issue WILL be on the agenda at the Parks Commission meeting on Wed 6 pm.

Don Black has sent out an email to local Groton folks, including the Groton Pony Club (Lisa) and the Pepperell Horse Owners with the following comment:

Hazel Grove Park is one of the jewels of our community. It is my intention to keep it that way. The Groton Park Commissioners, in an ongoing quest for field space, have targeted Hazel Grove as well as several other locations in town as possible sites for new fields. A site walk will be planned after the snow melts. ( If that ever happens )

I am gratified to hear from so many of you as to your concerns. I look forward to meeting with you on Wednesday evening.

I’ll be attending the Parks meeting Wed and will post an update after.

I’m all for areas for kids to have areas for organized sports but they do not mix well with horse events. The area is lovely, but not big enough to support an equestrian and sports venue (just my opinion).

[Ruth0552]

Wow- I heard about this first via email and am so glad to see it on Equinesite.com and here!

I hope to attend the meeting Wednesday, but am composing a short email in the meantime.

If they had enough room to make a facility such as Pipestave Hill in West Newbury (a shared athletic/equine space) that would be fine. But I do not think the land is available there, and certainly NOT in the infield.

It would be awesome if they more than filled the opening 2-phase in support!!

[lucky_dog_farm]

I am going to go to the meeting and I am going to try and have a horse ready for the 2 phase and the three phase. Not sure if I can get them ready since I have not ridden all winter but I am going to try!! Also isn’t Pony Club ABOUT kids??? So why do we need to take this away from these kids who would rather ride than play soccer? How many freaken soccer fields do we really need? Your right Ruth about Pipestave, but I liked Pipestave SOOOOOO much better when you didn’t have to avoid all the screaming. ball chucking kids while riding the greenie whose eyes are bugging out. Maybe we should all meet at the meeting.

[Loves_to_ride]

Groton has an influx of folks who don’t realize that the town wants to retain it’s rural, farm and agri setting.

I remember a town meeting where there was discussion of the Farm act (ie realtors must disclose that this is farm town to make potential home-buyers aware that farm animals and all that goes with it is allowed. ie buyer beware). One guy (a parent I knew from soccer, clearly not used to “livestock”), stood up and said “you mean someone might have HORSES next to me?”

Ruth, Luck Dog Farm, I’ll look for you both. I only live 1/2 mile from the Legion hall so will be walking up.

And yes, Pipestave is a great place! I do think there actually is enough land for it (build into the woods around the Fairgrounds) but it would require alot of support and $$$.

[Lisa_Cook]

Between the fairgrounds proposal and a college campus moving to the site of Puritan Hill farm, Groton could potentially lose 2 of its landmark equestrian sites in a big hurry. :no:

Thank goodness for for the wonderful Scarlet Hill Farm to keep eventing going in the town…it might be the last one standing at the current rate of change!

Funny how that J.Geils property (aka Puritan Hill Farm) could never gain traction…seemed like that property had a revolving door of trainers for the past several years, with no one really making it stick for the long haul. Beautiful property & location…hope the college students enjoy it…

[fooler]

For what it is worth - I sent this email to Mr. Black:
Hello Don,

I am not a resident of Groton, in fact not even of Massachusetts, but have heard and read about the Groton facilities for over 40 years. Those in my sport of Eventing, also known as Combined Training and Horse Trials, speak of the site with great reverence. Our sport has lost many wonderful competition sites in recent years and I ask for your help in maintaining equestrian access to this site.

Thank you for all that you do for your community and our sport.

Regards,
Jean

He copied me on the Agenda meeting email!

Non-MASS residents who are interested in maintaining our treasured event sites should do the same.
Together we stand, divided we fall. . .

[Trakehner]

The lowest common element will usually win.

We lost one beautiful horse venue to 500 illegals with a soccer ball.

[Sadiegem]

I hate to hear this!!! Here’s what I sent to Don:

Hi Don, my name is ‘Sadiegem’ and I currently live in Maine but grew up in Hopkinton, MA. I have learned about the possible alteration of the Groton Fairgrounds from an equestrian facility to a soccer/football facility and am very concerned with this potential loss. I would like to share my experience with the Groton Fairgrounds and to offer any help that someone outside of Groton can provide.

I have ridden for 26 years, evented for the past 10 of those years. In those 10 years I have had the pleasure of riding two of my horses in several Groton Pony Clubs trials and had planned to attend more events when my current filly is old enough to be ridden. I have wonderful memories of each event; they have been relaxed, friendly and perfect for starting my horses in the event world. The event is well run, well staffed, and the Pony clubbers have done a wonderful job of upgrading the facility in the past few years. It would be a tragedy to lose this land when there are so few eventing facilities in the area.

If there is anything I can do to assist with saving the fairgrounds please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your attention to this matter,
Sadiegem
Maine
XXX-XXX-XXXX

I also sent a message to a breeder friend who lives in Groton. I hope something will help! I love those fairgrounds.

[Sadiegem]

One quick addition. I just sent another short email with the stores that I have patronized while going to the events. Filling a 3/4 ton truck for the drive home isn’t cheap, hopefully that does a little to make a difference.