Has anyone boarded at Rock Creek Park in D.C.? I am interested in hearing personal experiences. Is the care good? Any issues with the barn also being open to the public?
Canāt comment on anything other than the limited turnout
I have wondered about this too, usually when Iām nearly an hour into my drive back from the barn and daydream about boarding 10 minutes from my houseā¦
Lack of turnout would be a dealbreaker for my horse, and I am dubious of care and staffing. I know my vet and farrier wouldnāt venture that far. Board is high given the amenities, you definitely pay for the location.
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I canāt comment from a boarder perspective but I have been to the Rock Creek facilities and compared to others nearby, I would prefer to keep my horse elsewhere, as I would want more of a structured, competitive hunter jumper barn with better amenities.
Totally up to preference and what youāre looking for in a facility, so Iād suggest touring it and checking out a few others in the area as well - sure is convenient to the city but you sacrifice a few things for sure!
Awakening this thread to post an article about the stables at Rock Creek Park (US D.C.), which states that the ācontractor that runs key operations said its financial challenges had become āunsustainable.āā I have no personal knowledge of this center, but thought this was interesting in light of increasing expenses forcing the closure of riding schools and equine facilities across the US.
Gift link (hopefully free!) to article at Washington Post: https://wapo.st/4jSadM8
āRock Creek Park Horse Center faces uncertain future amid financial challengesā
I have long benefited from riding at a high-value, well-run H/J lesson barn, with competent trainers, a horsemanship focus, and excellent horses. Many of our lesson string were deemed not fancy enough to be competitive at A shows, were quirky but safe, or were stepping down from bigger jobsāmeaning that students benefit from learning on them, and from them. Such lesson barns (as discussed frequently these days on this board!) are so valuable to the horse world.
I hope thereās a way forward for this program so close to an urban center.
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I really hope a new contractor is able to take it over and turn it around. The facility needs some upgrades, but it has nice stalls and a great indoor. Seems like thereās a lot of potential to provide an improved community lesson program with better managementāand also accommodate boarders who want better training than what was available previously. I do think it is a challenging facility to run due to Parks Department rules and processes. But the location is just incredible, and the bones are there.
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This feels so similar to the closing of Potomac Horse Center (nonprofit, leased from the Maryland-National Capital Park Commission) last year. Itās been discussed ad nauseam on this forum what a struggle it is for lesson programs to support themselves while remaining affordable to middle-class families. I donāt know the terms of either lease but in both cases the expectation that PHC and the contractor running Rock Creek Park maintain aging facilities that they ultimately do not own seem to have been a bridge too far.
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I read the RFP before the current operator was selected and the expectations laid out by NPS were insane. They expect the operator to be all things to all people ā boarding, training, lessons, trail rides, birthday parties, therapeutic riding, summer campā¦ Iām forgetting more. Hopefully the next round will give a new operator the chance to build a viable business plan.
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To add - I believe the contractors have to pay a certain % gross income (not net) to the parks so that can cut quite deep into their income. Meadowbrook Stables had a great benefactor who rode there as a kid, so invested quite a lot of money in capital improvements. Its sad to lose these large lesson facilities who brought so much joy to generations of riders.
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The county and local governments make it next to impossible for the operators of these county run properties to survive at times - one local staple, Potomac Horse Center, had a crazy quote for capital improvements required to continue operations (IIRC, it was 4-5M for the barn repairs?) - footed entirely by the program, not the county, who technically owns the property. So naturally, they had to close - on top of running a program and housing and caring for 50+ horses, they had to raise a mid 7 figure amount to just keep the doors open? Ugh. Itās unheard of for some of these nonprofits to survive. Itās very very sad.
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As a professional who took her first lessons at rock creek park back in the early 2000s, i have SUCH fond memories of Edgar Allan pony, TJ (my first email address pays homage to him, ofc) Jackson, and grooming all the horses together for lessons. I can say I wouldnāt have started lessons without it being accessible and welcoming and I really hope thereās a way to improve and continue itās relevance for the area!
If thereās a way locals know of to help this great place I would be interestedā¦
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