Worried about its future, horse enthusiasts rally around equestrian center at O.C. fairgrounds

Standing in a wind-whipped arena at the Orange County Fairgrounds Equestrian Center as her hands firmly gripped the reins of the sizable steed standing beside her, Gibran Stout kept a watchful eye as her students prepared for practice.

Stout is the founder of the OC Vaulting club, where students sharpen their skills in equestrian vaulting — essentially a blend of gymnastics and dance done on horseback.

Undeterred by the gusty conditions, her students took turns mounting a horse in midstride before striking elegant and acrobatic poses.

“The only reason we’re here is because this is here,” Stout said, looking around at the center at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. “And if this goes away, this [team] is going to go away.”

Stout is among those rallying around the equestrian center after the recent release of a draft 10-year master site plan for the fairgrounds, which includes a proposal to demolish the center’s barns and offices and replace them with carnival parking and storage, restrooms, showers and “multipurpose ground space.”

The conceptual plan also refers to “245 RV parking stalls” that could be “flexed to 900 standard stalls.” Some have interpreted that as a plan to put RV parking on the equestrian property.

Fair & Event Center spokeswoman Terry Moore emphasized that the master site plan concept is not final and is still subject to review by the Orange County Fair Board.

“Changes will likely be made before the board votes on a final plan,” she said Thursday. “There may be parts of the draft that are completely removed or revised, so it’s too soon to comment on any particular elements. This is a great time for the public to review the draft and make their voices heard.”

Supporters of the equestrian center — which is tucked into the northeast corner of the fairgrounds near the intersection of Arlington Drive and Newport Boulevard — say it is a vital space that provides therapeutic programs, activities for all ages, an emergency evacuation area for animals and a clear link to the county’s agricultural heritage.

Such facilities are scarce in the region, they say, which would leave equestrians with few realistic alternatives should the fairgrounds center close.

“How does an RV park help Orange County?” said Lisa Sabo, who operates the Newport Mesa Riding Center and Pony Club at the center. “How do the citizens, how do the children, how do the youth, how do the veterans of Orange County benefit from an RV park? You have a couple hundred people floating through here on a daily basis enjoying the equestrian sport and all the wonderful parts about it.”

Other major projects proposed in the draft master site plan include moving the main fairgrounds entryway; expanding the administration building; developing a new education center with classrooms, offices and meeting space; erecting a parking garage at the corner of Fairview Road and Arlington Drive and putting a bridge over Fairview to connect with Orange Coast College to the west.

This isn’t the first time the equestrian center has faced possible elimination. In 2009, fairgrounds officials weighed converting the site to additional parking. In 2001, the Fair Board decided to cut the center in half, to its current size of about 7.5 acres.

“I can definitely respect the fact that the world is a changing place,” said Kate Riley, who operates Life O’Riley Riding at the center. “I just would not like to see these lovely animals taken out of the area.”

The draft master site plan for the equestrian center carries an estimated price tag of $16.1 million. It’s one of seven development phases in the overall fairgrounds concept that, all told, could cost about $169 million.

Sabo said a better use of the money would be to renovate the equestrian center and expand it to open up opportunities for additional programs and events.

She also floated the idea of relocating the center so it could receive wider public exposure and be better integrated with other fairgrounds features such as Centennial Farm, the Action Sports Arena and Heroes Hall.

Sabo recited a quote attributed to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill: “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”

“Once you’re around these animals, you understand that,” she said. “And the kids of Orange County and adults and older people need horses. It’s very valuable.”

Fair Board members will discuss the draft master site plan during their next public meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive.

Moore said the fairgrounds plans an evening board meeting in May, and residents can offer their thoughts, suggestions and concerns at ocfair.com/public-information/master-plan.

Stout said more than space for horses would be lost if the equestrian center were to vanish.

“I think we have to think of it as a park,” she said. “It’s not here to make us money, it’s here to bring us joy — or it should be. It already brings a lot of joy, and it could be so much more.”

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoney