Fallbrook Riders Field continues history of serving locals

For those of you who have ever wondered what the big equestrian facility is at the corner of Brooke Road and South Stagecoach Lane is all about, here’s your answer! For those of you who don’t know what I’m referring to, here is your introduction!

Fallbrook Riders, Inc. is a non-profit organization that runs what is affectionately called Fallbrook Riders Field, or FRF. The field has a very long and colorful history in Fallbrook and holds many childhood and adult memories for me personally.

The field was given to the community 62 years ago with the stipulation that it could never be sold and was to be used for the good of the community and its children. As early as the 1940s, the field hosted what was called Fallbrook Pioneer Days, a precursor to the modern-day Avocado Festival. Pioneer Days was a very big event in Fallbrook and included a parade and rodeo and gymkhana competitions, in which riders showed off their skills by quickly navigating courses on horseback.

Throughout the decades, until about the 1980s, the field was home to rodeos, shows and competitions. It was also home to the John Strong circus once a year, which was always my personal favorite event as a child.

In more recent years, FRF has hosted several barbecue/dances as fundraisers and has served as an equine evacuation site during several fires, the last one being the 2007 Rice Fire, which displaced thousands of people and hundreds of horses for a week that October. During the evacuation, FRF opened up its gates to provide a sanctuary for 16 horses and their owners.

Currently about 70 families and one sub-set club (Fallbrook Pony Club) make use of this historical piece of land.

We are looking for more families who are looking for a safe place to ride and to bring their kids to enjoy nature and what the world of horses has to offer. It is a wonderful place to train and trainers and their students are also welcome to use the facilities.

We have a lot to offer to everyone from the backyard horse to the horse in competition. We would love to have more members and more members who want to get involved. The more organizations we have, the more we can offer kids something that interests them.

During the year, FRF and Fallbrook Pony Club hold several shows, trail challenges, clinics and fun events. We would love more volunteers to help us organize and work these events.

Membership to the field is $125 per year for a family. Whether you are looking to compete, or just a place for a quiet ride, we have 10 acres preserved right in Fallbrook for equestrian use. A cross country course is available with various levels of difficulty and includes a fully groomed gallop path, cross country jumps and a water jump. The cross country course can also serve for trail practice, some trail obstacles (cowboy curtain, mail box, wooden bridge, etc.), a large stadium jumping arena complete with jumps, and a dressage/warm-up arena maintained for use.

Sand arenas offer dry footing when it is too muddy to ride at home. There is plenty of arena space to practice all disciplines from barrel racing to dressage. The property is fully fenced, has its own restrooms, and numerous pipe corrals for horses. Riders can enjoy nights in the lighted arena; just flip the switch to enjoy that evening ride after work. Members can also enjoy picnicking in this park, sitting on the shaded patio complete with a barbecue and numerous picnic tables. Light camping is also available with hookups.

For more information, visit http://www.fallbrookriders.com or call Marie at (760) 845-9760 or Nancy at (760) 728-2166. Riders Field is located at 1627 South Stage Coach Lane in Fallbrook.