County to explore tiered, updated equine regulations

The County of San Diego may be updating its regulations of equine operations, including possibly a tiered ordinance which would provide regulatory relief to smaller boarding, training, and other commercial operations.

A 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote March 2 directed the county’s chief administrative officer to work with the county’s equestrian community and any other interested parties to investigate options which would protect and promote equine operations throughout unincorporated San Diego County. The options will include the potential development of a tiered ordinance, similar to what the county has adopted for wineries, and the chief administrative officer was directed to report back to the Board of Supervisors within 120 days.

“This idea today, I think, is long overdue,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who does not currently own a horse but has been riding since she was three years old.

“It’s exploring options for updating the equine regulations in this county,” Jacob said. “What we’re trying to get at is to take a serious look at these regulations.”

Because horse ownership for non-commercial purposes or for off-site activities such as shows or racing is not subject to county land use regulations on a parcel zoned for large animals, an exact horse population is not available, although a Ramona Equine Industrial Network survey produced an estimate of approximately 11,000 horses in Ramona alone.

“It’s a large economic factor that cannot be ignored,” said current Ramona Equine Industrial Network president Arvie Degenfelder. “For a time we had more feed stores than we had markets.”

“The equestrian community is still a very strong factor in the Bonita community,” said Supervisor Greg Cox.

“Equestrian activities and facilities are a way of life in a large part of my district,” said Supervisor Bill Horn.

“I truly believe that the county should be encouraging, rather than discouraging, reasonable and appropriate activities involving horses,” Jacob said. “I believe some of the regulations are quite onerous.”

The San Luis Rey Downs Thoroughbred Training Center in Bonsall will likely be considered a major operation, but San Luis Rey Downs general manager Leigh Ann Howard is also the current president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association. “This is a very important issue for actually all the horse people,” Howard said. “I think that an awful lot of regulations and laws need to be looked at.”

Thoroughbred breeding operations take place on farms (as do breeding operations for show horses of other breeds). Racehorses are sent to trainers for breaking and early training before undergoing race-specific training. The average racehorse competes on the track until he or she is four or five. “They go on to second careers, and they’re the horses people have in their back yards or in boarding stables,” Howard said.

In 2010 the Board of Supervisors approved a tiered winery ordinance which exempts wineries on agriculturally-zoned land and producing up to 12,000 gallons per year from discretionary permits to have on-site sales and tasting rooms. The ordinance includes restrictions on facility size and operations, and appropriate building permits are still required. Wineries producing between 12,000 and 120,000 gallons per year may have tasting rooms and on-site sales with an Administrative Use Permit while a Major Use Permit is still required for wineries producing more than 120,000 gallons. County staff worked with local wineries, grape growers, and the San Diego County Farm Bureau to develop the tiered winery ordinance.

The development of a tiered equestrian ordinance and other updates to equestrian regulations will involve a review of state law and of activities undertaken by other jurisdictions. County departments which will be involved in the development of the updates will include the Department of Planning and Land Use, the Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Department of Public Works. A Programmatic Environmental Impact Report was required for the winery ordinance and will likely also be needed for significant changes in equine regulations.

“This will make it more reasonable in every respect,” Degenfelder said. “It’s very good news.”

“This is a big deal for the future of everyone in our community,” said San Diego County Equestrian Federation vice-president Marilee Lowe, who lives in Fallbrook and is also the president of the Vista-Palomar Riders.

Lowe is also the former administrator of the REINS therapeutic riding program in Fallbrook, and professionally she is a Realtor who often conducts ranch and estate home transactions.

North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) programs also exist in Jacob’s district (Cox also has a NARHA center in Bonita), and Jacob recently visited a NARHA center in Ramona. “There are specialized populations of individuals,” Jacob said of the local equestrian community.

The San Diego County Equestrian Federation president is Michell Kimball, who owns a stable in the Eden Valley portion of unincorporated Escondido and who also owns Spooks Gotta Whiz, who won the 2010 National Reining Horse Association futurity in December.

“I couldn’t be any happier right at this moment,” Kimball said of the county supervisors’ action. “It’s almost as good as winning the futurity.”

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