Agoura Hills : Horse Show to Benefit Equestrian Center

The Friends of Old Agoura Park will hold a horse show Sept. 17 to benefit the newly constructed regional equestrian facility in Agoura Hills.

The show will run from 8 a.m. to about 3 p.m. at the facility, bordered by Chesebro Road, Colodny Drive and Driver Avenue. Registration begins at 7 a.m.

The equestrian facility is part of a new 10-acre park being completed in two phases in old Agoura. The facility links up with the Zuma Ridge Trail, an equestrian trail running through the county. Admission is free and the equestrian center is open to riders from throughout the region.

The horse show proceeds will go to build a small ring for training horses, which is part of the second phase, Green said. A large, Western-style arena and smaller warm-up arena have already been completed as part of the first phase.

The Agoura Hills City Council voted recently to allocate $88,000 for playground and picnic amenities, part of the second phase. That part of the project will go out to bid this fall, said Audrey Brown, the city’s director of community services.

The first phase, which cost about $850,000, was paid for through grants, including $630,000 from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and from bond money set aside by Los Angeles County to pay for park construction.

Friends of Old Agoura Park, a nonprofit group formed to benefit the park, raised $2,000 at their last fund-raiser, Green said. That money was used for improvements at the new equestrian facilities.

The group eventually hopes to raise enough money for jumps and barrels, she said.

Cost to enter the horse show is $6 per class. Admission is free. Food and refreshments will be available. For information call Nona Green at (818) 879-9100, Ext. 2416.