A TREAT FOR HORSE LOVERS PIERCE COLLEGE BREAKS GROUND ON TRAINING CENTER.Byline: Rachel Uranga and Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writers WOODLAND HILLS - In what equine equine Any member of the ungulate family Equidae, which includes the modern horses, zebras, and asses, all in the genus Equus, as well as more than 60 species known only from fossils. Equines descended from the dawn horse (see Eohippus). advocates painted as a homage to the agricultural legacy of the county, Pierce College In 2006 the Library won a national Excellence award. Academics Pierce College offers associate's degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. officials broke ground Saturday on a $6.4 million equestrian equestrian a rider of horses. center. Once completed it will be the only public educational facility of its extent in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , officials said. ``Right now there's no equestrian program to support the industry,'' said the college's president, who was instrumental in including an upgrade of the equestrian facilities in the school's master plan. ``Today is a landmark,'' he said, standing behind a bale bale 1. a package of wool in a wool pack weighing 150-250 lb depending largely on whether it is greasy or scoured. 2. a compressed bundle of hay, either about 100 lb tied with wire or twine, or large, round, untied bales, as big as a small hay stack and referred to as 'big bales'. of hay in a white cowboy hat. The crowd of a few dozen equestrian students and enthusiasts cheered - many of them dressed in barreled hats, field boots or tasseled jackets. Funded by a six-year, $1.2 billion bond measure approved two years ago, the first phase of the project will include three arenas, one for roping, schooling and dressage dressage (French; “training”) Equestrian sport involving the execution of precision movements by a trained horse in response to barely perceptible signals from its rider. . It also provides two 20-stall barns and a refurbishment re·fur·bish tr.v. re·fur·bished, re·fur·bish·ing, re·fur·bish·es To make clean, bright, or fresh again; renovate. re·fur of the program's original barn. The decrepit de·crep·it adj. Weakened, worn out, impaired, or broken down by old age, illness, or hard use. See Synonyms at weak. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin d red barn The Red Barn was a fast-food restaurant chain founded in the early-1960s in Dayton, Ohio by Harry Barmier. Red Barn restaurants were in the shape of barns with a glass front and limited seating. , built more than four decades ago, sits on a plateau above the riding grounds and is the only covered area where the horses can be kept. Because there are an estimated 25,000 horses within 10 miles of the school, Ron Wechsler, director of the college's equine science program, calls Pierce's existing educational facilities simply inadequate. ``It's a multibillion-dollar industry, and our facilities are from the 1950s,'' Wechsler said. Keepers and riders can make up to $40 an hour, and there's a shortage of training facilities, he said. Slated for completion in three years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time first of two phases will allow Pierce to add hundreds of students to its 300-student program and nearly triple the number of horses on the premises. ``It's wonderful,'' said Carol Ford, president of the Valley Horseowner's Association. ``Pierce College has been traditionally an agricultural college and a vet school, and they've always had a fantastic equestrian program. ``It gives a future for equestrian, horsemanship horsemanship: see equestrianism. horsemanship Art of training, riding, and handling horses. Good horsemanship requires that a rider control the animal's direction, gait, and speed with maximum effectiveness and minimum effort. studies. We need young people to be interested and appreciate horses, horsemanship and the equestrian lifestyle in order to continue having a demand for this lifestyle. Pierce College being such a well-known institution, it just helps our cause.'' Sandy Enfield, chairwoman of the Woodland Hills Neighborhood Council, said one of the council's concerns is to make sure the center remains a teaching facility, ``not just a boarding place for monied people with horses.'' ``Pierce has a unique piece of property,'' and the council doesn't want to see other projects encroaching on the college's agricultural offerings, she said. Wechsler brushed aside Enfield's concerns, saying the program has always been foremost dedicated to education and has not decided how to select occupants for the newly available space. Currently, there are 10 stalls occupied by students' horses and 18 by privately owned horses. In exchange for use of those horses, the college feeds and maintains the animals from December to June. With donations and a new bond measure, the college hopes to build a second phase of the center. The still unfunded $19 million project would include two more 20-stall barns with schooling rings and a 2,500-seat open-air equestrian arena that could be rented out. Partial funding is pinned on Proposition AA, a bond measure that may be on the May ballot. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Ron Wechsler, director of Pierce College's equine science program, says their facilities are ``from the 1950s.'' (2) Suzanne Hill of Woodland Hills bridles her horse, Boz, during a horsemanship course at Pierce College on Wednesday. (3) Morgan Rich of Saugus brushes Scout on Wednesday. There are an estimated 25,000 horses within 10 miles of Pierce College. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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