September 1, 2007

To: Friends of Monterey Horse Park
From: Anne Cribbs, Executive Director

Shovel in the Ground Campaign

The Monterey Horse Park has come a long way, and I’m writing to apprise you of the progress we have made.  This is a update to the original April 2007 letter, as we have additional information regarding costs.

After many months of negotiation, in December 2005, the Monterey Horse Park signed an exclusive negotiating agreement with the County of Monterey, giving Monterey Horse Park the right to raise funds, conduct necessary environmental and engineering studies and work with the County on milestones necessary to achieve the transfer of land and begin construction on the designated 390-acre site at the former Fort Ord.  In short, the County granted Monterey Horse Park, indeed the entire equestrian community, the right to proceed with the project, subject only to the successful funding and construction of the Horse Park. 

Monterey Horse Park has been working cooperatively with the County to refine the development schedule and complete certain “milestones,” listed on the attachment, which are conditions to the transfer of the land. 

To complete the milestones, Monterey Horse Park needs to raise $1.9 million by July 1, 2008, and $200,000 of this amount must be raised by October 1, 2007. 

Our goal is to put a shovel in the ground and begin construction in January 2009.
A capital campaign for Phase One construction will begin this winter – and will include an array of naming rights for Monterey Horse Park facilities.

Much difficult work has been done since the organization of the Monterey Horse Park as a 501(c) (3) non-profit in 2001, but committed board members and volunteers working in concert with the County of Monterey and the Fort Ord Reuse Authority have brought the Monterey Horse Park from a dream to a reality.  Now, we are literally a matter of months away from “putting a shovel in the ground.”

Monterey Horse Park needs the equestrian community to help fund the current pre-construction phase to get “the shovel in the ground” and to create this once in a lifetime opportunity for a permanent, international level equestrian facility in California.

We look forward to talking to you soon regarding your support.

Monterey Horse Park and County of Monterey Milestones and Timeline

About Monterey Horse Park

The Monterey Horse Park is a nonprofit corporation formed to preserve open land for public recreation and to create an international center for equestrian training, competition and education.

Located on 390 acres of rolling terrain, with beautiful oak woodland, and adjacent to thousands of acres of riding trails, all with great footing, the Horse Park will be on the historic Monterey Peninsula in the salutary, year-round climate of central California.

When completed, the Horse Park will include 1,200 + show stalls, 4 boarding and training barns for 80 horses, 3 vendor concourses, a Grand Prix show arena, a large multi-purpose outdoor arena, 3 western arenas, a 3-acre cattle facility, pavilion arenas, a multi-use indoor arena seating 6,500 with covered warm-up ring, a 6,500 m. cross-country course, an SPCA horse rescue center, a therapeutic riding program, a canine training facility, a staging area for bike, hiker, horse access to 83 miles of BLM trails, a California Horse Museum, a conference center adjacent to a turf event field, a veterinary clinic and ample parking for competitors, spectators, trucks, trailers and RV’s, plus a 130 site RV campground with pipe corrals and a 30 site VIP-RV camp at the show facility.

Monterey Horse Park will include state of the art footing, manure management, native planting, water conservation and a 75 acre oak woodland habitat preserve.  These facilities will enable the Horse Park to host local, national and international events in all eight FEI disciplines (show jumping, dressage, eventing, reining, driving, vaulting, endurance, para-equestrian) and also cutting, breed and other shows.