Reach out to your elected officials to advocate for the protection and freedom of the horses at the OC Equestrian Center
Reach Out to Your Elected Offical
Dear Supporters of the Equestrian Center at the OC Fairgrounds.
After nearly doubling the horse stall rent at the OC Fairgrounds Equestrian Center, the District 32 DAA CEO and Executive Director, Michele Richards, presented the horse boarders and trainers with unconscionable contracts that could make the renters financially liable for the maintenance and repairs of the state-owned facilities. The contract also does not spell out where and when boarders can use the facilities compared to when the Fairgrounds' staff would have use of the same space.
When the horse boarders and trainers presented checks and signed contracts with slight edits, the District 32 DAA Executive Director responded by issuing evictions and then padlocking the exercise areas for the horses.
Locking up the exercise areas threatens the health and even the lives of these majestic creatures!
Ask Your Elected Officials to Protect Against Animal Abuse at the OC Fairgrounds
What Can You Do to Help?
Call and/or email your local elected representatives. A phone call is better, but any communication of your concerns is better than remaining silent. Post your concerns on social media.
To find your state representative, please click here.
To find your congressional representative, please click here.
To find out what Orange County Supervisorial District you live in click here. Once you know your County Supervisorial District, click here to reach out to your representative.
What To Ask For?
1. For the representative or their staff to contact OC Fairgrounds staff and demand that they immediately remove the padlocks from the exercise areas for the safety of the horses.
2. For the elected representative or their staff to ask that the OC Board of Directors and CEO allow for contract negotiations not on the price but on the financial liability of the renters.
3. For the elected representative or their staff to ask that a mediator be provided to help both sides reach a compromise that provides fiscal stability for the Fairgrounds, public equine programming, boarding of horses, and the support and viability for the women-owned small businesses that provide equine training and community services.
What Should I Say?
What should I say?
Identify yourself as a constituent.
1. Hello, my name is ________ and I am a resident of (city).
2. State that the conditions at the OC Fairgrounds Equestrian Center are unsafe. Without daily exercise on open ground, horses are at risk of a variety of behavioral and health problems ranging from extreme agitation that makes walking them on concrete unsafe to colic, which is a problem in the intestinal tract and one of the most common causes of death in horses.
3. Tell them that locking the horses out of the exercise arenas is unfair. The 32nd DAA offered a “take-it-or-leave-it” contract that puts the boarders/trainers at risk. The Executive Director then issued eviction notices and padlocked the horse exercise areas.
4. Let them know that a take-it-or-leave it contract is unconscionable. An unconscionable contract is a legal term that applies to contracts that are unfair or oppressive to one party. The contract proposed by the 32nd DAA not only nearly doubles the rent, but puts renters at financial risk for years of deferred maintenance.