LAKESIDE, Calif. (KGTV) - Some horse owners in Lakeside are rallying against a proposed monster truck event at a county-owned equestrian park.
Norm, a 12-year-old Quarter Horse, spends his most of his day in a corral at the Five Branch Ranch in Lakeside.
Norm’s owner, Haley Peterson, says it's one particular day in March that has her worried.
“This event will cause trauma to our ranch. Surprised and disappointed they are going to have it,” said Peterson.
About 650 feet away from Norm's corral is the newly opened Dianne Jacob Lakeside Equestrian park, complete with two arenas.
Next month, it may be hosting a monster truck event.
An ad posted on the Monster Truck Wars Facebook page touts an upcoming event in Lakeside, for three shows on March 23. It’s a day Ranch Manager Kelsey Richardson is dreading.
“Horses are flight animals and sensitive to noise. When they get scared, they will run through a pipe corral,” said Richardson.
She's worried the potential noise level from the monster trucks, louder than typical ranch sounds, could lead to stress-related health issues, or cause some of the 33 horses being boarded at the ranch to injure themselves.
She says there is a lot of concern for rescue horses like 10-year-old Apollo, who gets stressed out from lawn mowers and tractors.
“I'm very, very, very concerned how he's going to react to this,” said Richardson.
Also expressing concerns about the event is the namesake for the park, former county supervisor Dianne Jacob. She told ABC 10News, “This is a rural residential area. Great event, wrong location.”
She says she just informed the County of her position.
ABC 10News reached out to Equine Event Services, contracted by the county to run the park. They issued the following statement:”
"Equine Event Services has recently become aware of concerns in the community regarding the safety of the horses around our facility during the upcoming monster truck event. EES has always been dedicated to the safety and well-being of the horses in our community. To that effect, we have already placed contractual obligations on the producers of the monster truck event to make modifications to their muffler systems to bring the noise within permissible standards mandated by the County. We are continuing to investigate the issues raised by the community's concern and will remain open to reasonable suggestions to mitigate any further concern regarding the equine residents in the neighborhood."
“I'm hesitant to believe they can modify the monster trucks enough,” said Peterson.
Back at the ranch, the horse owners remain skeptical. A third of the horses at the ranch will likely be sedated that day, which comes with its own risks. Still, they say it's better than the alternative.
“My fear is my horse will be stressed all day … They can't take that much stress for that amount of time,” said Peterson.
The event has been granted a preliminary permit by the County, with the final decision expected soon.
A County spokesperson released the following statement: "Any event held at the Equestrian Park must go through the County’s Community Event Permit Process, which evaluates many facets of the proposed event to ensure it meets County standards for noise, light, traffic, and other factors. A permit must be secured prior to an event taking place.
The event center operator asked for consideration of the event but has not officially submitted an application for the permit. The initial request was vetted and scaled back by the Parks & Recreation Department, but there are several other County departments such as County Fire and Environmental Health that also review the request. Concurrence by all reviewing departments is needed before the Sheriff’s Department could issue a permit.
The scaled-back event being considered is a a one-day, two-show event that ends at 6:30 p.m. The event organizer would be required to restore all areas back to their original condition."
