As Santa Barbara begins to return to a ‘normal life’ after the pandemic, the Santa Ynez Valley Riders (SYVR) are helping provide some open-air, family fun this summer.  

SYVR is a riding club dedicated to the sheer enjoyment of trail riding and is open to all breeds of horses and styles of riding. SYVR offers opportunities for individuals and families to bring their horse and trail ride on some of the most beautiful and remote landscapes in Santa Barbara County and the Central Coast area. They invite anyone who shares a love of horses to join them for some fun and unique trail riding in time for the summer. 

After months of having no events scheduled, the SYVR is excited to announce their first ride following the pandemic shut-down at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 17, at Mission La Purisima in Lompoc. Membership with SYVR is required to participate in the rides, and starting in July, and for the remainder of the year, membership dues are reduced to half price. Dues go to help fund their efforts to keep Live Oak Trail and other area trails open and safe for all. 

“We are thrilled to have our group rides back after the Pandemic forced all of our events to be cancelled”, says Santa Ynez Valley Riders President, Kathy Rosenthal. “These rides are so important to our members and organization and starting back up with the Mission La Purisima ride is a perfect way to get our horseback riding community together again.” 

The SYVR promote equine legislation, good horsemanship and address the need for acquisition and preservation of safe trails. Trail rides last from three to five hours over private ranches well-known in the County’s history, as well as in the Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara County Parks such as Live Oak Camp, the latter in which SYVR partners with to raise funds for improvements such as replacement picnic tables and other amenities. Riders typically arrange to meet at  the trailhead. SYVR stresses safe riding practices on all rides. 

All SYVR meetings, trail rides and events are announced via member email around the 1st of each month.  

To learn more, please visit santaynezvalleyriders.org/ 

About Santa Ynez Valley Riders 

Santa Ynez Valley Riders is a riding club dedicated to the sheer enjoyment of trail riding and is open to all breeds and styles of riding. Since 1952, SYVR has organized safe, family-oriented trail rides to horse owners from all walks of life. To learn more, please visit santaynezvalleyriders.org/  

The post SYV Riders getting back in the saddle with ride on July 17 appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

publisher@santaynezvalleystar.com

Many people keep a stash of emergency supplies and create plans of what to do in case a disaster drives them from their homes.

In rural places like the Santa Ynez Valley, where horses and cattle can outnumber people, two local women have started an event to show owners of horses and other large animals what to do emergencies.

“People don’t think about this stuff until it’s too late, unfortunately. Luckily we have amazing organizations that will help us, but it’s always better to be prepared yourself,” said Dawn Perrine, coordinator for the Equine Emergency Preparedness Expo.

Perrine and Julie Monser have coordinated with a number of organizations and agencies to hold the second annual Equine Emergency Preparedness Expo from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Santa Ynez Valley Equestrian Center.

They will also be hosting a contest this year for people to come and talk about the plans they have made over the last year using the information from last year’s event.

“We invite people to come and talk out their plans and bring their ‘go bags’ so we can help them make sure they are fully prepared,” Perrine said.

Santa Barbara Equine Evacuation and Assistance Team, local veterinarians, and others will provide information, resources and training throughout the event to teach those attending how to prepare themselves, their horses, their homes, and their facilities for any emergency.

“Last year we had a speaker talk about evacuating horses and we learned that he had been trapped at his facility in the Hill Fire, but he had the forethought of when he was building to fortify it in case that ever happened. He will be speaking about his experience at this event,” Perrine said.

Perrine said the event will include topics such as how to handle a fire extinguisher, how to locate utilities, fire safety, basic first aid, home and work safety tips, urban search and rescue, basic triage and more.

Event organizers said they are grateful to the Santa Ynez Valley Riders and the Santa Ynez Equestrian Center for their sponsorship and donation of facilities for the day.

“We are so thankful for all the people that came to last year’s event and participated. It’s so important that we know this information,” Perrine added.

The Equestrian Center is at 195 N. Refugio Road in Santa Ynez, south of Highway 246. For more information, visit the Equine Emergency Preparedness Expo group on Facebook or call Julie Monser at 805-264-3422 or Dawn Perrine at 805-245-6727.

The post Event to teach horse owners about disaster preparation appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Contributing Writer

For the past 66 years, a group of local trail riders has been getting together at least once a month, year round, to enjoy an outing on horseback on private ranches, at the beach, or in the backcountry.

The Santa Ynez Valley Riders was founded in 1952 by a group of horsemen and women, a few of whom are still active in the club more than half a century later.

The group was originally a chapter of Equestrian Trails International, a group dating back to the 1940s that formed to help preserve riding trails that were threatened by development, and keep access open for horses. In 1986, the group voted to leave the national organization and form their own independent club. They changed their name to the SYV Riders and wrote a mission statement that was sure to set the tone of their club for the coming decades: The club is about families, inclusion and enjoyment of our local trails and ranches.

Now one of the oldest active horse clubs in the valley, the group is thriving. Fifty members strong, the membership age ranges from 7 years old to 93. Annual dues are kept low to encourage folks to join: $30 per person or $50 for a family for the whole year.

Because of the group’s great reputation for safety, its members get increased access to ranches because landowners trust them to conduct their rides safely. The group insures every ride in case of the occasional unavoidable accident — a hazard of life with horses is that they can be unpredictable. The group has been a client of the same insurance company since it was formed, another sign of its exceptional safety record.

“Our insurance guy loves us, because he knows we are safety first,” said Dawn Perrine, one of the group’s members. “We have trail bosses for each ride, we have well developed rules for our rides that we go over each time before we set out; safety is first.”

That being said, the SYV Riders still enjoy an atmosphere of relaxed fun.

“We are all about inclusiveness. We want riders from all disciplines, all breeds. As long as their horse is good on the trail and in groups, anyone is welcome,” said Treasurer Robin Martinek. “We truly have a great community feel in our club. It’s like an extended family, really. Camaraderie is strong, the people are down to earth. It’s an assortment of backgrounds and horse experiences and even disciplines.”

Members come from as far away as Santa Barbara and Arroyo Grande.

In addition to trail rides, the club gets together every year in December at the Santa Ynez Elks Lodge for a family-style dinner that the club pays for. Members who no longer ride but still pay dues come to the dinner to catch up with old friends. Stories about the year’s rides and camp-outs get told and retold. Photos are shared and enjoyed. And plans are made for the next year’s adventures.

SYV Riders used to host play days and shows as well, and even rode as a group in regional parades, but have not done that for a number of years.

“Although if there was increased interest in doing them again, the club would look into it,” said Martinek. Camp-outs have become a popular activity of the past number of years. The availability of horse-friendly camping spots, such as Montaña de Oro State Park, as well as some private ranches that have camps, makes it easy to plan a weekend out in nature with horses.

“Lots of people have living-quarters trailers now, too, so there are fewer and fewer actual tents at these events, but it’s still camping, and it’s still great fun,” said Leslie Gillies, a member since the 1970s.

Once a year the club votes on which horse-related local charity to make a donation to. A nonprofit themselves, the club members feel it is important to share what they have with other horse groups. SYV Therapeutic Riding, Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary, Midland School’s Riding Program, Sedgwick Preserve, and Los Flores Ranch Park are among several programs they have donated to.

Although the club is healthy and thriving, it faces a difficulty in loss of access to land, decade after decade, due to development, change in ownership, landowners’ fear of liability, bad past experiences with other riders or groups, trespassers, and many other reasons.

The group has seen a lot of change, and members worry for the future of equestrian trail riding activities in California. Still, the club perseveres, maintaining great relationships with their landowner hosts and keeping open opportunities for all horse people to access the beauty of our local ranches and trails.

To learn more, visit www.santaynezvalleyriders.org or visit the club’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/SantaYnezValleyRiders

The post On the trail since 1952 appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.