Earl Warren Showgrounds Equestrian Renovation Project

SBCRC pulled off a great show this weekend!

Wanted to send a big thank you to Santa Barbara County Riding Club for inviting me and Dawn DeTroia- Surprenant to their show today at Earl Warren Showgrounds. ...Got to check how they did covid protocols before our show. The renovations are beautiful and the new footing looked amazing! They had a huge turnout of 175+ horses! Congrats for a great show and very smoothly runned show! https://www.facebook.com/SBCRC/ See more

Local Organizations are acknowledging SBEquineEvac's efforts!

We are back to work at EWS! The staff took down 2 barns and Santa Barbara Equine Evacuation and Assistance Team, Inc. has extended their work to take on the excavation of the foundation with great LOCAL contractors. It will be a full competition sized arena, 125x250’ (same size as the Mountain View Arena). It will have totally portable fencing and can be used for English or Western competition, lunging, livestock and non-equestrian uses as well. The area will be cleared and l...eveled for the Santa Barbara County Riding Club hunter jumper show on March 26-28th. We will start the arena construction in earnest after the show. As always we thank our wonderful donors who are helping to make this happen. ================ Please support this effort with your tax-deductible donation. Checks Payable to: SB Equine Evac memo: Showgrounds Equestrian Restoration Fund Mail to: PO Box 60535, Santa Barbara CA 93160 For questions, contact Karen Christensen at: [email protected] or call 805-699-5592

Please help Equine Evac repair the barns at Earl Warren. Every donation helps! Go to the Evac website. www.sbequineevac.org

Thank you Rhea Hayes and Riding Magazine for showcasing our project! We have so much more to do in the off season to rehab barns.

Thanks to our wonderful donors and businesses, we have made so much progress! The Kramer, Mountain View and Warm-Up arenas have all been completely renovated with new bases, french drains and footing. We have worked with experts and riders to fine tune the new footing. We have new fencing, water trucks, drags, judges' booths and more. The horse shows are returning. There have already been three Hunter/Jumper shows since September and Dressage is bringing in a show in Novembe...r followed by another Hunter Jumper show! But we have so much more to do! We need to fix our 1950's wood barns. They are still structurally solid but we need to repair holes (you know how horses kick and paw), replace doors, and improve ventilation. We need to build a fourth multi-use arena north of the Warm-Up arena. Please! This is the time to donate. Every dollar goes to building materials and contractors. All donors receive a 501(c)(3) receipt for their tax records. It's easy! It's old fashioned! Write a check to SB Equine Evac. Write SERF on the memo line. Mail it to Equine Evac, PO Box 60535, Santa Barbara, CA 93160 or be modern and use your Venmo. SBEquine-Evac Team. Input SERF on the memo line. Get more info at http://www.sbequineevac.org/showgrounds_equestrian_restorat The Renovation Team from

For the 4th of July, a shining local example of the good work by many in the community to bring the Showgrounds back to their intended use as a high quality show facility as well as improve it’s viability as a emergency staging and evacuation site and community resource. We look forward to this critical improved community facility serving more groups and more uses. The construction work is well within social distancing requirements and is approved to continue. This post hig...hlights the work in the Dome (Officially called the Kramer Arena). The new specialized draining mat grids were installed over the French drains, so the base is ready for top footing next week. This work is being done by Footings West Unlimited under contract to SBEquineEvac. The excavation and base was done by Bob’s Backhoe with discounted material from Granite Construction. The walls were repainted by the EWS staff using paint and supplies donated by Lisa Novatt. The doors are being rebuilt to their original size by EWS using material donated by SBEquineEvac. The new sound system has been installed by AllStage Pro, funded by donations through EWSF, work coordinated through Courtney Cochrain. The manlift to install the sound system and replace lighting was donated by Giffin Rental. All the funds for this work were generously donated by individuals and groups in our wonderful community! History and fun details in upcoming posts. Thank You! The Renovation Team at SBEquineEvac. PS, We stopped fund raising as soon as the Covid19 crisis hit as we had sufficient funds to complete the arenas, equipment and general facilities needs that are currently underway. There are still many smaller but important needs that we do not have the funds for in the short term. These include fixing the gutters in the Dome, replacing rotting facia boards, planters and some landscaping around the rings, new tables and chairs for the show office, judges booths, announcer’s stands, etc. Once we have finished the evaluation of barn options we plan to reach out for additional major donations to complete the entire project. If you are interested in supporting any of these projects through donations of cash or discounted/donated work and products, please contact Karen Christensen [email protected] to discuss or write your check to Santa Barbara Equine Assistance and Evacuation Team, Inc Write "SERF" on the memo line. Mail your check to SB Equine Evac, PO Box 60535, Santa Barbara, CA 93160

First, I apologize for not posting more updates; I can pull a renovation out of a hat filled with Covid, but am not a natural Facebook person. That said, We have so much to be excited about! One of our technical team, Penny Wardlaw fought hard to get approval for the Arabian Region 2 Championships as scheduled June 16-21. When turned down in Santa Barbara, she managed to move a huge show to another location. Kudos to her! That allowed us more time to expand our work and save... our donors money on ring work. The beautiful Buckley Fence will be completed early this week thanks to Michele Bandinu and his fantiastic crew at Custom Hardscapes. This powder coated steel fence is durable, safer for the horses, and we built a fully removeable center walkway so Hunter Derbies and driving events can be held spanning both rings. Next week Footings West is coming in to do the final laser leveling and put in the top top footing. Meanwhile AllStagePro Sound is installing all new sound systems in the Dome and outdoor arenas, the EWS is painting the Dome walls and sealing the gutters. We are setting a final date for a soft opening event, hopefuly in Mid July where all disciplines can come in a ride the footing and celebrate the ongoing revival of Earl Warren as a high quality equine facility! Stay tuned!

Things are rolling along at the equestrian facility. The arena surfaces are ready for the Region 2 Arabian show and beautiful new the arena fence is being installed. Here are two pre fence views. Please help! Donate today! We need funds to repair the barns. Do it the old fashioned way. Write your check to Santa Barbara Equine Assistance and Evacuation Team, Inc Write "SERF" on the memo line. Mail your check to SB Equine Evac, PO Box 60535, Santa Barbara, CA 93160

Some more positive news in our uncertain times. The Mountain View and Warm Up arena base is done and awaiting the arrival of Footing West to cover the french drains and putting on the top sand. Then we put in the beautiful new Buckley Fencing with movable center walkway. Bob's Backhoe started on the Dome where we uncovered the bottom steps buried for decades by sand added to the ring. Stay tuned for more photos and videos as this work continues.... While working on the arenas we identified a couple of needed improvements and built them in to our project. We added under ground conduits for electricity and sound systems. The sewer line to the office restrooms and Munchies backed up and we learned that the old clay pipes were buried under the arenas putting the rings at risk of being dug up. Working with EWS staff, plumbers and Mike Hearn, we decided the best design is to reroute the sewer line around the arena. Better yet, we realized we can improve the southern bleachers which are too low and often flood after any rains. Our current work includes raising and refurbishing the bleachers. See future posts for all these small but exciting details. The construction work is well within social distancing requirements and is approved to continue. We look forward to this critical improved community facility serving more groups and more uses. Stay safe and we will continue to post photos and updates. The Renovation Team at SBEquineEvac. As a reminder, our goal is to rebuild the arenas with safe footing and to renovate the barns to serve the community’s needs for evacuation, emergency response, equestrian and multi-use events. This will be a phased project. Santa Barbara Equine Evacuation and Assistance Team, Inc. a 501(c) (3) is sponsoring and managing the project with full approval of the 19thDAA/EWS. You can find our plan, map, and timeline here: bit.ly/EWSEquineRenoPlan We have raised over $560,000 of the estimated $750,000 needed for Phase One. We are so thankful to those who donated so that this project can safely continue without asking for more funds during these uncertain times. Our current funds are more than needed to complete the arenas, equipment and general facilities needs that are currently underway. Once we have finished the evaluation of barn options we plan to reach out for additional donations to complete the entire project. Meanwhile please safe. Santa Barbara Equine Evacuation and Assistance Team, Inc.

French Drain detail.