One Equestrian Club Noticeably Missing in the Fight to Save Rohr Park Horse Arena

Statement on Public Parks, Taxes and Equal Access

This court filing makes one thing unmistakably clear: Sunnyside Saddle Club (SSC) leadership does not believe backyard horse owners belong in a public park. That position is fundamentally incompatible with the purpose of public parks and the use of public tax dollars.

Public parks exist for the public . . . not for a select group, not for private clubs, and not only for activities favored by those in control at a given moment. Taxpayers fund parks so that all residents may use them lawfully and peacefully .. whether that use involves children on slides, softball players on fields, people walking dogs, families picnicking, or horse owners riding and training horses in a designated public equestrian facility.

The claim that “it is not the responsibility of SSC and taxpayers to fund the hobbies and pleasures of local backyard horse owners” is both hypocritical and legally backwards.

Taxpayers already fund:

• Softball fields used by private leagues,

• Soccer fields used by travel teams,

• Tennis courts, skate parks, playgrounds, and walking trails,

• Parking lots, bathrooms, lighting, irrigation, and maintenance for all park users.

These activities are not disqualified as “hobbies.” They are recognized as legitimate public recreation, even when participants belong to clubs, leagues, or associations. Horse ownership is no different.

What would be improper is using taxpayer funds, City labor, and public infrastructure to benefit one private club, while excluding other members of the public from a facility that was expressly built and maintained as a public equestrian arena.

The hypocrisy is this:

• SSC accepted public money, public repairs, and City services,

• SSC used a public park address and public authority,

• SSC then argued in court that certain members of the public have “no legitimate reason” to be there.

That position attempts to convert a public park into a private clubhouse, enforced through police calls and restraining orders rather than lawful park rules.

Public parks are not privilege-based. They are not membership-based. They are not conditioned on volunteer labor or club dues.

A City park is funded by taxpayers precisely so that no one group gets to decide who belongs and who does not. Trying to remove the Jetts from a public park through a workplace violence restraining order . . . while simultaneously benefiting from public funds and City services . . . exposes the core contradiction in SSC’s position.

Public parks exist for the public. Backyard horse owners are members of the public. And taxes are meant to support shared access, not private exclusion.

The record does not support the claim that Sunnyside Saddle Club (SSC) independently maintained or funded the equestrian arena without reliance on City resources.

Public documents obtained through California Public Records Act requests show that SSC repeatedly requested City financial assistance, labor, and infrastructure repairs, including:

City-funded installation of a gate costing over $2,450. added in conjunction with a $25,000 San Diego County Neighborhood Reinvestment Grant.

Multiple requests for City crews to repair bent and damaged horse tie-up rails located in the public parking lot.

Requests for City intervention to repair water pipe damage, including issues that pre-dated SSC’s October 2023 license agreement.

04.11.23 Invoice 1275 for one 11' wide x 4' high pipe arm gate | 04.11.23 Email between Danny Schreck (Chula Vista Park Supervisor) and Richelle Farley (Sunnyside Saddle Club President) re footing, water pipe and temporary fencing | 04.17.23 and 04.25.23 Emails between Schreck and Farley re broken tie rail and footing | Click on images to enlarge

These records demonstrate that SSC relied heavily on City services and public funds to support its operations, contradicting assertions that SSC bore maintenance costs independently.

Importantly, the Neighborhood Reinvestment Grant was used exclusively to create a warm-up arena for SSC show days, not to meet a community-identified need. No backyard horse owners or general park users requested a warm-up arena. Meanwhile, the main public arena was locked to the public from April 2023 through November 18, 2024, preventing lawful public use of a City-owned park facility.

During this same period, SSC enforced private-club rules in a public park, including:

Mandatory membership fees of $65 per family,

A requirement of six hours of volunteer labor or an additional $150 payment,

Restrictions such as prohibitions on horse turnouts, which are not supported by City policy or standard public-park use rules.

These requirements effectively conditioned access to a public facility on private club membership and labor, which is incompatible with the non-exclusive nature of a City license agreement and inconsistent with equal public access principles.

Meeting minutes reflecting support for these private-use conditions by SSC leadership have since been removed from SSC’s publicly available nonprofit records, raising further transparency concerns for a 501(c)(3) organization that is required to operate openly and for public benefit.

While I fully support the City of Chula Vista maintaining and investing in public parks, I do not support the use of public funds, City labor, and public infrastructure to benefit a single private club’s elite show activities, while excluding backyard horse owners and the broader community from lawful use of the arena.

Your private club requires you to insure your club members riding horses in the arena , city has signs posted for all other park users use at your own risk.

Notably, broad community support for keeping the arena public and accessible has come not from SSC leadership, but from:

• The President and members of Bonita Valley Horsemen (BVH)

• The President and members of Lakeside Frontier Riders (LFR)

• The President and members of Tijuana River Valley Equestrian Association (TRVEA)

Backyard horse owners and long-time park users who have consistently appeared and spoken at public meetings.

To date, I have not seen Sunnyside Saddle Club (SSC) representatives publicly advocate for the arena to remain open, public and accessible to all. Where have you been?

By Darrell Jett | December 15, 2025

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