Part of the Living Heartbeat of Rohr Park

Guest
Nov 20
2 min read

At the City of Chula Vista Council Meeting on November 18, 2025, Bonita resident Dakota Jett spoke before the Mayor and Council. Here is what Ms. Jett said:

"Good evening Mayor and Council Members . . .

My name is Dakota Jett, and I have been using Rohr Park and its horse arena since the year 2000. Tonight I want to speak for something that cannot speak for itself . . . the horses.. the history of this arena . . . and the people who quietly depend on it.

The land that is now Rohr Park was originally County land . . . a space meant for all residents of San Diego County. When the City of Chula Vista later took over management of the property, the park remained a public resource that served the entire region. The horse arena has been part of that shared heritage for 42 years.

For nearly half a century it has been a place where families learned to ride.. where children took their first lessons.. and where walkers on the 3 mile loop stop to watch horses roll, run, and lift the spirits of anyone passing by. Many pet a horse for the first time. This arena predates most of the city’s 85 athletic fields. It is part of the original character of the park and part of the history Rancho De La Nacion of the county land it sits on.

During the 2003 Cedar Fire, when thousands were forced to evacuate, the Rohr Park arena served as an emergency refuge for displaced horses. It helped save animals during one of the worst fires in state history. This arena is not only recreational . . . it is a proven and valuable emergency resource.

Many people on the loop know my Arabian endurance gelding, Viva O Fear . . . a Decade Horse with the American Endurance Riding Conference, meaning he completed a 50-mile ride every year for ten straight years. People love to stop, pet him, and take pictures with him. He has become part of the living heartbeat of Rohr Park.

And when people meet him, they are reminded of the deeper role horses have played for humankind. Horses carried explorers across continents . . . they helped people discover and settle new lands . . . they connected early communities . . . and they shaped the history of nearly every culture on Earth. Standing next to a calm horse still reaches something ancient and peaceful inside us.

Winston Churchill said . . . "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle." People feel that truth when they stop to pet Viva O Fear on the trail.

Viva O Fear is also the great, great grandson of Fir . . . the Arabian stallion General Patton rescued in World War II. That living history now walks quietly through Rohr Park.

We have 85 athletic fields in the city . . . but only one horse arena. Please preserve it.

Thank you."