The Ranch Community Center Media Guide

The Ranch Community Center (The Ranch) is a vibrant 7.5 acre facility celebrating horses, ranching and nature. The Ranch offers free or low-cost public programs, including Ranch Discovery Days, Ranch After-School program, horse shows and equine-assisted therapy. With year-round daily hours, visitors can engage with horses and explore California’s agriculture through community engagement, youth education and animal-related programs.

Fee-based horse boarding opportunities are also available to the public. Equipped with barns, riding arenas and versatile facilities, The Ranch offers a range of amenities to support horse enthusiasts and riders of all ages and skill levels.

Boarding, Facilities and Training

The Ranch offers boarding and training facilities designed for horse and rider comfort. Horses are housed in fully enclosed 12-by-12-foot box stalls or 12-by-24-foot double stalls with stall mats. Each stall faces outdoors for fresh air and has a sliding door with a food window, wood-shaving bedding, an automatic water bowl and an automated fly spray system. Stalls are cleaned daily, and horses are fed twice a day with a choice of cubes, alfalfa, timothy or orchard grass. On-site amenities include groomed arenas with tower lights, lunge and turnout areas, tack rooms, wash racks, a shoeing area and a variety of jump poles and standards for courses. 

Independent trainers offer on-site instruction in a variety of disciplines, from traditional English to Western riding, and more. The Ranch also works with vetted and approved equine service providers who offer horse care services such as farrier, veterinary and equine bodywork, giving boarders access to qualified professionals without leaving the property.

The Ranch is easily accessed from the 55 and 405 freeways. Ample parking, including accessible spaces, is available in a designated lot. Restrooms with showers are available on site. OC Fair security monitors The Ranch 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Additional information about boarding, facilities and training can be found at ocfair.com/theranch/horse-boarding/. 

Ranch Discovery Day

Ranch Discovery Day invites visitors of all ages to spend a day learning about horses. Each event will feature horses, livestock and interactive demonstrations free to the public. Online preregistration is required. 

Activities include:

• Meeting horses, chickens and rabbits
• Learning about horse care and grooming
• Exploring the role of horses in the military
• Discovering the world of bees
• Competing in a stick horse rodeo for kids
• Watching horse demonstrations

Ranch After-School Program

The Ranch After-School Program gives fourth- and fifth-graders from Davis Magnet School and College Park Elementary School a hands-on introduction to agricultural science. Students learn about plant and animal care, ecology and nutrition through projects that build teamwork, responsibility and critical thinking. The 10-week program runs from October to December and from January to March.

Walk Intuit

Walk Intuit is a nonprofit organization that helps the community access mental health support. Its integrative team uses relational and experiential treatment, including somatic therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, equine-assisted services and expressive arts, to help clients heal, connect and live more fully.

Horse Shows

The Ranch hosts an ongoing series of horse shows and public equine events designed to revive local equestrian traditions. Presented by a variety of promoters and organizations, the shows highlight different competition styles, horses and riders. The series is open to the public and welcomes spectators of all ages.