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The Fresno County Horse Park (FCHP), located in Fresno, California, is under new ownership as of November 15, 2020. John Marshall, who purchased the equestrian facility (known then as Ram Tap) in 2012 from Bill and Margaret Burton, has sold the park to Terry Hilst, an Area VI eventer who previously organized the horse trials at Camelot Equestrian Park in Butte Valley, California.
“I have some great news for all of you,” Marshall said in a statement on the FCHP Facebook page. “I have sold Fresno County Horse Park to Terry Hilst. The Horse Park has the best cross-country footing and the best drained footing in California and is best able to run early in the year during the rainy season. It would have been a shame for this facility to cease to run and Terry will keep it going. There are many, many people who have supported me and the Horse Park over the last eight years and I very much appreciate it.”
Hilst confirmed that Marshall will be staying on to assist in the transition and as co-organizer of the FCHP Horse Trials in 2021. Course designers Jay Hambly and Bert Wood along with Kim Goto Miner, Chris Hoyt, Ashley Ross, Stefanie Gladen, Nick Salwasser, and many others involved with the Horse Park will continue to assist as well. “There are so many people that don’t want to see the Horse Park go and have offered their assistance,” Hilst confirmed. “People are stepping up and we have tremendous support in the Area, and John Marshall has done so much for this facility and for Area VI.”
“We have lost so many venues in Area VI,” Hilst said, “And we need variety. I believe Area VI riders need a variety of courses and terrain to give them a chance to go forward. We are centrally located and have footing that can be used year-round.”
FCHP was founded by Pat and Marian Humphrey in 1957 and they passed the torch to the Burtons in the early 1980s. Events at FCHP are some of the longest-running in the country, and eventers in Area VI have long supported the venue. Learn more about the event’s history in the USEA Events A-Z article.
FCHP’s tentative schedule for 2021 includes the following:
Questions about the transition and events at FCHP in 2021 should be directed to Terry Hilst at fresnohorsepark@gmail.com.
