Lakewood Equestrian Center

07/22/2024

Good afternoon! Meet Snowball! He was just a trail/field ridden horse when got him about 5 yrs ago. He is ridden both western and english in her riding school program! He has been a bit of a character but is settling into her program well now. We love our lesson horses, they teach us so much!! HELP US SAVE SNOWBALL’S HOME!!

07/22/2024

Happy Monday everyone!! Meet the Appaloosa! It is one of the most popular horse breeds in the United States, the country in which the breed was formed. It is chiefly a stock horse used in various western riding disciplines, but the Appaloosa tend to do well in many English riding disciplines as well.

The Appaloosa horse is famous for its striped hooves, mottled skin, white sclera, and the distinctive coat where a base color is overlaid by striking patterns. A wide range of body types are represented within the breed, as a result of multiple horse breeds influencing the Appaloosas throughout their history in the U.S.

The Appaloosa breed is strongly associated with the Native American Nez Perce (Niimíípu) people and with the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and was named official state horse of Idaho in 1975. Nowadays, the state of Idaho even offers a license plate sporting an Appaloosa horse.

European settlers originally called this type of horse “Palouse horse” after the Palouse River that ran through the land of the Nez Perce people; the Native American tribe that developed the breed.
Gradually, a Palouse horse evolved into Apalouse horse, and then into Appaloosa. Many different spellings can be found in old texts, including Apalousey, Appaloosie and Appalucy.

In a book published in 1948, a breed called Opelousa is described as a hardy and tough breed of Indian and Spanish horse, used by backwoodsmen of the late 18th century to transport goods to New Orleans for sale.

Horses looking like Appaloosas have most likely been around since prehistoric times, because prehistoric paintings of horses displaying the characteristic leopard spotting can be seen in caves in Europe. There is also artwork from Ancient Greece depicting domesticated leopard-spotted horses. On the other side of the world, leopard-spotted horses appeared in Han dynasty artwork. (The Han dynasty, which lasted from 206 BC to 220 AD, was the second imperial dynasty of China.)

Enjoy the history and pictures of this beautiful breed!

07/21/2024

Happy Sunday everyone! We have a website that is up and running right now! Please help us spread the word! It’s a place people can go and read a little background on LEC, donate, sign the petition, and leads you to our couple pages! We’re still looking for ways to improve it, but thanks to it’s here!
www.savelakewoodstables.com

07/20/2024

Good morning everyone! The time is almost here!! Next Saturday, July 27th, the Equestrian Olympic Games begin!! Here is the schedule so you can see when everything will air! NBC & it’s affiliate channels (NBCSN, USA Network, and Olympic Channel) will air live and tape-delayed coverage of the equestrian events. You can also visit NBCOlympics.com, the NBC Sports App, & also the app, Peacock, to check out streaming as well! The Opening Ceremony for the Olympics will take place on Friday, July 26th. GO USA!! 🇺🇸

07/19/2024

This is "Lakewood Equestrian Center Promo - July 12, 2024" by CityTVLakewoodCA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

07/18/2024

THROWBACK THURSDAY! Hey y’all! Check out this newspaper article back in 1964 on Glenn Spiller when LEC was Glenn Spiller Stables! I know the writing is super small, but if you zoom in on it, you can read it! Did you know that Glenn Spiller sold a horse to Gene Autry?! And then he ended up joining his troop, in charge of all the saddle horses, equipment & wardrobe in the Autry show! I found that so fascinating! There’s such rich history to this facility. It has been around since before Lakewood was even incorporated! Such amazing history. Let’s keep this alive for generations to come!!!

07/18/2024

Good morning y’all! Meet Ruby! She is a beautiful 9 year old chestnut Hanoverian mare. Her mom, Heidi, bought her in Sacramento when Ruby had just turned 4 years old. When you see them out riding, they are always dressed to the nines! Always matching! Definitely the most stylish duo around. Ruby is incredibly smart, & they are in training with . As smart as she is, she is just as stubborn! No surprise for a sassy redhead 😋 It has been quite the journey these past 5 years for Ruby & Heidi. She has colicked several times, and ended up needing colic surgery a couple years ago. She also had to have surgery on her left hind leg (fasciotomy), and has been rehabbing for a year! They are finally starting to work again, nice & slow. Even though Ruby can be a sassy redhead when being ridden, she is an absolute sweetheart on the ground. She loves everybody, even has the most patience for Heidi’s 2 yr old grandson. She is the biggest love-bug, and absolutely LOVES treats and food. Here’s to Ruby’s continued recovery, and PLEASE HELP US SAVE RUBY’S HOME! 🙏🏼

07/17/2024

We appreciate this so much!! Thank you!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼 Mark your calendar’s in August everyone! Get some refreshing lemonade AND support LEC at the same time!! Thank you

07/17/2024

Here is the city’s RFQI. Responses are due August 23rd! I will post the link to see the full RFQI in a story. If you would like the link please let me know and I can send it to you directly! Please share this!!

07/16/2024

Good morning everyone!! Just wanted to post again how AMAZING y’all have been in helping us be the voices for our horses and their home!! The outpouring of love is truly a blessing 🙏🏼 We are beyond grateful to each and every single one of you! Let’s keep it up, let’s keep the word out there and get more signatures & donations! We also have a sign up for anyone that wants to stay in-the-know of how we’re working to keep LEC open! I will be posting 3 different stories with all 3 links, so keep a lookout for that! If you’d like me to send you the link directly to you, please reach out to me! Again, thank you!!

07/16/2024

Most commonly seen on the racecourse, the Thoroughbred horse is considered a hot-blooded breed with spirit, agility, sensitivity and speed. Originating in 17th and 18th century England from three imported stallions, the Thoroughbred horse quickly spread throughout the world and today there are millions of this horse breed in existence.
While they are most commonly used in horse racing, Thoroughbreds are also popular for show jumping, dressage, hunting, polo and more. Their origins may lie in the UK, however today it is the United States which is the world’s largest producer of Thoroughbred horses.

The thoroughbred horse has its origins in 17th and 18th century England, at a time when horse racing was growing in popularity and breeding horses to race was an increasingly common practice. To create the Thoroughbred, three stallions of Barb, Turkomen and Arab descent were imported from the Middle East to Great Britain and bred with native mares. These stallions were the Bryerly Turk, the Darley Arabian, and the Godolphin Arabian.
As a result of this practice of importing horses from Eastern bloodlines to mate with native mares, the General Stud Book (GSB) was created in 1791. Only horses who can trace their origins back to these three Stallions may appear in the GSB.
Improvement of the Thoroughbred for racing continued throughout the centuries, and the breed has also been crossbred to improve or even create other breeds, such as the American Quarter Horse and the Anglo-Arabian.
Today, the Thoroughbred continues its work on the race tracks as well as taking part in a multitude of other equestrian sports. There are millions of Thoroughbred horses across the globe.

07/15/2024

Good morning!! We hope everyone had a restful weekend! HAPPY MONDAY!!! This is a great reminder that WE are the voices for the animals! Let’s continue to keep the fight going!! Spread the word!! Sign the petition!! Donate if you can to the go fund me!! There is nothing that is too small, we appreciate any and all help!! These animals deserve for our voices to be heard!! The link to the petition & the go fund me is in the bio. Thank you!! 🙏🏼
http://change.org/p/save-lakewood-equestrian-center

07/14/2024

THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYBODY! We have reached 1,000 followers on Instagram!! We have doubled our followers in just 2 weeks! We can’t thank everyone enough for the love, support, shares, comments, signatures on the petition, donations, & thoughts & prayers to keep LEC open!!! We are so grateful for every single one of you! Let’s keep it up! Keep sharing! Keep spreading the word! Let’s keep getting signatures and donations! We can do this!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️❤️

07/13/2024

Thank you to a local Girl Scout leader, Jocelyn, for posting this about LEC!

“The LEC is a great local spot for the Girl Scouts to earn the Horseback Riding Badge. My GS troop came to the LEC several times they earned the badge, they came another time for a field trip, and to earn volunteer hours. Please keep this going for the kids in the community.”

Let’s keep fighting to keep LEC open for SO many different reasons. Most importantly for kids and the generations to come!

07/13/2024

Good morning everyone! Meet Pawnee! This gorgeous mare is a 21 year old Quarter horse! Her coat is beautiful, and her coloring is called Red Roan. She has been a lesson horse with for about 16 years! She is a Champion show horse who has carried many a youth rider out with blue ribbons! And yes, her favorite little treat are fruit loops! PLEASE HELP US SAVE PAWNEE’S HOME!

07/12/2024

FUN FACT FRIDAY!! If you want to learn more about these amazing animals, stay tuned! Every Friday we will have a new fun or interesting fact about horses! There’s so much to learn about them! 🤍

07/12/2024

Good afternoon everyone! Here are 2 versions of the email and petition only QR codes. You can use these for public concerts, etc in Lakewood. You can use the other flyers with the go fund me everywhere else. Thank you to , , & for doing these! Let’s keep spreading the word everyone! We are so grateful for everyone’s love and support and donations!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼

07/12/2024

Come out to meet your local council member, ask questions, and share your thoughts about the community. Plus, enjoy some delicious ice cream while you chat and connect with neighbors. It’s a great chance to get involved and have a sweet treat. We look forward to seeing you there!

Saturday July 13, 2024
12pm-2pm
5000 Clark Ave. Lakewood, Ca 90712

For those that are able to attend, PLEASE be respectful! Let’s use this as an opportunity to have great conversations with city council and show them how much we love LEC and what we see for the future! Thank you!

07/11/2024

Hello all! Wisdom of the Herd is hosting an equine-assisted psychotherapy group for adults on July 27th. There are a limited number of reduced fee spots available for Lakewood residents who would like to join, but find the fee to be a barrier. The group is limited to 8 people total, and spots are filling up. If you’re interested, email [email protected]

As many of you may know, the future of the Lakewood Equestrian Center is uncertain. This may be one of the final few groups we are able to host if the LEC closes.

We’d love to have you! Interacting with a herd of horses in an urban area is a rare opportunity!

07/11/2024

Throwback Thursday! Here is a LA Times article on Chris Baredian, Sandie Mercer and Lakewood Equestrian Center on April 21, 1988!

07/11/2024

Good morning y’all! Meet the beautiful and sweet Willow! Willow is a buckskin Quarter Horse and she comes from North Dakota! She has been at LEC since February and loves to go to the pasture to gallop and play. She also loves trail riding and has been to Glacier & Yellowstone National Parks! She also trails throughout Arizona. Currently she is in training for Western riding under . She is such a kind and caring horse and is owned, loved & adored by Liz! PLEASE HELP US SAVE WILLOW’S HOME! 🤍

07/10/2024

Stay in-the-know of how we’re working to keep LEC open by joining our email list!

Beginners and experts use Flodesk to grow their business. Design emails and forms that look great on any device. Try it free.

07/10/2024

A HUGE shout out and thank you to every single person who has helped Lakewood Equestrian Center! IN JUST 2 WEEKS, we have had so much support!! Our regular page has grown to over 2,300 followers! Our new Facebook group Save Lakewood Equestrian Center has over 1,400 members! Our Instagram has grown by almost 400 followers in just 2 weeks! We have over 5,100 signatures on our petition! AND we have received almost $15,000 in donations to our go fund me! Thank you doesn’t even begin to cover it!!! Look what we accomplished in just 2 weeks!! But the fight is just beginning! Let’s keep spreading the word!! THANK YOU!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼

07/09/2024

It’s National Farriers Week! Let’s celebrate the hard work that our farriers put in daily to ensure the health and well-being of our horses. Proper hoof care is essential for a sound and happy horse, so it goes without saying that a skilled farrier is both a necessity and a tremendous asset.

Don’t forget to give a shout-out to your farriers this week and show them your appreciation for their dedication to their craft!

07/09/2024

Good afternoon everyone! Just a great reminder, as we have a lot of hot days ahead of us, to be mindful of our horses and animals in this heat!!

07/09/2024

Good morning everyone! Meet Torque (Tork)! He once traveled the world as a show jumper and show horse! He’s lived in Alaska , and then did trails on Catalina. He made his way to LEC and became a lesson horse for Sandie Mercer. Later he retired and adopted Jimmy as his dad and Karyn as his caretaker. We celebrated his 37th birthday on March 6th!! If only this beautiful boy could talk, imagine the stories he’d tell!! HELP US SAVE TORQUE’S HOME!!

07/09/2024

As many of you know, a group of supporters and stakeholders created a nonprofit and submitted a proposal to the City for the future operations of LEC. We are in a holding pattern right now, waiting to see if the City will invite us to present/discuss further… We are hopeful!

In the meantime, and while we wait, we are not out of the woods yet. Your continued support is appreciated and very much needed! Please keep spreading the word, including your hope that LEC remains a special asset for Lakewood and the surrounding communities. If you can spare it, please also consider donating. The money will be used for legal fees (if necessary), to support the continued existence of LEC if the city chooses a preferred proposal, and/or to support community programs at the stable. THANK YOU!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼 .
The link to the go fund me is in the bio. If you can’t find the link, send me a message or a comment and I’ll send you the link! 🤍