Bonsall in California - riding club

I emailed this riding group today who are in Bonsall in California. Here is the reply I got...

Hi Jain~

Thanks for the friendly note!

We share the same name, but your area appears to be much more rural that ours. Bonsall, USA is located in a somewhat heavily populated area of Southern California about seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Although Vista Palomar Riders count ourselves lucky to own sufficient land for our clubhouse and show arenas, almost all members must still trailer horses to the site. From there, it is only a short bridle path along the roadway to access a pretty good trail that follows the San Luis Rey River and there are other trails in nearby areas. Our biggest challenge is that equestrians are becoming more and more landlocked as available acreage is increasingly converted into residential housing. In fact, our original location in the nearby city of Vista, California, was bought out by developers who built our clubhouse and arenas in Bonsall. In those days, club members participated in an annual two-day ride from the ocean (Vista) to the mountain (Palomar), which is why we are called the Vista Palomar Riders.

We believe that Bonsall was named after a minister who settled the area, but perhaps he was from the UK? I am attaching a copy of a previous newsletter that has a short article about the history of Bonsall. It is wonderful to hear that you are working to preserve the bridle paths. Keep up the good work.

Happy trails!


Mary A. Bennett

If you go to their website and look at their newsletter, you will see that they are doing pretty much the same as us. However, they do organise a "campout" for horses and riders! Liz thinks that sounds a great idea... So watch out for details in the coming months.... J