No horsin' around -- plans are under way for the UC Davis Equestrian Center to relocate to a new facility site near Russell Ranch.

Under a campus proposal, the center would be moved from its 27-acre site on the southwestern tip of the central campus near Interstate 80 and Highway 113, to a 60-acre site north of Russell Boul-evard and west of County Road 96, near Fairfield Elementary School. The relocation is planned for sometime in 2006.

The move will make space available for future infill projects near the health sciences district and will provide the equestrian center with upgraded and expanded facilities.

The new site will include riding areas, paddocks, feed and hay storage, horse trailer parking, stables, courtyards, viewing berms, a cross country course, pastures and administration offices. Plans also call for an estimated 40,000-square-foot indoor covered arena.

Holly Fox, program administrator of the Equestrian Center, looks forward to an upgraded facility that has more space around it.

"We're very excited and hope to restore our program," said Fox, adding that recent campus construction near the center has reduced the available acreage for activities. In particular, she said, the covered arena is a major leap forward. "It'll will help our operations during the coldest and hottest months of the year."

The center doesn't have a covered arena at the current site, she said, but when it rains, they ride anyway because the horses need exercise. "Sometimes we're out there in raincoats in the mud," Fox said.

The campus held a community meeting in November to provide information and give members of the public a chance to ask questions about the relocation effort. As part of the planning process, the university is seeking public input before entering the design phase of this approximately $5 million project.

Fox attended the informational community meeting about the project. Some of the attendees expressed concerns about increased traffic and parking once the new site opens, she added.

Because of the distance to the new site from the campus core, it is possible that a shuttle service will be provided for Equestrian Center users.

Sid England, environmental planner for the Office of Resource Management and Planning, said nearly 60 people attended the meeting.

"We had an informative and productive meeting in which some people voiced their support for the project and others raised concerns that we're now evaluating," said England, noting questions about traffic, lighting, odor and waste management.

"We even had some people say it was not a large enough facility," he said.

The Equestrian Center was established in 1962 and is the only recreational equestrian program in the UC system. It serves both the university and the surrounding community by offering horseback riding lessons.

About 2,500 people use the center each year and about 110 horses are kept at the facility -- private owners board 63 of them. The center has 50 paid student staff, three paid non-student staff, 15 people who work in exchange for lessons and about 30 volunteers. The center offers group classes in addition to private and semi-private lessons.

The horses used in the lessons have all been donated to the program. Staff teach English and Western riding lessons, feed the horses twice daily, clean stalls, mow and water the fields, weed and maintain the riding arenas, repair broken water pipes and fences, administer horse care treatments, assist in scheduling lessons, teach summer camp, lead trail rides and assist the farrier.

Paul Schwartz, a facilities planner in the Office of Resource Management and Planning, said the relocation project is still in the early planning stages and the schedule may change. "Assuming the project moves forward in a straight line," he said, "construction begins in the spring 2006 and is completed in the fall 2006."

Schwartz said the target project budget for replacing the existing Equestrian Center is $3.6 million of campus funds.

"In addition to this are Facility and Campus Enhancement (FACE) Initiative funds from student fees that will construct a covered arena for approximately $2.1 million," he said.

Under the FACE Initiative, approved by students in February 1999, students pay additional fees to build new capital projects.

Schwartz said a master plan for the entire site is being developed. "The first phase of the project will be implemented in the context and vision of the complete master plan," he said. "The planning hasn't gotten to a point where we know how much of the property will be used in the first phase."

He noted that the recent community meeting identified several planning issues that need to be explored. "As this is completed the design solution will become clearer," he said.

As for another meeting, it's still to be determined. "We are reviewing the public input from the last community meeting and will see where that leads us," Schwartz said.

The old site will be reserved for health sciences facilities, though no projects are planned at this point. The new site at Russell Ranch is currently leased for farming.

Materials further describing the relocation project are available online at http://www.ormp.ucdavis.edu/environreview.