Idaho Horse Park

FORD IDAHO HORSE PARK

BY ALX STEVENS

IDAHO HORSE PARK COMPLETES THE TRIFECTA OF THE FORD IDAHO CENTER

Idaho Horse Park excites entertainment, generates revenue for Nampa

One of Nampa’s largest draws, yet best kept secret, is its regular community event in Nampa. 50+ acre horse park behind the Ford Idaho Center, a The boarding facility and its ammenatives is like a hotel stay frequent concert and athletic event venue. for the horses, which stay as many as four days. RVs can be

It’s a Tuesday afternoon and half a dozen riders and their parked onsite. Each of the year-round 500 horse stalls have horses are practicing in the 100,000-square-foot main arena water accessible in the stalls, which, Luther said, is not typical for a Paint Horse competition the coming weekend. The dirt of other horse parks. Staff will also bring requested bedding, ring takes up 80,000 square feet of the footage while elevated food and other amenities. At the end of the stay, staff also clean spectator seating takes up most of the rest. the stalls and other facilities.

Outside, immediately adjacent, is a second covered, equally sized competition arena, which, general manager Andrew Luther says, is one of the draws, and requirements, for national competitions of cutting, dressage and rodeo events, even bull riding.

Eight of the Ford Idaho Center staff are specifically dedicated to operating the horse park during the approximately 30 events. Several are even specialized in maintaining the dirt, or “footing.”

The Snake River Stampede is one of the largest local rodeo events and the Idaho Horse Park works all year to help plan the event. Event guidelines come from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, and horse park staff execute the operations: preparing the facilities, boarding the animals, ticketing and more. Preparation, the rodeo, then clean up takes almost three weeks.

“That’s what makes this place such a great economic driver for Nampa,” Luther said. “Late March to early November this place is hustlin’ & bustlin’.”

The facility’s stalls can house 500-700 horses or other livestock at a time, and they’ve been known to regularly lodge the Budweiser clydesdales, which has practically become a

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“We’re a little unique for horse parks,” Luther said. “We think the horse park is Boise Center’s Grove. Instead of meetings and conferences it’s horse events.”

IDAHO HORSE PARK BY-THE-NUMBERS

2 professionally sized competition spaces totaling nearly 180,000 square feet 3 other competition areas 16 acres of open space primarily for dressage Up to nearly 700 stalls available for boarding horses and “rough” stock (bulls and broncos) Nearly 150 event days per year 120 spaces for RV parking, approximately Half of the entire Ford Idaho Center acreage 2002 hosted the first large-scale competitive event, Idaho Cutting Horse Association’s Futurity