Horse facility celebrates first summer

Ayden Deaton guides her horse carefully in and out of a row of poles, and then turns her to run to the finish line. “Go Ayden!” yells a spectator as Ayden and Little Girl hurry to the end of the arena. A bundle of prize ribbons, won over a summer of competition, flutters from her saddle horn as her horse lopes to the gate. Pole bending is one of seven-year-old Ayden’s favorite gymkhana events at Rusty Spur Arena, and those ribbons are a big reason why.

Ayden is just one of the dozens of young riders who have spent their summer Saturdays at the arena nestled in the foothills of rural Clovis. In all, nearly 65 youngsters and adults have turned out for the inaugural series of competitions at a facility that fulfills a family dream.

While it’s already an impressive place with a competitive arena, classroom arena, lights, restrooms and lots and lots of hitching rails, owner Charlie Maxwell is still looking to the future and thinking of what else he can add.

“See that hillside up there,” he says, gesturing to a slope above his main arena, “We’re going to turn that into a big trail course. Logs, gates, jumps, things you find on a trail that are fun to ride through.”

“Fun” is an important word for Maxwell and his family, and the children having fun around him are why they built the whole facility. Maxwell’s children enjoyed riding their horses in gymkhana events at a now-closed American Legion arena in Burroughs Valley in the 1990s. He said it was an important part of their childhood, and one he thought was important for other young people.

“I just wanted to create a place where kids now could have the same kind of fun that my kids had growing up. It gives them something to do, and someplace to go. It’s the kind of activity that families can enjoy together,” he said.

Rusty Spur Arena opened its gates for the first time in April, welcoming about 65 children and adults on horseback for the series of six gymkhana events that ran monthly through September. Next year Maxwell hopes to add several roping events, and even make the facility available to youth organizations.

“We look forward to expanding our activities,” he says, “There’s a tremendous need for riding classes, and roping is always popular. We want to have some trail classes, and actually, just good clean fun for kids and adults both.”

Gymkhana involves timed competitions in which the rider guides his or her horse through poles, around barrels, or into a box. The fastest rider wins, but at Rusty Spur Arena, everyone wins.

“We operate under the same premise that the American Legion arena did — every kid gets a ribbon,” Maxwell said. “We have a whole table full of year-end prizes, with belt buckles, blankets and trophies. Everyone who rode this summer will get something.”

While Maxwell and his wife Tammy have had the idea for the facility for almost 20 years, they only began work in earnest on the project about three years ago. Maxwell, who retired from his 30-year career with the Clovis Police Department in 2004, said he finally had the time on his hands to make the dream a reality. The initial grant to start the arena came from the Auberry Rotary Club, and Rusty Spur Arena was created as a nonprofit organization to better allow them to provide programs to young people.

The property is set up for multiple types of horse events. In addition to a 150 by 300 foot main arena, there is a smaller classroom arena with bleachers for educational seminars. It provides an area for people to sit comfortably and watch riders or demonstrations.

“We’ve had a vet here to teach general horsemanship, and she’ll come back to teach how to give shots properly,” said Maxwell. “We’ll be bringing in two farriers to talk about the discipline of correct trimming and shoeing of your horse. We’ve had saddle maker Al Gould here to talk about fitting saddles.”

The gymkhanas are family events, both for the Maxwells and the competitors. Son Nick Maxwell was the announcer for the last event of the summer, while daughter Rachelle Garcia kept track of her daughters Kylie and Kenzie. Nearby 12-year-old Lilly Sellers lounged in the shade with her horse Emma and her grandparents.

“We’re really excited about this,” said Lilly’s grandmother Sherry Sellers. “It’s great. It’s so nice for our community, and for the kids to have a place to ride. We’re here every time to watch Lilly and her brother Taylor ride.”

And riding is what the whole day is all about.

“I like going fast,” said Ayden after her run through the poles. What’s she looking forward to the most on this sunny September day? “Barrels. I like them best, because we can go really fast. And I really like all my ribbons.”

Find more information about Rusty Spur Arena, including dates of upcoming events on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/rustyspurarenainc or by calling (559) 299-0502.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Horse facility celebrates first summer."