photo by Eric P.
Update from NPS:
“The National Park Service (NPS) is striving to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Rock Creek Park Horse Center. While NPS and Guest Services, Inc. (GSI) are in discussions about the possibility of GSI stepping away from its concessions contract, no decisions or timelines have been set. The Horse Center remains open, and we are actively exploring future operational options to ensure it continues to serve the community. We understand the importance of this facility and will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
“Dear PoPville,
I would appreciate if you could alert your readers to the following situation at Rock Creek Park Horse Center:
Many of you and your families have taken advantage of the Rock Creek Park Horse Center, which has offered horseback riding lessons, trail rides, summer camps, and (for a time) therapeutic riding programs. The facility is run by Guest Services, Inc., under a concession from the National Park Service.
With no public notice, Guest Services is closing the Rock Creek Park Horse Center this month — despite being only six years into a ten-year contract. Horses are being sent to third-party facilities starting this week, with plans to send all horses away by February 28 and to close the barn by March 31. The National Park Service is doing nothing to require Guest Services to fulfill its contract. Fox 5 News did a moving story on the impact that the barn’s closure will have on the community, which you can watch at this link.
At this point, only public attention and pressure might save the Horse Center.
Please call Rock Creek Park Superintendent Brian Joyner at 202-895-6002 and urge him to require Guest Services to continue operating the Horse Center until its contract expires or until the Park Service can find an alternate arrangement for running the facility.
Please call the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (202-225-8050) and urge her to tell the National Park Service that it should require Guest Services to honor its contract to operate Rock Creek Park Horse Center through its expiration on December 31, 2028.
Please reach out immediately, as it will be difficult for the barn to continue or reconstitute operations once the horses have been sent elsewhere.
Thank you for your help to save this critical community resource.”