Trancas Riders and Ropers and Drummond Ranch, which teaches sheepherding classes for dogs, have engaged in a “turf war” over the use of Malibu Equestrian Park.
By Troy Dove / Special to The Malibu Times
Barks are being heard over the use of Malibu Equestrian Park grounds, and they’re not coming from dogs. A so-called “turf war” has erupted between equestrian club Trancas Riders and Ropers and Drummond Ranch, which has been conducting sheepherding dog training classes on the park grounds.
The controversy was brought to light at the Jan. 9 City Council meeting; council members referred the matter to the Malibu Parks and Recreation Commission.
The park-use debate has stemmed from an agreement made early last year between Vincent Hill-based Drummond Ranch and the Malibu-based organization Trancas Riders and Ropers that would allow Drummond Ranch to use the park’s facilities for the dog training classes. The agreement allowed Drummond Ranch to hold classes at the Malibu venue on a weekly basis.
Per the agreement, Drummond Ranch students had to either become members of TR&R or pay an arena usage fee to use the facility. Drummond Ranch was then to provide the fees and membership lists to TR&R.
In addition, Drummond Ranch was also required to inform the public when classes would be held in order to avoid conflicts with equestrian use or park events.
TR&R President Rod Bergen said initially everything “went along okay.” But, he said, “Around the first of June they stopped giving us any recording of what was happening. There was no documentation as to who had signed up for membership and who hadn’t.”
Janna Duncan, owner of Drummond Ranch and licensed herding judge, said this is not true, that updated membership lists had been provided to the equestrian club.
“They had been given accurate lists by Drummond Ranch’s [former] assistant,” Duncan said. “I had nothing new to give TR&R.”
Bergen said he wasn’t as concerned with the missing membership fees as he was with the lack of accountability of who was a member and who wasn’t.
“We had a potential liability problem associated with our insurance carrier,” he said.
Bergen said the sheepherding dog classes are not covered under club’s insurance. In a Dec. 7 meeting at Malibu City Hall, Bergen said that Duncan said she would provide all the accounting documentation to TR&R, but she had failed to do that.
Duncan said everything that was requested was handed over to the club.
“The City of Malibu and TR&R were covered under our policy, were and are covered, as was requested of us to use the arena,” Duncan said. “Everyone has been provided with copies of the certificate.”
Bergen said he felt that Drummond Ranch was not complying with their agreement and ordered Duncan to cease using the equestrian park for sheepherding dog classes in December, but Bergen said the classes continued.
Duncan said it was her understanding that they would be allowed to continue classes until Feb. 1 so all the courses paid for by students could be completed.
Now the fight over whether Drummond Ranch and TR&R have been keeping their parts of the agreement has evolved into the issue of whether the two parties even have permits to operate at the park.
A Lost Hills Malibu Sheriff’s deputy was called out to the park on Jan. 12 after a confrontation erupted between dog training instructors and TR&R members. The deputy directed the class participants to leave since Drummond had no permit to use the facility.
“One of my students, Ellen Sturtz, immediately left the equestrian center and went directly to the city,” Duncan said. “She came back and reported that it turned out Rod [Bergen] and TR&R didn’t have a permit either.”
Malibu Councilmember Jeff Jennings said the city leases the land for the Malibu Equestrian Park from the Santa Monica Unified School District for an undisclosed sum.
Bergen and Jennings said there is an informal agreement for TR&R to use the land, and since the club maintains and upkeeps the area, TR&R pays no fee to use the land. Although Bergen and Jennings said there is no formal contract between the equestrian club and the city to use the land, Bergen said there was an agreement made 15 years ago between the city and TR&R to allow the club to use the land.
Some students of the sheepherding classes wrote in support of Drummond Ranch, lamenting the end of the classes.
Barbara Zacky, who calls herself a “part-time Malibu resident,” wrote of her disappointment over the club not wanting to share the park space anymore: “Our guess is TR&R realized after they agreed with the plan that their ‘private club’ on public property was coming to an end. We are sure they must be feeling a great loss with the change.”
The Malibu Parks and Recreation Commission is scheduled to review this matter on Thursday, 6 p.m., at Malibu City Hall.