SL Riding Club & Equestrian Network
The Riding Club Academy & Rodeo Grounds (formerly known as the SL Riding Club) is an equestrian events and activities organization which conducts a riding school, virtual horse shows, rodeos, trail rides, mounted colorguards and more. The SL Riding Club's volunteer staff are best known for guiding adventurous trail rides, and for introducing the international sport of gymkhana and mounted games, as well as developed authentic barrel racing and pole bending arena systems.
Many people in real life have never had a chance to ride, own, or compete on a horse. The SL Riding Club provides the virtual opportunity for avatars who love horses and want to engage in equestrian activities and lifestyle. The Riding Club Academy & Rodeo Groundsinclude show jumping arenas, barrel racing, bull riding, pole bending, and a race track. The facilities include western wear, English riding apparel, and prefab barns and stables. One can head out in any direction from the grounds to miles of trails and other horse related facilities and stores.
From 2006-2010, The Original SL Riding Club Stables(Closed March 2010) was located in Azure Islands where equestrians could explore beautiful roads and venture through forests and public beaches. The popular "Volcano Ride" was a favorite for thousands of riders, which began at the stables, and with a free riding horse (provided by Lone Star Ranch Horses) and by following the map provided, you could find your way across 16 regions to SL's largest volcano made up of four sims. This "map ride" was featured in numerous blogs.
Because Azure Islands has such strict residential zoning, the Riding Club was not able to conduct activities outside of trail rides. In 2007, A land grant by the Wild Mustang Saloon of 1/3 of its region was granted to the SLRC to host an equestrian center for western and english riding events and training. There the SLRC finished developing its authentic barrel racing and pole bending systems, as well as installed jumping and jousting arenas. It also hosted the first multi-vendor equestrian accessories store bringing together the members favorite brands of riding clothes and kits. The original stables remained in Azure Islands as well.
In early 2008 Wild Mustang was sold to Utopia I-VIII Estates who then offered to procure an 8 region trails and ranch land project to expand the equestrian center, offering abundant riding trails and rural homesites. Within a month of after the first 4 connected regions were online and developed by the SLRC, the estate owner suddenly passed away in real life. Not only did the Riding Club lose a dear friend, all the land, labor, and expense was lost as well.
From 2008-2009 The Riding Club and its sponsor The Bolero Group, purchased and developed 14 regions in a collaboration with Balsa Airport. Besides offering equestrian communities, the Bolero Group were also aviation enthusiasts. This new multi-sim land (named Avia) attached to the airport was solely funded and created by the Riding Club and the Bolero Group. It was the largest equestrian community land mass that provided other recreational activities as well, such as flying, motorcycling, and boating. It was supported by the Riding Club sponsoring residents where ranches and tropical homesites were abundant.
In August 2009 the estate owners of Avia began forcing police roleplay onto the roads and trails causing much conflict between the estate owner and the Bolero Group who was the land financier/developer (approx $15,000US). Uniformed police officers in official vehicles from Balsa Airport would set out and attempt to find reasons to arrest and fine people using the roads and trails on horseback or motorcycles. This appalling situation forced the Riding Club and its sponsors to start over once again to move and rebuild the trails sims. The Airport owners, who were provided 14 sims of open sky at no expense to them during this collaboration, showed their appreciation by banning, slandering, defaming, and broadcasting false accusations about the Bolero Group. They simply lost their funding and reacted very childishly and unprofessionally.
With the help of land grants from Lone Star Ranch Riding Horses and Bolero Group high level sponsors, in October 2009 Aero Pines Park & Recreation Area (8 regions) was quickly developed and opened. The equestrian center, rodeo grounds, and trails were back in operation within a month of the exodus from Avia. Sponsorship of the regions increased with the addition of Gemini Equestrian, a barn and stables builder, and Crimson Phoenix featuring Ruby Riding Horses and quality wagons, buggies, and carriages.
In the spring of 2010, the multi-continent 200+ region Azure Islands was sold to a land rental company who deleted the volcano and a large percentage of its regions. The stables were officially closed and deleted.
The SL Riding Club & Equestrian Network was founded in 2006 by avatar Cindy Bolero. Other founding members were LadyArtista Labrada and Delphina Audina. Cindy Bolero's real life equestrian background spans 30 years of riding, showing, training, show management, club management, 4-H Leader, horse/cattle ranch management, trail guiding, and clinician. Cindy's virtual land development team (The Bolero Group) creates and provides several multi-sim equestrian communities with expansive ranches and trails. The sims are sponsored by the residents who live on the sims as well as other contributions and donations from the landowners, vendors, and users.
Volunteers are welcome to join the SL Riding Club staff, whether one has real life horse experience or not.