Equine expansion

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Fairgrounds officials have expanded available accommodation for horses, and will be moving other horse accommodation, probably this year. Fairgrounds manager Jim McKIernan said attracting additional equestrian events is part of the effort to increase revenue at the fairgrounds, with the goal of becoming self-supporting, or close to it.

Crews recently finished construction of two new horse barns, 16 stalls each, he said, and three existing horse barns will be moved to new locations. The existing horse barns have dirt floors and will be moved to a paved spot.

“We try to make it as comfortable for the horses as possible,” he said.

Horses work the dirt while they’re in the stall, making the footing uneven; that can contribute to leg problems like shin splints, he said. The asphalt surfaces help alleviate that.

With the two new barns the fairgrounds can house up to 446 horses, all of it covered. The stalls meet the preferred standard for equine accommodation, McKiernan said, 12 feet and the floor covered with a stall mat.

“(A stall mat) makes it a lot easier to clean,” he said.

The fairgrounds attracts a lot of equestrian events during the competition season, which in Grant County is from early March to late October.

“We do approximately 40 horse events,” McKiernan said.

Moving the existing stalls was part of the plan for 2023, but the project was put on hold due to another fairgrounds project, a bathroom and storage area connecting the 4-H and commercial buildings. That project has been completed and, said Grant County Central Services Director Tom Gaines Thursday, did not cost as much as anticipated. Money for other fairgrounds projects, including moving horse barns, was set aside to cover any additional costs of the bathroom construction. But that wasn’t needed, and Gaines asked Grant County Commissioners to allow county officials to spend the money allocated to the equine improvements in 2023.

The additions at the 4-H building will increase the options for its rental as well as the commercial and ag buildings since all three are now connected, McKiernan said. The fairgrounds already hosted some events that have used two of the three buildings, he said, and the upgrades will provide more room for bigger events.

The long-term goal is to produce enough revenue to make the fairgrounds more self-sufficient, and possibly self-sustaining. McKiernan estimated the fairgrounds would finish 2023 at about $56,000 under its $2 million budget.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com. The Columbia Basin Herald app is available for iOS and Android devices.