Zach Anderson

SDSU recently welcomed a brand new, state-of-the-art equestrian center to Brookings. The 3-year-old equestrian program is set to move into this new practice center, the $3.6 million centerpiece of the 150-acre complex.

Located near the intersection of Interstate-29 and Highway 14, the building is roughly 50,000 square feet, the training area is about four times larger than at the team’s current home, the leased Pegasus Equine Center, and the new center has twice as many stalls.

The western end of the practice facility currently houses a locker room, washing areas, grooming stations, equipment rooms and 40 horse stalls. Once more funding is secured, the center will have 150 acres of riding areas, barns, pastures and offices.

The center even has climate control, run by a giant computer panel that controls the climate through a series of radiant heat tubes and electric louvers that will be used to make sure the temperature is perfect for the horses. Wireless Internet will also be available in the center; plus, the arena floor is 3 to 4 inches of sand-clay mix designed to allow for proper drainage that can be customized for daily drills.

SDSU’s equestrian program was greatly in need of this complex, because it outgrew the private complex almost immediately after moving in.

The new center on campus will help with recruiting, as well as establish SDSU’s equestrian program’s place on the map, even though they have already done that with their performance, qualifying for the varsity equestrian nationals in 2007.

SDSU equestrian head coach Megan McGee hopes the addition of the new facility will help the team be more competitive than they already are.

Editor’s note: Reach Zach Anderson at [email protected]