Ivey Ranch Park Association Programs
Ivey Ranch Park Association, 110 Rancho del Oro Drive, Oceanside, CA 92057
About
Ivey Ranch Park Association Programs include therapeutic riding, able-bodied riding, and vaulting, along with summer camp, after-school care, and all-day care. The program also offers the Barn Buddies volunteer program for kids, as well as opportunities to participate as an equine volunteer, care program volunteer, group service project member, or intern. Additional services include the Adult Day Program, Tailored Day Services, In-Home Respite, and the Horses for Heroes program for veterans, active-duty military, and their families.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
Ivey Ranch Park Association’s mission is to enable people with and without disabilities to achieve a better quality of life through care, education, and equine assisted services. The organization is a PATH International-accredited center, and its instructors meet PATH International’s professional standards for working with riders who have disabilities. It is the only equestrian facility in California with dual accreditation from both PATH International and the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA), and it was honored as a 2025 California Nonprofit of the Year. Sessions in the Horses for Heroes program are led by PATH-certified staff.
Ivey Ranch Park Association has been in operation since 1981, when the Ivey Ranch Park Association was founded and a portion of the Ivey Ranch was dedicated as parkland for the City of Oceanside. The Ivey Ranch House was built in 1889, L.O. “Otis” Ivey purchased the property in 1937, and the City of Oceanside acquired the land through the L.O. Ivey Trust in 1981. Modernization of the equestrian center began in 2003.
The program serves families throughout San Diego County, and its Horses for Heroes program serves veterans and active-duty service members from Oceanside, Camp Pendleton, and across San Diego County. The association manages, funds, and operates the ranch on land owned by the City of Oceanside, in a partnership that has lasted more than four decades. Arena 1 was sponsored by Asymtek, a Nordson Company, whose employees helped with finishing touches and the ribbon cutting, while Arena 2 was sponsored by the LA84 Foundation and Las Patronas. The Hay Barn was funded in part by the Alvin Rhynard Trust and County Supervisor Bill Horn, and volunteers, including high school students, retirees, corporate teams, and others, contributed 23,801 hours last year.
The 12-acre campus is fully accessible throughout, with paved pathways, specialized mounting ramps, and a tack room designed specifically so participants using wheelchairs, walkers, canes, or crutches can access equipment. The equestrian center includes a permanent accessible tack room, Arena 1 (a 100′ x 200′ rectangular, sand-filled arena built with Life Time Lumber), Arena 2 (an 80′ x 140′ oval, sand-filled arena built with Life Time Lumber), and a hay barn that allows the program to purchase and store hay in bulk to reduce feed costs and redirect more dollars to programs. Programs intentionally include people with and without disabilities together in the same community, and the ranch offers a summer ranch experience for youth with and without disabilities. The Barn Buddies volunteer program gives kids a way to bond with horses and help clean stalls, and the Horses for Heroes program provides equine-assisted activities for veterans, active-duty military, and their families.
Parents and participants describe the instructors as caring and patient, and note that staff put in extra time and effort to make riding and shows possible for children who do not own their own horse. Families report feeling welcomed by staff and other children, and some describe their children’s excitement about the Barn Buddies program and meeting the horses. One parent shared that after-school care at Ivey Ranch made it possible for them to work full time, and another described their child’s positive experience working at the ranch over the summer and talking in detail about the horses. Camp parents have described their children coming home dirty, tired, and happy after many hours at camp, and a community volunteer noted that the facility serves many children with challenges in both recreation and education.
Last updated June 23, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
Ivey Ranch Park Association’s mission is to enable people with and without disabilities to achieve a better quality of life through care, education, and equine assisted services. The organization is a PATH International-accredited center, and its instructors meet PATH International’s professional standards for working with riders who have disabilities. It is the only equestrian facility in California with dual accreditation from both PATH International and the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA), and it was honored as a 2025 California Nonprofit of the Year. Sessions in the Horses for Heroes program are led by PATH-certified staff.
Ivey Ranch Park Association has been in operation since 1981, when the Ivey Ranch Park Association was founded and a portion of the Ivey Ranch was dedicated as parkland for the City of Oceanside. The Ivey Ranch House was built in 1889, L.O. “Otis” Ivey purchased the property in 1937, and the City of Oceanside acquired the land through the L.O. Ivey Trust in 1981. Modernization of the equestrian center began in 2003.
The program serves families throughout San Diego County, and its Horses for Heroes program serves veterans and active-duty service members from Oceanside, Camp Pendleton, and across San Diego County. The association manages, funds, and operates the ranch on land owned by the City of Oceanside, in a partnership that has lasted more than four decades. Arena 1 was sponsored by Asymtek, a Nordson Company, whose employees helped with finishing touches and the ribbon cutting, while Arena 2 was sponsored by the LA84 Foundation and Las Patronas. The Hay Barn was funded in part by the Alvin Rhynard Trust and County Supervisor Bill Horn, and volunteers, including high school students, retirees, corporate teams, and others, contributed 23,801 hours last year.
The 12-acre campus is fully accessible throughout, with paved pathways, specialized mounting ramps, and a tack room designed specifically so participants using wheelchairs, walkers, canes, or crutches can access equipment. The equestrian center includes a permanent accessible tack room, Arena 1 (a 100′ x 200′ rectangular, sand-filled arena built with Life Time Lumber), Arena 2 (an 80′ x 140′ oval, sand-filled arena built with Life Time Lumber), and a hay barn that allows the program to purchase and store hay in bulk to reduce feed costs and redirect more dollars to programs. Programs intentionally include people with and without disabilities together in the same community, and the ranch offers a summer ranch experience for youth with and without disabilities. The Barn Buddies volunteer program gives kids a way to bond with horses and help clean stalls, and the Horses for Heroes program provides equine-assisted activities for veterans, active-duty military, and their families.
Parents and participants describe the instructors as caring and patient, and note that staff put in extra time and effort to make riding and shows possible for children who do not own their own horse. Families report feeling welcomed by staff and other children, and some describe their children’s excitement about the Barn Buddies program and meeting the horses. One parent shared that after-school care at Ivey Ranch made it possible for them to work full time, and another described their child’s positive experience working at the ranch over the summer and talking in detail about the horses. Camp parents have described their children coming home dirty, tired, and happy after many hours at camp, and a community volunteer noted that the facility serves many children with challenges in both recreation and education.
Last updated June 23, 2026.
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