After 70 years, the Atascadero Wranglerettes have come to an end, but the beloved equestrian group's former arena is getting a new life.
The nonprofit club announced its closure on March 25. The Wranglerettes was an all-girls equestrian group for riders ages 8 to 17. Members participated in trail rides, equestrian practice, and performances at the California Mid-State Fair.
Leann Feliz grew up as a Wranglerette before taking over as director from founder Shirley Moore, a role she held for 40 years.
"It was a different kind of club," Feliz said. "Wranglerettes was just for girls, always has been."
Feliz says the club once thrived with as many as 50 members.
"When I was a kid, and a Wranglerette, there were 50 girls in the club," she said. "So it was busy and active for many, many years."
That changed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"That really shut us down for a while," she said. "Then I tried to get it going again, but there just doesn't seem to be a market for it anymore."
While the Wranglerettes chapter has closed, Feliz says she finds comfort in knowing the property is in good hands. The Wranglerettes' arena and more than 30 acres of land were donated to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Rodeo Foundation and Sheriff's Posse, which acquired the property in February.
"It made it a lot easier to let it go, to know that it was going to be used for what it was built for," Feliz said.
San Luis Obispo County Undersheriff Chad Nicholson says the property will serve multiple purposes.
"We're always going to keep it equestrian related, but we will also have a portion of the acreage that will benefit law enforcement and first responders, where we could use as a training center as well," Nicholson said. "So our K9s can train there, our search and rescue can train there, other law enforcement agencies can train there."
Nicholson says the site will also serve as an animal evacuation area during emergencies. The foundation plans to make renovations and improvements to the property and hopes to host community events once that work is complete.
He adds that renovations are expected to begin after this year's rodeo wraps up.
