The city of Blainville, which owns the Blainville Equestrian Park in Quebec, has announced that it plans to “end equestrian competitions on its territory and to convert the park into installations reserved to soccer and football.”

This lovely public facility has been a mainstay of regional, provincial, and national equestrian competition in the province for many years. Public outcry has resulted in the creation on Sept. 16th of a Facebook community page Sauvons le Parc Équestre de Blainville and a website, www.sauvonsleparc.com, which contains a link to a petition that all competitors, spectators and fans of Blainville are encouraged to sign. “We are asking for a [one year] moratorium as well as a collaboration with the Blainville administration in order to find a just and equitable solution for all the citizens of Blainville and its surround regions,” said Nicolas Gosselin, president of the Blainville Equestrian Park safeguarding committee.

Equine Canada also said in a statement that it plans to collaborate with the Fédération équestre du Québec (FEQ) in regards to this matter, and provide updates as they become available.