Wesley Clover Parks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wesley Clover Parks
Entrance to equestrian park
Location	401 Corkstown Road Ottawa, Ontario K2H 8T1
Area	500 acres (200 ha)
Owned by	National Capital Commission
Operated by	Wesley Clover Foundation

Wesley Clover Parks is a fun place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It's a big park where you can enjoy many outdoor activities. The park is located where two major highways, the 416 and 417, meet. It used to be part of the city of Nepean. Wesley Clover Parks started in 2014. That's when the Wesley Clover Foundation began managing the old Nepean National Equestrian Park and the nearby Ottawa Municipal Campground.

What You Can Find at Wesley Clover Parks

This huge park covers 500 acres, which is about 378 football fields! It has many cool features for horses and people.

• Stables and Arenas: There are stables for horses and an indoor arena for riding.
• Outdoor Riding Areas: You'll find several outdoor sand rings for riding horses.
• Pastures: Horses have lots of open pasture space to roam.
• Cross-Country Course: This course is for horse riding competitions. It has four different difficulty levels.
• Wooded Area: A large forest is home to many local animals and plants.
• Campground: You can also camp overnight at the park.

Fun Activities at the Parks

Wesley Clover Parks is a busy place with many events throughout the year.

Horse Events and Competitions

The park hosts many exciting horse-related activities:

• Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments: These are big competitions for horse riders.
• Ottawa Horse Day: A special day to celebrate horses and learn about them.
• Wesley Clover Parks Bronze/Silver Hunter/Jumper Horse Shows: These shows feature different types of horse riding.
• Ottawa Horse Trials: These events test horses and riders in several ways.

Other groups also rent the park for their own horse shows. Past events included Polo in the Park Ottawa and the Ottawa Dressage Festival.

Other Sports and Festivals

It's not just about horses! The park is also used for other fun events:

• Charity Runs: Many running events, like the Color Vibe 5K, happen here.
• Endurance Races: These races challenge people to go long distances.
• Festivals: The park is a great spot for various community festivals.
• Sporting Events: Other sports competitions also take place at the park.

Helping Nature at the Parks

Wesley Clover Parks cares about nature and the environment.

• Hay Farming: The park grows over 100 acres of hay. This hay feeds the more than 55 horses and 1 donkey that live there. This is part of their plan for sustainable farming.
• Honey Bees: With help from GeesBees Honey Company, the park brought in over 300,000 honey bees. They now have 6 beehives on site. This helps support the important bee population.

History of Wesley Clover Parks

The park has an interesting history, starting as a place for horse riding.

Early Days of the Equestrian Park

Construction for the Nepean National Equestrian Park began in 1974. Ted De Long had the idea to create a riding program. He wanted it to be affordable for people who couldn't buy their own horses. The park would serve the west end of Ottawa. The land was rented from the National Capital Commission. It was first run by a partnership between the March and Nepean Townships. The riding school also aimed to give girls access to sports programs. At the time, many city sports fields mostly served boys.

Mr. De Long wanted the park to offer many types of riding lessons. This included English and Western riding. Riders training for competitions could also rent the facilities.

Building the Stables and Arena

A local architect named Walter Coates designed the stables. They were built in 1976. The indoor arena took longer to build because there wasn't enough money. It was finally constructed in 1981.

A New Beginning for the Park

In 2012, the City of Ottawa stopped renting the property. The riding school closed, and the horses were sold. Later, the Wesley Clover Foundation took over the lease. This foundation is a private, not-for-profit group. It is connected to a successful tech entrepreneur named Terry Matthews. The foundation planned to invest more than $20 million to rebuild the site.

The plans for the park included:

• A new riding school, created with Canadian Olympic rider Ian Millar.
• Upgrades to the show grounds for competitions.
• New public seating areas.
• New trails for horseback riding.

The park also planned to add facilities for non-horse activities. These included summer sports fields, a new home for royal swans, an outdoor skating rink, and trails for skiing and hiking. There would also be a campground and a nature school for young children. The goal was to attract more international horse events and more people for outdoor sports.

Royal Visit and Soccer Field

Anne, Princess Royal visited the park on Remembrance Day in 2014. She dedicated a riding ring in her name, called The Princess Royal Riding Ring.

A modern artificial turf soccer field was built at the east end of the park. It was near the Queensway and Moodie Drive. This field was used as a practice facility during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Exciting Events at Wesley Clover Parks

The park has hosted many memorable events.

Horse Shows and Clinics

• Ottawa International Horse Show: The first one was from June 17-21, 2015. Famous riders like Ian Millar and Amy Millar competed. Elizabeth Bates won the main event, the Brookstreet Grand Prix. Beth Underhill won another big competition in July 2016.
• Ottawa National Horse Show: The first show was from July 13-17, 2016. Ian Millar won the Brookstreet Grand Prix in July 2016.
• George Morris Riding Clinic: A special riding clinic with George H. Morris took place in October 2015.
• Ottawa Fall Horse Trials: This event happened on September 25, 2016.

Music Concerts

• Shania Twain Concert: The famous singer Shania Twain performed on June 27, 2015. This was part of her Rock This Country Tour. It was her only outdoor show in North America on that tour. About 24,000 people came to enjoy the music!