The rumors of the death of the Fiesta rodeo might be premature. A post at Facebook late Monday night stated, “Fiesta Stock Horse Show and Rodeo Concludes Historic 100-Year Run” and then doubled down on Tuesday, with a post stating, “Unfortunately, this is not an April Fools’ joke.”
However, this year’s El Presidente, Fritz Olenberger, told the Independent more positively if cautiously, “We may have a rodeo this year.”
A press release from both Old Spanish Days, which puts on Santa Barbara’s Fiesta celebrations, and Earl Warren Showgrounds, which hosts the rodeo, stated they were “saddened to share that the Fiesta Stock Horse Show & Rodeo will not be producing a rodeo this year. The event, under this entity, is no longer viable for a variety of reasons.
“While this marks the end of an incredible chapter, we are actively working together to explore ways to ensure that a rodeo event remains part of the Fiesta celebrations at Earl Warren Showgrounds — potentially as soon as 2025.”
The riding, roping, and racing competitions at Earl Warren Showgrounds have been part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association events, with both high attendance by spectators and regular protests by animal rights activists. Although, new management at the showgrounds in 2019 swept clean with larger fees and an expanded program of sporting events and practice sessions, Olenberger said that the showgrounds have partnered with Old Spanish Days for the annual Fiesta event: “We work together, and we both want a rodeo.”
Expressing a continued interest in equine events, Ben Sprague, executive director at Earl Warren, said, “We want to assure the community that this decision by the Fiesta Stock Horse Show and Rodeo is entirely independent of our ongoing planning efforts at the Showgrounds. Our long-term vision remains unchanged — we fully intend to maintain and support equestrian and rodeo events as part of Earl Warren well into the future.”
Despite the high ticket sales, Olenberger explained the expenses were outpacing the revenues of the rodeo. “There are a lot of moving parts in a rodeo, and you need a very experienced team to produce one.”
At this point, Fiesta’s executive board will try to figure out what to do at its next meeting on Wednesday. The rodeo may come back reduced in scope, Olenberger said, but, “We have not given up.”
