Outsiders know Davis as an animal-loving town, and so it is no surprise that there is an outlet for horse fans: the UC Davis Equestrian Center. You may have seen some of the horses and riders while traveling on Interstate 80 West and merging onto Highway 113 North. The Equestrian Center offers horse lodging to the students, and a plethora of horse riding lessons to the general public, ranging from beginner to advanced, and Western to English.

In an attempt to breed stallions, which needed strongly built facilities to hold them, the Animal Science Department created the first stables in the 1960s. About a decade later, Animal Science passed this same area down to the Equestrian Center. Since then, the Equestrian Center has been an organization aimed at students and the public alike, who enjoy riding and caring for horses. With about 80 horses on the several-acre property, this center has many perks that other equestrian facilities lack. Holly Fox, a former horse trainer, mentions a few of these perks. "Not many equestrian centers or stables can really afford to have a grass field for riding," she said. "They don’t have the luxury of having that much space, but [since] we do, it’s been lucky that we can preserve that."