Police, animal control officers search Citrus Heights horse ranch

By Sara Beth Williams–
Citrus Heights Police and animal control officers descended on a local horse ranch on Thursday, executing a search warrant at a large residence on Cook Avenue, police confirmed.

Witnesses told The Sentinel that heavy police presence could be seen early Thursday morning, March 6, just after 7 a.m. at a large residence on Cook Avenue, including two Citrus Heights Police Department SUVs, along with several other unmarked SUVs. After knocking on the door of the residence, officers then “battering-rammed”’ through the security door of the home and removed two individuals in handcuffs, according to one witness who did not want to be named for safety reasons.

The residence operates as C R Circle Ranch, according to neighbors. The ranch has been known to have trained multiple students in trick horseback riding, silks aerial skills, drill and dance, according to a 2021 interview with the owners and coaches of the family-run operation.

Citrus Heights Police said Thursday that officers served a “residential search warrant” on Cook Avenue, and confirmed animal control officers were also on scene. The residence is home to several animals, police said, including horses and dogs. Sgt. Eric Dias with the Citrus Heights Police general investigations unit said no arrests were made, and that the reason for such a large law enforcement response was due to the large size of the property.

According to real estate site Zillow, the property is just under 1 acre in size.

Many of the trick riders who trained at C R Circle Ranch performed under Nu Balance, Olympius Dream Team, Imperial Crown, and T-N-B Trick Riders, all of which had Facebook pages at one point. As of Friday, only Olumpius Dream Team and T-N-B Trick Riders’ Facebook pages show any recent activity.

During the 2021 interview, the coach and founder of the ranch said she has adopted many horses with “problems” and described part of what her family does as a “recovery home” for horses and students.

Dias said the search warrant was served as part of an “active investigation” and declined to comment further.