The horse center dates back to 1925. W.K. Kellogg had a longtime interest in Arabian horses, and purchased for $250,000 in Pomona, California, to establish a ranch. After erecting the first buildings, Kellogg funded the development of an Arabian horse breeding program, which remains the oldest in the United States and the fifth largest in the country. Starting with breeding stock descended from the imports of Homer Davenport and W.R. Brown, Kellogg then looked to England, where he purchased a significant number of horses from the Crabbet Arabian Stud, making multiple importations during the 1920s. The Kellogg ranch became well known in southern California not only for its horse breeding program but also for its entertaining, weekly horse exhibitions, open to the public and frequently visited by assorted Hollywood celebrities. Among many other connections to Hollywood, the actor Rudolph Valentino borrowed the Kellogg stallion, "Jadaan," for use in his 1926 movie, Son of the Sheik, along with a Kellogg employee, Carl Raswan, who rode in certain scenes as Valentino's stunt double. In 1932, Kellogg donated the ranch, which had grown to to the California State University system. During World War II, on the ranch was taken over by the U.S. War Department and was known as the Pomona Quartermaster Depot. In 1948, the ranch was transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and in 1949, the land was deeded to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Later in 1949, Kellogg donated the ranch to the state of California, requiring that the property would be used for educational purposes, the herd of Arabian horses must be maintained, and the horse shows would continue. Title to the then ranch and horses was passed to the State of California.
The ranch became part of the Voorhis unit of what was then known as the California Polytechnic State College in San Luis Obispo. This became known as the Kellogg Campus, and in 1966, it was separated to form California State Polytechnic College Pomona. The Center occupied the original Kellogg stables prior to the dedication of the existing facility on April 6, 1974. This was also the location of the W.K. Kellogg Airport. It operated from 1928 to 1932, and was then the largest privately owned airport in the country.
Today
Today the facility is home to approximately 85 purebred Arabian horses used in Equine Sciences’ teachings, outreach, research and internationally recognized breeding and training programs. Facilities at the center include of pasture, three barns, foaling stalls, a breeding area, a veterinary clinic, a farrier shop, four arenas and a grandstand. The University operates the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library, which is open to the public.
