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Molly Hockman joined the resident-led Save-the-Farm nine years ago to help prevent The Turner Farm in Great Falls from being developed into a residential community. Not only did the initiative work, but the dairy-farm-turned-park has just added a public riding facility.

"A lot of people waited a long time for it," said Hockman, an equestrian, of Great Falls. "By having a facility like this, it's easy for people to ride there."

Group organizations like Save-the-Farm and Friends of Turner Farm have helped secure the park for equestrian use, officials from the Fairfax County Park Authority said.

While development in the county has grown, the number of riding facilities has dwindled, said Kirk Holley, the park authority's manager of special projects.

"The community knew in the mid-1990s that there was an opportunity for a park here ... and lobbied pretty hard to get money for a park," Holley said. "This end of Fairfax County and Clifton are the two areas in the county that are still involved with horses."

The Turner Farm is the second public equestrian facility in the county, he said. The first is the county-run working farm at Frying Pan Park in Herndon. A third equestrian park is planned at Laurel Hill in Lorton, with construction beginning next year.

The Turner Farm is "a little less formal" than the other two parks, Holley said.

The 52-acre park, at Georgetown Pike and Springvale Road, features a multipurpose arena, a dressage arena, cross-country riding courses, conditioning trails and bridle paths and a games area. A park authority dedication of The Turner Farm is set for 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

The land used for the equestrian park, also includes parcels once owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, which abandoned its site in October of 1993. This portion of the park traded hands several times during the 1990s. When it showed up under the National Park Service authority, Fairfax's Park Authority pounced, submitting an application for acquisition in the late 1990s.

Park authority members say plans for the equine facilities at The Turner Farm almost fell through when cost estimates came in at $1.3 million. To lower that figure, park authority staff reduced the number of outside contractors and kept a portion of the project's construction costs in-house. According to park authority spokeswoman Judy Pederson, the facility was built for about $900,000.

"We've been very lucky to have friends, groups and organizations that are very dynamic. This is an example of that," Pederson said. Additionally, residents and community groups like the Friends of Turner Farm raised $10,000 to pay for improvements to the park, Pederson said.

The price tag does not reflect the park's true value, residents and park officials said.

"The zoning in this area would have allowed for development, had the county not stepped in," Holley said. "To find 50 acres in the middle of [Great Falls] that is worth a zillion dollars ... it's really neat."

"The park [authority] did an outstanding job," Hockman said. "It's one of the nicest facilities in the county."

The Turner Farm

Location: 925 Springvale Road, Great Falls

Hours: Open dawn to dusk, seven days a week

Features: Children's playground, walking paths, stargazing with the Analemma Society, nonprofit educational astronomy program

Admission: Free