Is Southern California's horse culture disappearing?

"We are losing an irreplaceable piece of the American culture ... and the Western heritage," horsewoman Mary Benson told our colleague Jessica Garrison, regarding the stables and horse trails that are losing their place to expanding suburbs in the northeast San Fernando Valley. 

And the problem isn't just in the Valley, as Garrison explains:

In December, a collection of ramshackle stalls near the City of Industry abruptly shut down, forcing out a small group of Mexican immigrants who had boarded their horses there at low cost.

The stables had been a gathering place for vaqueros from Zacatecas and Guerrero, and the closure prompted some of the families to give up their horses altogether. The loss follows the disappearance of many other stables along the San Gabriel River watershed.

Weeks later, officials in Orange County announced they might turn the county's Fairgrounds Equestrian Center into a parking lot -- the latest of many Orange County casualties. "There used to be stables all up and down the Santa Ana River, more than 20," said Jim Meyer of the advocacy group Trails4All. "Now there are two left ... and one of them is up for sale."

Deb Balliet of the Equestrian Land Conservation Resource says that, although the problem facing equestrians is widespread, California "is being really hard hit."

And suburban expansion isn't the only reason for the disappearance of equestrian culture, according to Garrison:

Some horse owners say they fear more than just the disappearance of stables.

"This is a dying phenomenon," said Barbara Blanco, a Loyola law professor and amateur horsewoman. "I am convinced we are the last generation that will keep horses in our yards."

Horses are  "increasingly a very expensive luxury," she said.

Other horse owners say that prediction may be a bit dire -- there are still dozens of stables and thousands of horses in Southern California, although precise numbers are difficult to come by. (The city of Los Angeles is among the only jurisdictions to register horses; it has a record of 1,793 -- an increase over last year, but one that officials attribute not necessarily to more equines but to better outreach to get owners to fill out paperwork.)

Still, many say it is time for government to do more to preserve horse keeping.

To convince local lawmakers to keep horse enthusiasts in mind, Benson and others have formed an advocacy group called the Los Angeles Horse Council.  Among the things Benson would like to see local government do to help horse owners?  Changing property tax rules to allow keeping horses to be considered an "agricultural use" (it's currently considered "commercial use" in most cases), and -- more controversially -- preventing horse property from being rezoned for commercial use (which could affect property values).   

Benson's group has met with local lawmakers, including L.A. City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel and state Sen. Alex Padilla, but, as Garrison notes: "Past efforts at preventing zoning changes have met with little success."

Do you think horse culture is still viable in L.A. in 2009?  Do you ride in the area?  Have you been affected by the decrease in the numbers of local stables and riding trails?  Let us know in the comments.

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photos: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[dion wilson]

I am commenting on behalf of my husband a stable hand that used to work in city La Puente at a boarding stable located next to the duck farm that was shut down he worked there for 8 years and I Taught there for 4 years, now we both have no job and no one really cares ,we had a safe enviornment for our boarders, horses,and children who took lessons there,and we welcomed and gave tours to our neighbors who would bring their kids to see and pet the horses,now it's vacant feilds are overgrown,and an eye sore visible from the 605 freeway/valleyblvd. exit a boarder with the finacial means and a soid buisess proposal tried to put in a bid thru the concervacey,was not even concidered,every attempt to save the stables was denied,dissmissed or not even given.We were given a months notice by the former managerand 15 days by the concervancey to move the horses and vacate the ranch.The american dream does'nt exist here in La Puente ,we're living proof .

[Sally Cobb]

For the past 6 years we have tried to process the required major use permit for our 30-horse boarding facility on our A70-L zoned 10 acres in Valley Center, San Diego County, California. The County has increased our fees by 1,000% from the initial fee estimate, even though our project is uncomplicated. We believe they are increasing fees and extending projects due to the recession and their need to justify their jobs, but we also believe the County does not want any more horses or horse businesses, because we take up space, unlike their condominiums which will bring more property taxes. We have spent over $100,000.00 processing our permit (required just to board even ONE horse on our Agricultural zoned land), and there is no end in sight, nor is there any guarantee we will ever get our permit, even after spending a million dollars. The County also demands that we pave our parking areas and roads. These are our trails and safe places to hand-walk the horses during rainy season and we refuse to pave. It's insane. What is happening is a travesty for horse enthusiasts and The Horse who helped create America the Beautiful. Shame on the fiscal irresponsibility and callousness of the County government employees! It's despicable.