Dwindling of Stables Alarms Equestrians
Twenty-five years ago, about 40 commercial horse stables clustered along the east bank of the Los Angeles River, just a short distance from the 60 miles of riding trails in Griffith Park.
From Atwater to Glendale to Burbank, the stables formed a rural oasis amid the urban sprawl.
Today, only 15 commercial stables remain in the area. Development has slowly nibbled away at the equestrian greenbelt, replacing corrals with condominiums and stalls with stores.
Of the stables that are left, two are up for sale to developers, according to their managers. Others said they are having trouble obtaining city permits to stay in business. A 16th closed last month after a year-long fight with its landlord.
“It’s a very nervous time for us. No one knows what’s going to happen,” said Nancy L. Ostermaier, who for 28 years has boarded horses at Silver Spur Stable on Riverside Drive in Glendale, now for sale. Added Doug Watkins, who owns an Atwater stable: “This is the last outpost for horse country in the middle of the city. It’s a crying shame if the city lets it go.”
Formed Protection Agency
To combat the loss of commercial equestrian land, local horse owners have formed the Rancho Equestrian Protection Agency (REPA). The group has enlisted city and county support and hopes to obtain a historic designation that would preserve existing horse property in the Griffith Park area.
The plight of the Griffith Park stables is not unique. In urban areas nationwide, horse associations report that commercial stables are closing in alarming numbers as owners realize that their land can yield more profit with apartments or shopping centers on it. Steep liability insurance has also driven many rental stables out of business.
“Frankly, it’s not the most lucrative business in the world,” said Mike Nolan, director of administration for the American Horse Council, a national trade group based in Washington. Nolan said the council keeps no records on how many stables close nationally each year, but said he is inundated by letters and phone calls from stable owners and managers who report selling out or being forced out of business because they can no longer afford insurance.
In Los Angeles, the number of commercial stables has dropped by almost two-thirds in 11 years, according to Robert I. Rush, general manager of the Department of Animal Regulation. The department issued 75 stable permits in 1975. This year, it issued 27.
At the same time, the horse population has risen. Gwen Allen, president of Equestrian Trails Inc., a nationwide group dedicated to preserving trails and encouraging horse-keeping, said there are 100,000 to 130,000 horses today in Los Angeles County, up from 80,000 in 1966. And as urban stables close, many horse owners are forced to board their animals in outlying rural areas because nearby stables are full or near capacity.
Such is the case with many of the Griffith Park-area stables. The Los Angeles Equestrian Center on Riverside Drive, for instance, has 20 to 30 horses on its waiting list, according to president Al Garcia. The center, on Los Angeles city parkland adjoining Burbank, already boards about 480 horses and plans to add 250 to 300 more stalls by the year’s end to accommodate demand, Garcia said.
But added stalls at the Equestrian Center won’t solve the problems, Garcia said. “There’s no question that the continued urbanization is going to make it difficult to house all the horses,” he said.
Horse owners said they are determined to preserve what’s left of the equestrian lands. They speak with almost mystical devotion of their pastime.
“When you’re riding your horse and the sun’s coming up on the trail, it’s like a whole different world,” said Davida Johnson, who rides daily. Johnson’s 10-year-old son also rides.
‘Lot of Work for Kids’
“It’s a lot of work for kids, and it’s an expensive sport, but it keeps them out of trouble. Kids can’t afford to buy a saddle and cocaine,” said Johnson, who boards at Silver Spur.
Horse owners said the debate over the Silver Spur shows why responsible city planning is needed if commercial horse stables are to survive.
The Dyrness family of Glendale has owned that property 11 years and says it is only marginally profitable as a stable. This year, the Dyrnesses agreed to sell the land to Beverly Hills-based Jamco Development Co, which wants to build 35 condominiums on the site. But the sale is contingent upon Jamco’s obtaining a variance, since the property is zoned for commercial equestrian use.
Last month, Glendale Zoning Administrator John W. McKenna approved the variance, stating in a written report that the stable was not up to city codes for equestrian property and that apartments provided the best use for the land.
But REPA, the newly formed group of horse owners, appealed the decision and the case is expected to be heard before the Glendale Board of Zoning Appeals in late October or November.
Silver Spur’s prospective closing brought about 250 people to REPA’s first meeting last month.
“This place sets the tone for what’s going to happen next,” said Alexander Haagen III, REPA’s spokesman. “It’s imperative we maintain the stable land. Shopping centers and apartment buildings can go up anywhere. That’s not the case with horse stables.”
Disputes Claim
Mark Rubin, Jamco’s secretary, dismissed Haagen’s claim that the project would set a precedent for development. He called the Silver Spur property “run-down and dilapidated” and said a condominium would improve the area.
Haagen, a developer who wears cowboy boots with designer suits, and boards several horses in the area, said he will try to buy Silver Spur and maintain it as a stable if the Jamco sale falls through. Most horse owners see him as a white knight. But some have expressed concern that he may eventually try to build on the land.
Haagen denies such charges.
“It wouldn’t make sense for me to try and get this area protected forever as a historic district if I intended to tear it down,” Haagen said.
Asks Historical Designation
REPA wants to obtain official designation of the Griffith Park area stables as a “historical equestrian area,” Haagen said. Such a designation would make it difficult for developers to get the zoning changes needed to replace trails and stables. Haagen said he is working with the State of California, the city and county of Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale to draw up historical designations.
REPA is also keeping close tabs on Dincara Stock Farm in Burbank, which is in a light manufacturing zone and may be sold to a developer who wants to build a storage facility.
Earlier this year, the Rancho Blue Ribbon Committee, a group of horse owners appointed by the Burbank City Council, expressed concern that some of the existing horse lands are zoned for light manufacturing and recommended that only stables and low-density residential development be allowed. This would preserve three commercial stables, many horse-related businesses and about 300 residences now zoned for keeping horses in backyard stables, said Rick Pruetz, acting city planner.
Dick Jones, chairman of that committee, argued that the city should not allow apartments into horse territory because residents would then complain about flies and dust and begin lobbying to oust the stables.
Will Make Recommendation
Pruetz said his staff will make a final recommendation to the Burbank City Council before an Oct. 27 zoning hearing.
In Los Angeles, Rita Lynch, a field deputy for Councilman John Ferraro who represents Atwater, said she is looking into complaints from several stable owners who claim that the city has withheld their operating permits.
The owners of Verdant 4000 and Watkins Glen, two Atwater stables, said they have tried without success for 10 months to obtain city permits that would allow them to continue operating as commercial stables. Doug Watkins of Watkins Glen said he fears the city is trying to force out the stables because it wants to open the land to developers.
Bruce Miller, a senior building inspector with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, said the stables were denied permits because they failed to provide documents to prove that they have operated in substantially the same form since the mid-1960s. Such proof is necessary, Miller said, because the Atwater area is no longer zoned specifically for horse-keeping and stables must qualify under a grandfather clause. In the interim, they remain open.
Horse owners suffered another blow last month when the Los Feliz Stable closed after it was unable to resolve a yearlong dispute with the property’s owner, Park View Apartments.
Tied to Zone Change
The controversy started when Park View officials applied for a zone change to allow construction of 60 to 80 condominiums. The proposal prompted fierce opposition from residents who wanted to preserve the stables and Park View eventually withdrew its application and entered into negotiations to sell the property to the manager of Los Feliz Stable, Jane Shaw.
Shaw said she had reached an agreement to purchase the property, which Park View officials denied. The two are now suing each other in Los Angeles Superior Court for what each claims is a breach of contract. Meanwhile, Shaw has been evicted, and Park View officials said they intend to sell the property.
REPA’s 200-plus members hope to prevent any more stable closings suck as Los Feliz’s.
“Where else could you find a little horse world in the middle of a cosmopolitan area?” asked Joan Channon of Glendale, who has been riding for 34 years.
