Riders Mount Challenges to Save Horse Country

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.

In Atwater, Glendale and Burbank, for example, the stables formed rural oases amid the urban sprawl. But they have slowly been fading away, lost to land-development pressures and the rising cost of liability insurance.

Last month, the Los Feliz Stables closed after a yearlong dispute with its landlord, Park View Apartments. 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 for sale to developers, according to their managers. Others said they are having trouble getting city permits to stay in business.

‘A Very Nervous Time’

“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, one of the two that are 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.”

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.

Growing urbanization has not meant a decrease in demand for horse space, however.

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 that adjoins 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 more 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 point to the Silver Spur case as evidence that their best hope lies with city planners, whose decisions over land use and zoning questions are often crucial in determining the fate of stables and trails.

Marginally Profitable

The Dyrness family of Glendale has owned the Silver Spur property for 11 years but 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.

The sale is contingent on Jamco getting a zoning variance, since the property is zoned for commercial equestrian use, and last month, Glendale Zoning Administrator John W. McKenna approved the variance. He stated in a written report that the stable did not meet city codes for equestrian property and that housing would be the best use for the land.

But REPA, the newly formed group of more than 200 horse owners, appealed the decision, and the case is expected to be heard before the Board of Zoning Appeals later this month or in November.

Silver Spur’s prospective closing brought about 250 people to REPA’s first meeting last month.

‘Sets the Tone’

“This place sets the tone for what’s going to happen next,” said Alexander Haagen III, spokesman for the group. “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.”

Mark Rubin, Jamco’s secretary, dismissed Haagen’s assertion that the project would set a precedent for future development. He called the Silver Spur property “run-down and dilapidated” and said a condominium would improve the area.

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, with the city and county of Los Angeles, and with Burbank and Glendale to draw up historical designations.

Haagen, himself a developer--he 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, too, may eventually try to build on the land.

Haagen dismisses such concerns, saying, “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.”

Other Imperiled Facilities

Other endangered stables in the area include Dincara Stock Farm in Burbank, and Verdant 4000 and Watkins Glen stables in Atwater.

Dincara Stock Farm is in a light-manufacturing zone and may be sold to a developer who wants to build a storage facility.

The Rancho Blue Ribbon Committee, a group of horse owners appointed by the Burbank City Council, has recommended that zoning changes be made to allow only horse-related uses in some parts of the city where stables now occupy land designated for light manufacturing or housing.

Such changes, should they be adopted by the council, would preserve three commercial stables (including Dincara), numerous horse-related businesses and about 300 homes that under present zoning are allowed to keep horses in backyard stables, acting City Planner Rick Pruetz said.

Hearing Scheduled

A hearing on the proposed zoning change is scheduled for Oct. 27.

The owners of Verdant 4000 and Watkins Glen stables in Atwater said they have been battling the city of Los Angeles for 10 months, trying to get permits that would let them continue operations.

An official of the Building and Safety Department said the stables have not provided the necessary documents. Councilman John Ferraro’s office is looking into the matter.

REPA’s members said their goal of saving horse lands is worth all the trips to city halls.

“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.