Simi Council Says Tiny Horse Must Roam in Bigger Pasture

Culminating a long-running neighborhood dispute, the Thousand Oaks City Council voted Tuesday to evict a 27-inch-high horse from the suburban tract house where it has been living illegally since last summer.

Ragtime, a 1-year-old American miniature horse whose fate has been debated for four months by two government bodies and a special committee, stood quietly in the back of City Council chambers during more than two hours of testimony over whether he should be allowed to live in the backyard of owner Patty Fairchild. Zoning in the Oakbrook Village area where Fairchild lives prohibits farm animals on small lots.

But the City Council voted 4 to 1 against Fairchild’s request to amend the city law to allow an exception for miniature horses.

“Adjacent homeowners have had their rights violated long enough,” City Councilman Lawrence E. Horner said.

30 Days to Relocate

Ragtime will have 30 days to find a new home, city officials said.

Neighbors who testified against the stallion told the council that it was obligated to uphold city zoning restrictions. Representatives of the Oakbrook Village Homeowners’ Assn. said other people might be encouraged to violate city laws if Ragtime were allowed to stay.

City Councilman Lee Laxdal, who voted against the eviction, said the horse posed no threat to neighbors.

“I’ve tried hard to see over the last few months and from the hearing tonight how that horse could be a threat to property values or zoning laws, but I can’t,” Laxdal said shortly before the council vote. “I believe that it can and should be treated as a pet.”

Residents who spoke in support of Ragtime said the 100-pound animal is quieter and less of a nuisance than many dogs in the neighborhood.

Testimony at the council hearing was about evenly split between supporters and opponents of the animal.

Fairchild and her attorney, Neal Safran, said after the decision that they were not sure how they are going to respond to the council action.

“It’s possible that we would take it to court,” Safran said.

City officials, on Dec. 31, ordered Fairchild to remove Ragtime from her property after receiving a complaint from neighbors. Fairchild acquired the horse last August.

Panel Appointed

After Fairchild contested the order in January appearances before the city Planning Commission and City Council, officials appointed a 17-member citizens advisory committee to study the issue.

After a single meeting in March, 15 of 17 committee members agreed that the city should adhere to its zoning restrictions and evict Ragtime.

City zoning for the Oakbrook Village neighborhood allows for a single horse on lots greater than 20,000 square feet. Fairchild’s house is on a 6,100-square-foot lot, a city report said.

Fairchild argued that the city’s zoning law should be amended to allow miniature horses on smaller properties because the animals grow to a maximum height of 34 inches and require no more space than a large dog.