Miniature-Horse Owner to Be Arraigned

Thousand Oaks city inspectors issued a citation Monday to a woman who has vowed to fight an order to remove a 28-inch-high miniature horse from her rented tract home.

Horse owner Patty Fairchild was ordered to appear in Ventura County Municipal Court on June 30 for arraignment on a charge of keeping a horse on property not zoned for such animals, Thousand Oaks Deputy City Atty. Shawn Mason said. Violation of the city law carries a $100 fine plus an additional penalty of about $60, he said.

A trial date will probably be set for late July, Mason said.

A week ago Monday, inspectors were refused entry to the Fairchild home, where the horse, named Ragtime, has been kept illegally since August. Because they were unable to verify that the horse was on the property, they could not cite Fairchild.

But on Wednesday, Municipal Judge John Dobroth issued an inspection warrant requiring Fairchild to allow inspectors onto her property, Mason said, adding that Fairchild complied.

Plea of Not Guilty

Fairchild, who has hired a lawyer, said she will plead not guilty to the charge at her arraignment. She has argued that the city zoning laws prohibiting horses in her Oakbrook Village neighborhood should not apply to Ragtime, a year-old American miniature horse, because of its size. She said it should be considered a pet, such as a dog, and not a barnyard animal.

Neighbors who oppose having the horse in their midst have said that the city is obligated to uphold its zoning laws. The City Council last month refused to grant Fairchild an exemption.

If Fairchild is found guilty of the charge and still refuses to remove the animal, the city would then seek a court order to have it removed, Thousand Oaks City Atty. Mark Sellers said. If Fairchild failed to obey such a court order she could be jailed for contempt, he said.