Halt to Rides on Horseback for Disabled : Therapy: Funding was stopped after a dispute between two groups who ran the program. Parents of children who rode are dismayed.

A highly regarded therapeutic horseback riding program for the disabled has been discontinued because of a disagreement between its operators and officials of a West Covina riding facility where it was based.

The seven-year-old program, which had mushroomed from a handful of original participants seven years ago to about 140, was abruptly discontinued in March after Mt. San Antonio College and the city of West Covina began withholding financial support in the hope the two bickering groups would work out their differences.

But since then, the dispute has intensified and both sides have retained lawyers. Mt. SAC and city officials say it appears unlikely that funding can be resumed for at least another year.

The dispute arose in January after the board of directors of Ridge Riders Inc., a club that operates the city’s Ridge Riders Equestrian Center and formerly sponsored the handicapped program, discovered that its staff had quietly formed a nonprofit corporation, Carousel Special Equestrians, to run the program.

The Ridge Riders board accused Carousel of incorporating without authority and attempting to divert funds from Ridge Riders.

Carousel officials, however, contend that the organization was established late last year to obtain proper charitable status and insurance coverage, and to set up a separate bank account to prevent commingling of funds.

Parents, who had praised the program for helping their children overcome disabilities, said they were devastated when the classes were canceled.

“We were really surprised when it happened,” said Diamond Bar resident Debbie Johnson, whose 10-year-old son, Eric, took lessons for three years. “We went one day and they said it was the last day. It’s pretty sad.”

Johnson said that for Eric, who has brain damage and is legally blind, the program was one of the few things he enjoyed.

Georgette Goetz said her 19-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome, misses the friends she met during the three years she attended classes.

“Everyone is disappointed that the program ended,” she said. “Everybody hopes the program will start again somewhere else. People were very upset. It’s a big loss.”

According to Solvang-based Direct Link, a nationwide database for the disabled, the program at Ridge Riders was the only such program in the San Gabriel Valley, making it difficult for the disabled riders to continue riding therapy.

One parent said his 5-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy, has stagnated since the classes stopped. Darryl Musick said that the horseback riding had stimulated his son, Timothy, to sit and stand for the first time, and that he had begun to hope Timothy would someday walk.

Now all he does is watch television on the two days he used to ride, Musick said.

He said he received a letter from Mt. SAC informing him that the therapy classes were ending because Carousel would not be allowed to use Ridge Riders’ facilities. Musick also said he heard rumors that the program was becoming too popular and that other riders who used the equestrian center resented the handicapped program.

Carousel officials declined to discuss the origins of their dispute, but others said it appears to be at least partly over control of the city-sponsored, 10-acre Ridge Riders Equestrian Center on Citrus Avenue.

Sue Wood, president of Ridge Riders, said that Carousel had taken over the equestrian center in recent years and that Ridge Riders wanted it back for club use.

Since 1957, Ridge Riders has subleased the property from the city, which leases it from the Valencia Heights Water Co. The private riding club participates in parades and sponsors weekend horse shows. Other community events include horseshoe competitions, barbecues, weddings and funerals.

Mt. SAC began offering the free exercise program at the center for the mentally and physically handicapped seven years ago. It started with seven students and six horses. The college hired one instructor and depended on volunteers to assist the disabled riders.

A second instructor was added as the program grew. It cost about $20,000 to feed the horses and pay for upkeep and salaries for two instructors, Meyers said; one of the instructors is now boarding the horses.

At first, classes were held on Monday and Wednesday evenings, but the program blossomed through word-of-mouth, and additional classes were offered from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays for busloads of students from throughout Los Angeles County.

In January, fee-based classes for handicapped adults training for the Special Olympics were offered on Saturday afternoons. In addition, some of the program’s six horses were also rented to able-bodied riders. Ridge Riders was allowed to keep 40% of any fees collected and was required to return the remainder to the college.

The program had thrived under the direction of Evonne Hillmann, who was also a board member of Ridge Riders. Over the years, she served as president, secretary and treasurer.

Hillmann said she decided to form a separate organization because Ridge Riders had not taken an active interest in the handicapped program. After Carousel incorporated in October, she wrote a letter to Mt. SAC requesting that future funding be paid to Carousel. David C. Solinger, lawyer for Ridge Riders, said Carousel received $4,000 that should have gone to Ridge Riders.

Soon after Carousel incorporated, Hillmann was voted off the Ridge Riders board.

Carousel formed using funds designated for Ridge Riders, and Ridge Riders wants the funds back, Solinger said.

“It’s inappropriate and outside (Hillmann’s) boundaries of duties to Ridge Riders,” Solinger said. “She breached that duty by taking funds from Ridge Riders and using them directly to pay for Carousel activities.”

Ridge Riders intends to file a lawsuit if the $4,000 is not paid, he said.

But Stephen Davis, lawyer for Carousel, said Solinger sent three letters requesting reimbursement but refused to provide documentation to support his claims.

“The bottom line is, it’s difficult to respond to their demands and charges when they don’t explain the reasons for their demands,” Davis said. “We’re stunned and disappointed that we’ve been unable to even discuss restarting the program.”

However, Mt. SAC officials said they will not consider that until the dispute is settled.

“There are major internal problems between Carousel and Ridge Riders,” said Karen Meyers, Mt. SAC’s dean of continuing education and community services. “The program was put on hold until the issues are resolved.”

If that happens, Mt. SAC may renew the program at Ridge Riders’ facilities, Meyers said, or it may consider developing an equestrian center on one of its agricultural department farms. However, the program will not be reinstated until the spring of 1993, she said.

Gus Salazar, West Covina’s human services director, said that without Mt. SAC, the handicapped program could not continue. The city’s contribution, between $4,000 and $5,000 yearly, was dropped from the 1992-1993 budget, he said.