CHATSWORTH : Horse Owners Await Their Bill of Rights

Members of Valley Horse Owners, struggling against the slow erosion of their way of life, expect few changes from the new officeholders in Los Angeles government.

The horse owners’ strongest advocate on the City Council remains Councilman Hal Bernson, who introduced the so-called horse-keeping bill of rights in April, said the group’s vice president, Bryan McQueeney of Chatsworth.

The proposed ordinance, which contains some key provisions to preserve equestrian land uses in the city, is expected to be decided later this year.

Although there appears to be little outright opposition to Bernson’s proposal, horse owners face a challenge in simply making city leaders aware of their concerns over what McQueeney describes as monotonous and unwieldy zoning issues.

McQueeney said commercial stables and residential horse keepers are losing ground in the face of increasingly strict building codes, animal regulatory codes and zoning restrictions. The large ranches and commercial stables that once stretched across large portions of the northeast and northwest San Fernando Valley are being crowded out.

Horse owners seek, among other things, permission to place portable barns without building permits and a streamlined permit process for smaller stables. Riordan’s professed support for small businesses and assurances that he will cut red tape could work to equestrians’ advantage, McQueeney said.