Oakland City Stables Alive Again
Restoration of Oakland City Stables is underway!!
Alameda County Equine Facilities Cost-Share Program
Historic Livermore Ranch Will Be Saved Under Deal
Tilden Wildcat Horsemen's Association
California State Horsemen's Association - Region 5
Oakland City Stables/City Planning Process

Oakland City Stables Alive Again with Horsemanship Day Camp
Hoofs are galloping again at Oakland City Stables, thanks to a new partnership between the city's Office of Parks and Recreation and Oakland Black Cowboy Association member Evetta Williams.

The In the Winner's Circle horsemanship day camp kicked off July 5 at the newly renovated stables along Skyline Boulevard, with seven one-week sessions running through Aug. 19. In the Winner's Circle is a nonprofit organization, founded by Williams, to teach children riding and other equestrian skills.

City Stables, an idyllic and historic 7-acre site in the Oakland hills overlooking the bay, has been closed since 2004 when the city stopped subsidizing its operation, not wanting to be in the business of running a private stable. The city is looking for a concessionaire to operate the facility full-time, and recently spent $250,000 in state funds to add new paddocks, a hay barn, bathrooms and a snack bar.

"I think it's a huge success," city Recreation Supervisor Mark Zinns said, adding that campgoers are exposed to new activities. "Most of the them hadn't been around horses before."

Horses aren't a new thing for Williams, 50; they're her passion. The Oakland native began riding around the age of 7 at her family's ranch in Hayward, and now wants to give city youths the same opportunity.

"My birthday was on June 9, but when these gates opened, that was my present," Williams said. "I'm doing what I love to do."

The camp is relatively low-cost; children in the first week's session ranged in age from 5 to 11 and came from a variety of backgrounds. In addition to riding, the children learned about grooming, safety and general respect for the horses.

"I want them to develop love, kindness and compassion for the horse, because that translates to people," Williams said.

Jayla Mitchell, 5, of Oakland, and her brother Jaylen, 7, tentatively approached Cisco the pony for the first time, gently touching his nose as they got acquainted. Because large animals can often be intimidating to small children, Williams lets the kids do what they're comfortable with and go at their own pace.

"As long as they're satisfied with how much they choose to ride, that's great," Williams said.

On the first day of camp, Lauren Ray, 11, of Oakland, easily rode Cisco and sat on Buddy, a bigger horse, but didn't feel comfortable riding him. But by the end of the week, confidence and trust had grown and she took a spin on Anomar, a gentle former racehorse known to be good with children. "It was the last day and I didn't want to be the only person that didn't go on the friendly horse," Lauren said.

Claudia Evans, 11, of Orinda, also had similar fears at first. "When you first look at the horse, it's kind of scary, but once you get used to riding him it's one of the most fun things in the world," Claudia said. "They're just like us, only furrier," said Claire Daly, 11, of Oakland. Williams gave each camper a horse-themed folder and certificate on the last day of the program and invited parents to watch. She said the first week was
beyond her expectations.

"It makes me feel good. I know they'll take this with them the rest of their lives."
HORSE CAMP
To register for the camp, go Montclair Recreation Center, 6300 Moraga Ave.,
Oakland; or call 510-482-7812.

- By Jane Tyska | Oakland Tribune, 07/16/2011

Restoration of Oakland City Stables is Underway!!
From the Fall 2010 issue of the Metropolitan Horsemen’s Newsletter, for more information: www.mhaoakland.org/trailblazer/fall_2010.pdf

Alameda County Equine Facilities Cost-Share Program
This unique program utilized cost-share and technical assistance funds from Alameda County, NRCS and Caltrans to protect and enhance water quality at horse stables through implementation of best management practices (BMPs). Typically, the RCD covered 75% of the cost of implementing the conservation projects. These funds came from grants and other funds that the RCD obtained.

The chief water quality issues at horse stables are nutrients from unmanaged manure, erosion of bare areas (such as paddocks, corrals, and roads and pastures), and impacts on creeks and water bodies. There are many BMPs that facilities can use to keep clean water clean, and manage polluted water. The cost-share projects gave the RCD and its partners an opportunity to demonstrate and showcase the most cost-effective practices.

The goals of the program were to protect water quality and riparian habitat and reduce erosion and sedimentation in Alameda County's watersheds. These efforts helped to ensure the sustainability of horse stable operations while helping stables meet regulatory requirements through voluntary efforts. The stables benefit from improved drainage and less erosion, reduced mud in paddocks and pastures, and easier manure management. These efforts result in more productive pastures and creek protection and enhancement.

Manure management practices that were funded through the cost-share element of the Equine Facilities Assistance Program between 1998 and 2007 included manure storage improvements and cleanup, drainage control around manure storage areas and paddocks, roof runoff control, erosion control measures, re-vegetation, and pasture fencing and re-seeding.

RCD staff worked with funded stable owners and operators to improve each facility's ongoing operating procedures to enhance the environmentally friendly aspects of the operation.

ACRCD and NRCS staff planned and designed conservation projects at three horse stables:
• Piedmont Stables, Oakland - a covered manure storage area, arena drainage system, and grass filter strip
• Eden Canyon Ranch, Castro Valley - a manure storage bin
• Rancho de Los Amigos stable, Castro Valley - a manure composting pad and tarps to cover the windrows and improvements to a grass filter strip

Technical assistance was also provided to a group of pasture managers at Eagle Nest stable in Castro Valley who were experimenting with pasture rotation, compost application and reseeding to improve pasture forage.

Equine Conditional Use Permit Streamlining Project (2003-2004)
Boarding and riding stables in the unincorporated areas of Alameda County require a permit from the Alameda County Planning Department. The application process looks at building safety, water quality, and other health and safety issues, and involves several County departments. Many stable owners have felt that the process was overly expensive, lengthy, and confusing. Alameda County's Agriculture Advisory Committee (AAC) asked the Planning Department to streamline the process and make it more applicant-friendly, in order to support the equine community and to encourage stable owners to voluntarily enter the permit process. The Conservation Partnership worked with stable owners, the Planning Department, and other County departments on this streamlining process.

Together with the Equine Subcommittee of the AAC and the Planning Department, we developed a set of recommendations to make the process less costly and time-consuming, and more straight-forward. The process should be easier for both applicants and County staff, while still providing the same review of health and safety issues. These recommendations were endorsed by the AAC and the Planning Commission and, in February 2004, officially adopted by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Implementation of our recommendations is ongoing. The final report, The Equine CUP Streamlining Project, Permitting a Future for Alameda County's Equine Industry, is available for download.

The chief difference between the old permitting process and the new is that the old permit, a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), expired after three years, while the new permit, Site Development Review (SDR), remains with the land and does not expire. Stables with SDR approval will have periodic reviews for compliance with County ordinances, but will no longer have to submit a new application every three years.
Our recommendations also addressed the need for a clearer and more complete application form, and improved communication between departments during application processing. To add more management expertise to the review process, there is a Technical Advisory Committee composed of stable operators and natural resource experts, to offer guidance to applicants and County staff upon request.
To find out more about the SDR process, contact the Alameda County Planning Department. If you would like to get involved in Alameda County's equine facility issues, please get in touch with one of the local equine advocacy groups. There is still work to be done by concerned citizens to implement these recommendations and to take further steps supporting the viability of Alameda County stables.

Horse Keeping Guide and Fact Sheets
Working with other Bay Area RCDs, partnership staff helped develop "Horse Keeping: A Guide to Land Management for Clean Water" and several fact sheets providing practical management information to San Francisco Bay Area horse owners on what they can do to help protect the environment. To view the guide and fact sheets, please click here.

Historic Livermore Ranch Will Be Saved Under Deal
LIVERMORE — One of the Tri-Valley's most important historic sites will be preserved and a nonprofit equestrian program for the poor and disabled will have a permanent home."We feel very blessed," said Barbara Soules, executive director of Hoofprints on the Heart, which — thanks to a deal among the landowner, the nonprofit and the city — will be able to keep its home at a 140-year-old ranch on Olivina Avenue.Hoofprints, which provides horse therapy to children and adults who have cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities, has been operating at the privately owned Hagemann Farm for the past two years.Because more than half of Hoofprints' clients qualify as low-income, the city was eligible to apply to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for financing to purchase the property from a private developer, said Jean Prasher, the city's human services program manager.The $1.8 million, low-interest, 20-year loan will be used to acquire the land from local builder Steve Bosch, who initially had hoped to partially develop it with housing."I think it's a win-win for everybody," Bosch said.Surrounded by a suburban neighborhood, the 5-acre stretch in western Livermore is the last untarnished chunk of the original 60,000-acre Rancho del Valle de San Jose Mexican land grant that helped establish the Tri-Valley in 1839, records show.It boasts some of the oldest structures in
the area, including the 1870 Pico-Bernal/Mendenhall farmhouse, barns, chicken coops, a blacksmith shop and horse arena. A 400-year-old oak tree also graces the property, which in 2008 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A resolution approved by the City Council last week will help ensure the property remains protected for the next century or longer.

Under the agreement, Hoofprints will lease the farm for a nominal fee in exchange for keeping it maintained and helping with its restoration and rehabilitation. The nonprofit serves about 50 students and has a waiting list of more than 80, said Soules, who called the purchase "a dream come true."

City officials say they also hope to eventually open the farm to public or school tours.
In 1870, Martin Mendenhall, brother of Livermore founder William Mendenhall, bought 565 acres of the Rancho grant land and used it to breed horses, raise dairy cows and grow crops. The property was sold in 1896 to the Hagemann family, whose descendants occupied it for the next 110 years.

Because the farm was owned by a single family for so long, it looks much the way it did to the valley's first settlers.

"That's the cool thing — it just stayed in the family," Prasher said.
Bosch purchased the farm from the Hagemann family in 2006. Livermore officials eventually determined the farm should be preserved in its entirety due to its historical significance, and began looking for a source of funding to buy it, Bosch said.
Around the same time, Hoofprints lost its lease at its previous location, a farm in the Altamont Pass, when that property was sold two years ago.
Bosch agreed to let the nonprofit move onto Hagemann Farm and stay rent-free, in exchange for keeping the land maintained, said Soules, who worked as a special-education teacher for 30 years before she helped start Hoofprints about four years ago.
The nonprofit receives the bulk of its funding from private foundations, community organizations and individual donations.

By allowing students to focus on controlling different parts of their bodies, horseback riding is therapeutic for many disorders, including cerebral palsy, said Soules, adding, "We've watched kids start to walk."

By Jeanine Benca
Valley Times - Updated: 02/27/2010 05:31:21 PM PST
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_14480241#

Tilden Wildcat Horsemen's Association
Fundraising Ride Continues to Thrive Despite Economic Downturn
www.twha.org
TWHA NL Oct 2009

California State Horsemen's Association - Region 5
CSHA offers: trail advocacy, youth programs, educational opportunities, amateur competitive programs
http://www.csharegion5.org/

Oakland City Stables/City Planning Process:
www.oaklandcitystables.org/staffreport2107.pdf
http://clerkwebsvr1.oaklandnet.com/attachments/17739.pdf

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