Historic Livermore Ranch Will Be Saved Under Deal
Tilden Wildcat Horsemen's Association
Muir Heritage Land Trust
California State Horsemen's Association - Region 5
Oakland City Stables/City Planning Process:

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

Muir Heritage Land Trust
Trails Under Construction on Fernandez Ranch http://www.muirheritagelandtrust.org/assets/pdfs/newsletters/MHLTWinter_09 (4).pdf

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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