EDITORIAL: Turnaround at the Horse Park EDITORIAL: Turnaround at the Horse Park (March 30, 2005)

What a difference a couple of years make.

In January 2003, San Mateo County officials nearly closed down the Horse Park at Woodside for violating numerous environmental regulations and not having the proper permits. The operators of the 270-acre property at Sand Hill Road and Interstate 280 were shocked, but realized that if they wanted to save one of the best venues for riding and "eventing" horses in the Bay Area, they had better act fast. The county had given them less than two weeks to apply for the necessary permits, or risk being shut down.

But the organization of horse aficionados managed to move quickly, apply for the permits and then go to work on plans to turn the facility into an environmentally sensitive operation responsive to county concerns, and to its 600-plus members. The culmination of all the work came several weeks ago when the county Planning Commission granted the permits the park needs to hold events, board horses and add stables.

And that was not all the good news. In addition, Stanford agreed to extend the park's lease until 2017, an offer that means officials can continue to improve facilities and stage somewhat larger events while knowing that the threat of losing their lease is off the table, at least for 12 years.

But while the county did impose numerous requirements on the Horse Park -- they must build an enormous platform to compost horse manure, deal with runoff and replace the roofs on temporary stables -- it also approved additional events that will bring the organization more revenue and possibly new members.

Friends of the Horse Park already have donated $1.1 million to the cause, but another $4 million is needed to complete the plan approved by the county.

The money will allow the park to build new space to permanently board 100 horses and provide temporary quarters for up to 430 during events. The added stalls will help the park stage large competitions with up to 350 entries, and host as many as 800 people during events.

Park officials note that the competitions, which include cross-country jumping, stadium jumping, and dressage, are not spectator sports that attract a large audience. Instead, most competitors just bring a few family members and often compete over a few days, which will ease the traffic impact on local roads.

At the final hearing on the permits a few weeks ago, Horse Park officials said few objections were raised. It is certainly significant that the park's biggest critics two years ago, neighbors Joan Baez and Eric Brandenburg, and Lennie Roberts of the Committee for Green Foothills, no longer opposed the permits.

The story of the horse park illustrates how a large institution serving hundreds of members can reinvent itself and become a responsible environmental citizen, even while staging elaborate competitions and cleaning up after 350 or more horses in the process.

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