Friday, October 24, 2008

San Pascual Stables

It's hard to believe South Pasadena is part of the greater Los Angeles area with all that gridlock, pavement and crowded urban clutter. Here's the opposite: open space, dirt and the wonderful equine zen of San Pascual Stables. Specializing in hunter/jumper training, San Pasqual offers boarding facilities, an English-style riding academy and a summer day camp for kids. (It's also a great destination for film crews.)

18 comments:

Webradio said...

Hello Laurie...

Beautiful photo for the country and not in town...

Is it Your horse ?

Virginia said...

This is a vintage postcard!! Katie needs to see this. Your colors etc. are great . Well done my friend!

Ken Mac said...

that is a beautiful tree as well. nice one..!

Yakpate said...

Are you sure you aren't recycling photos taken from the kinder, gentler, "Mr. smith Goes to Washington" era?

This photo is so beautiful, and so idyllic, it's hard to believe you just shot it. But, if anyone could find beauty while out taking a walk, it's you!

By the way, as a Kentucky native who's been to a horse farm or two, that's a beautiful animal.

Halcyon said...

Love the horsey. You and Elaine from Willits need to get together. :)

Dixie Jane said...

People from other places who have never been to Texas think that all of our backyards look like this. It is a beautiful, peaceful scene with a lovely animal. As a young woman I used to rent a horse on Saturdays and ride English saddle. Quite different from the Western saddles with a horn (used for ropes)that we are used to in old Western movies. It's so nice to have this country serenity in the middle of a big city.

Anonymous said...

I learned to ride at these stables a few, ahem, yes, few years ago.

It is nestled in the arroyo, near the baseball and softball fields, not far from the 110 freeway and a hop to Highland Park.

Yet when you are on a horse, it seems like you travel back 80 years---like when my godfather used to ride horses up in the Altos de Monterey.

GREAT shot, it does seem like the bustle of LA is far off.

Anonymous said...

That's the stable Cathy "Cappy's" grand daughter kept her horse. Back then it was called Wartzes/Wartses. Run by an elderly brother and sister who lived in the house on the property. I think back then it was run by the city and not leased out by the city. That made it affordable to girls who paid for their steeds board with baby sitting money. Now it's the domain of the well healed and one of the reasons you never see horse and riders on the trail. We owned those trails back in my day.

Anonymous said...

But there is a less well-heeled version of a stable close by. Can't think of the name, maybe Laurie knows.

USelaine said...

I had a couple of years of English riding lessons near Sacramento while 10 - 11, but I never had my own horse. It's a lovely memory, thank you.

Anonymous said...

AH: that used to be Thompson's until the Thompson's died off. I don't know if the new owners take in boarders any longer.

Cafe Observer said...

K, a "less well-heeled" stable nearby?

You can't be talkin bout the Historic Altadena Stables?! (have you heard of it btw, K?)
If that's LW-H, then they make up for it in good-looking riders.

Love these horses- we just bark up their stress level.

Anonymous said...

Altadena stables is very well heeled thank you. No, PA tabbed it. It's close to the 110. Don't know what the name is now

Anonymous said...

Once upon a time, long, long ago, I sat in the back of my station wagon at this very stable and I did drawings of a horse very much like this very horse. Well, the little girl-child whose horse it was, exclaimed with such great delight at my drawing of her horse, that I could not help but give the drawing to the little girl. Her father was in such disbelief, as it was truly a very good drawing of the horse, that he did ask me if I had, in fact, given my drawing to his little girl. "Yes", I said.

Laurie Allee said...

HI folks,

Webradio, alas, the horse does not belong to me. But my daughter calls him (her?) Brownie, and we like to drive by to see if he's out of the stable...

Trish and PA, I'd have loved to have been around here back in the day. Is the other stable still around? Like Dixie mentioned, everyone thinks Texas looks like this. I grew up in Austin, which does NOT look like this, and I didn't see a horse until I moved to LA! (I bought my first cowboy boots here, too. Shhh, they might not let me claim Texas as a birthplace with confessions like these.)

Shanna, I remember that story about the horse drawing! You should go during mid afternoon when there are a lot of horses out doing their little jumpy jump stuff and trotting around. (My lack of horse knowledge is showing.)

See you all tomorrow! Thanks again, everyone.

Anonymous said...

Am not remembering another stable closer to the 11, or 110 as it was later named.

There were other stables around, some private, along the arroyo, I believe, back "when". Many folks used to have their own personal paddocks and barns, back when my godfather rode, but that was---eons ago and he's looong dead.

I do recall the Andersons and it is a shame it is no longer in the family.

Unknown said...

I think horses are just magic. These huge muscular beasts on these tiny hooved feet. Love this so much!!

Anonymous said...

Never have I found a more unfortunate, poorly run stable in my lifetime. The staff is incompetent and egotistical, the people running the place gauge every penny possible without providing necessary things such as footing, food(!!!) or shavings for your horse. The entire place is overrun with dangerous tunnels of gopher holes that your horse can fall into, especially in the sun pens made for the horses to stand in. There are also more rats and ground squirrels than horses on premises. There is no privacy as any random person or dog (coyotes every night as well) can venture in from highland park or the arroyo and droves of strangers come by with no security onsite. They even feed and pet the horses. The footing in the arenas is so unforgiving that your horse is guaranteed to get injured.