Urban Horsekeeping

Operating a stable in a city can be challenging, but it offers great opportunities to make equestrian sport more accessible, these urban equestrians say.

STORY BY ASHLEY SWIFT

Erin Brown, executive director of the Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy in Pennsylvania, says her urban equestrian facility enjoys “the best of both worlds.”

Close your eyes and think about a stable. What does it look like when you turn into the property and head down the driveway? While the facilities for properties specializing in a given discipline or breed may vary, for many a typical scene would involve acres of sprawling land, rolling hills, and horses dotted across pastures in a rural area. Picturesque, to be sure, but it is not the only option for people interested in owning and working with horses.

Urban horsekeeping might not typical for equestrians today, but it certainly is doable and can yield benefits for both the horses and the local community. Cities offer a unique set of challenges for barns, from government regulations to the increased importance of being a good neighbor in close quarters, but they also offer unique opportunities. We asked three experts what it takes to maintain high standards of care for horses and run a successful riding program in urban areas. // INSIDE THE BARN

According to Erin Brown, executive director of the Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy in Pennsylvania, urban horsekeeping is absolutely possible, you just might need to get a bit creative. Brown grew up in Philadelphia, and that’s where she learned how to ride and care for horses.

PURA currently is converting an old recreational center into a barn for its horses and developing the property so that it fits PURA’s riding lesson program. “It’s a unique lot, because it’s in a residential neighborhood, but it also backs up into Cobbs Creek Park, so it has woods and trees behind it,” said Brown. “Once it’s finished next year, I think it’ll be the most unique stable in the city, because we get the best of both worlds.”

“When people find out that there are horses in the city, and not only in the city but in a residential neighborhood, it’s alarming at first—but not in a bad way,” said Brown. “A lot of the inner-city stables in Philadelphia were old warehouses and garages first, so they have a different kind of structure that we have to work with.”

In addition to being a top trainer and USEF ‘R’ hunter and hunter/jumping seat equitation judge, Susie Schoellkopf is executive director of the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Once known as the Saddle and Bridle Club, the BTRC was built in 1922 on the site of the 1901 World’s Fair, because of its proximity to Delaware Park. Now in a highly developed residential area, this urban equestrian property is tucked away in between the surrounding neighborhoods.

Schoellkopf grew up riding at the facility and when she returned to grow her own training business, SBS Farms, the indoor spaces needed significant rehabilitation. “The ring is 200’ by 120’ and was flooded,” Schoellkopf said. “The ceilings are very high and were falling apart. Kids were throwing rocks and breaking panes of glass on the building.”

There was a lot of work involved, but this enabled Schoellkopf and her partners to create exactly the kind of facility they now need, almost 100 years since the original construction. “I luckily had a group of people that came together, some pretty heavyhitters of business in Buffalo, and they wanted to preserve this place,” Schoellkopf explained. “So we started from the ground up. We have 110 stalls, an outdoor ring, and paddocks and were eventually able to start our own therapeutic riding program with all this well-designed space.”

Urban equestrian programs make the benefits and delights of the horse-human connection more accessible to city-dwellers like Detroit-area student Destiny, who attended an after-school barn trip hosted by Detroit Horse Power.

Courtesy of Detroit Horses

WORKING WITH THE CITY

Maintaining strong relationships with decision-makers in the city is essential to successful urban horsekeeping. David Silver, executive director of Detroit Horse Power in Michigan, has skillfully navigated working with government officials in Detroit, a city with relatively restrictive laws regarding animals, particularly livestock.

“The ordinances are really restrictive compared to a city like Philadelphia, which has a long legacy of urban horsekeeping,” said Silver. “When we got started in 2015, we didn’t have a lot of great options. There were some permissible use categories for livestock to be in the city, but it was for circuses and laboratory research. Over the years, I’ve done a lot of introducing of myself and Detroit Horse Power’s current work and our plans for the future. We have good relationships with all nine Detroit City Council members and the mayor’s office, which drives a lot of the city’s business. And there are a lot of different city departments to work with, whether that’s the Planning and Development Department or the Law Department or the City Planning Commission, and, probably most importantly, the Detroit Animal Care and Control departments.”

Silver has used these relationships and outreach to support legislative change in order for Detroit Horse Power’s mission to become reality.

“There was an existing effort to overhaul the animal control ordinance,” he said. “As part of that legislative change, the city council adjusted the language around permissible use categories for livestock with Detroit Horse Power in mind. Now there is a fourth permissible use category for nonprofits for educational purposes which can be approved by the city as of 2017. So we’re moving forward with all those partners in city government, and now that we have a particular site, we can go through the process and become approved.”

Detroit Horse Power is now in the process of developing a 14-acre vacant property within the city limits. The property is being leased from the Detroit Public School district, and Silver has worked closely with education officials, the neighborhood, and others to collaboratively create plans that will protect the horses while also serving the community.

MANAGING LIMITED TURNOUT

Turnout is a common concern when considering horse care in urban areas. For PURA’s Brown, the most important component for a happy horse is creating a routine and activities that keep a horse mentally and physically active.

“I believe in providing as much outside time for my horses as they can get. If you don’t have a lot of fenced-in space, rotate the horses out while you’re cleaning stalls,” said Brown. “Figure out some kind of exercise regimen throughout the week, whether it’s riding, longeing, hand-walking, or some kind of game. It all depends on the horse, really. And their job. There are some show horses out on large acreages that don’t get much turnout time, for example.”

SBS Farms’ Schoellkopf echoed the importance of balance and managing timing.

“In the spring, summer, and fall, when we have the grass paddocks, that’s not a big deal,” she explained. “We have the horses out. But in the wintertime, we’ll sometimes cancel lessons because of cold temperatures and can divide our indoor ring into three paddocks. We’ll do turnouts at the two ends and take breaks so that some of the more advanced riders, both kids and adults, can come in and ride in the middle paddock.”

Schoellkopf also leans on the expertise of her staff and emphasizes that teamwork across the entire community of employees, boarders, lesson students, and volunteers ensures the best for every horse. “I think the main thing is working as a team. If you don’t have the team situation, then it becomes difficult to manage all aspects of horse care here,” said Schoellkopf.

BEING A GOOD, ECOFRIENDLY NEIGHBOR

Manure management is a significant concern for neighborhood residents around urban riding centers. Proper disposal of manure and other waste also is essential for horse welfare at any stable in order to maintain the quality of pastures and mitigate parasites. When you live in close proximity to your neighbors, the importance of this task expands to human welfare, as well.

“Keep a lidded and properly sealed dumpster on the property if you can, and get it dumped regularly, “ advised PURA’s Brown. “Overflowing manure is just not good for anyone. If you don’t have access to a dumpster, I would recommend putting it in contractor bags and taking

“Recycling” manure is something Detroit Horse Power’s Silver also plans for his urban operation.

“Detroit has a vibrant urban agriculture community, and we hope to provide as much manure as urban farmers will be willing to take,” he said. “But we know that being a good neighbor to folks in the surrounding community is essential. Worst case, we’ll pay to haul it away. In better scenarios, we hope to look into synergies with organizations like the Detroit Zoo. They have invested in a digester, turning their herbivore waste into energy. We’re looking into collaborations there, trying to find processes that allow us to be good neighbors, control odor, and control pests.”

Urban riding centers also are contributing to a positive impact on the city through the use of rain barrels. Harvesting rainwater is good for the environment, and the water collected can be redistributed back to maintain the health of the horses’ paddocks and support their grazing supply. “Detroit Horse Power will have a storm water management plan involving rain barrels and harvesting rainwater from the rooftop as much as we can and to reapply that in our paddocks,” explained Silver. “It’ll look like a water feature, but it’s a place to drive the rainwater on site.”

Detroit Horse Power’s David Silver (far left) gets some time in the saddle at Michigan’s Rach Riding Academy with friends Shamarrah and Brianna.

Randi Byrd

SECURITY AND VETERINARY CARE

Being in close proximity to other people naturally requires enhanced physical responsibilities, too. Security measures for horses living in urban areas will vary stable to stable, but Brown, Schoellkopf, and Silver all recommended having someone on the property throughout the night. “We have to have security at night,” Schoellkopf said. “ I have a man who’s there for about five or six hours every night, walking through.”

“We will have somebody there 24/7 and will strategically lay out the site’s access points and visibility, lights, and cameras,” said Silver. “I think those are all good, and we’ll be glad we have them, but our hope is that we’re addressing issues before they come up by having a welcoming environment that people want to preserve and be a part of. That way, if folks are up to no good or are struggling and have bad intentions, then we’re able to be aware of things before they happen.”

When it comes to the horses’ physical health, Brown spoke to the importance of being proactive about routine care and emergency care contacts.

“Even though they’re not typically doing business in the city, I’ve had no problem having farriers, veterinarians, and dentists come down to see us,” said Brown. “For an emergency vet, you have to get a bit lucky, but relationships with those professionals goes a long way. A lot of backyard stables in the inner city may have a harder time finding an emergency vet, but if you’re a known and reliable stable, and depending on your relationship with that veterinarian, they’ll be more inclined to get over to you.”

Brown has used the same veterinarian and farrier for about 20 years, so they know her and they know her horses.

“We have that open relationship, and they coordinate with each other,” she explained. “And if the vet thinks this horse needs a shot differently because of whatever issue, then we will adjust. Every horse is an individual. It’s like a child, and you want to have a relationship with your primary care physician for your child.”

Urban facilities with limited turnout can require creative solutions, like rotating horses’ turnout time or supplementing turnout with longeing, hand-walking, or other exercise.

Courtesy of Detroit Horse Power

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

Urban horsekeeping has evolved over the years to provide and maintain a high quality of life for the animals’ welfare, but not every horse is suited for city life. Horse owners, barn managers, and trainers must select their horses carefully and monitor the way they are responding to the urban environment if they are new to the stable.

“We have 22 lesson horses, and all of them are donated,” Schoellkopf said of her Buffalo, N.Y., program. “People want to donate to us because they know the therapeutic and lesson horses are treated like show horses at my place. But I will not accept potential donations if I don’t feel like they’re the right fit. Whether it’s how they’ll respond to being in the city or how they’ll respond to our kids in the therapeutic program, if I don’t believe they are right for our place, I recommend the owner reach out to one of the nearby colleges with an equestrian team.”

Silver agrees that finding the right fit for a horse is important.

“It’s got to be a combination of physically sound and sound temperament, of being a rock-solid horse for beginning riders, because most of our participants will be having their first experiences with horses through us,” said Silver. “The Detroit Mounted Police have been a great resource for us when it comes to desensitization work.” The sounds of the city are an inevitable part of life for these horses, and when they are thoughtfully introduced to that environment, they can emerge as solid mounts for a variety of equestrian activities. “When I’m competing, my horses will see jump standards with sharks and whales and lots of bright colors. But my horses never blink an eye,” explained Brown. “That’s because they’ve seen it all at home. They’ve seen and heard everything from ambulances and cop cars flying by with sirens blaring, to kids on dirt bikes ripping through the trails in the woods. Besides that, they pretty much live a normal life. That’s just a plus.”

MAKING THE HORSE-HUMAN CONNECTION ACCESSIBLE

After you’ve found the right horses for an urban stable and ensured their welfare is prioritized and managed appropriately, soon everyone will be able to soak in the positive impacts of the horse-human connection.

Horses need a certain amount of space, and that can often make them inaccessible to people living in urban areas. One of the most limiting factors preventing city-dwellers from interacting with horses is access to transportation. These urban stables eliminate that barrier.

“One of the best parts about our location is that it’s very accessible to the bus routes,” SBS Farms’ Schoellkopf said. “Having students in the therapeutic program, in particular, able to come here from within the city and without driving is hugely important.

“Our horses love being part of the therapeutic program, they really do,” she added. “I’ll tell people when they donate their horses that they might see them back in the show ring if they’re capable of doing that, because those horses earn money to make our program sustainable. There are a lot of our therapeutic students who can’t afford lessons, so we offer scholarships. And those horses are the ones who really give these kids that opportunity to ride, in more than one way.”

The physical and emotional benefits of interacting with horses are often limited to those who can drive to a farm or pay for riding lessons. Not-for-profit urban riding centers not only make horses geographically accessible, but often they offer services for free and will integrate themselves as part of their communities.

“Thinking ahead to more challenging training opportunities for our advanced students, we do have good relationships with some horse rescues in our area,” Detroit Horse Power’s Silver said. “We see powerful synergy in providing a safe home for these horses that have experienced tough circumstances and for our students to be a part of that healing process and giving a horse the kind of support and community that they’re trying to have for themselves.”

“One thing I’m really proud of is that, since COVID hit us and things started to open up again in June 2020, we were the only therapeutic service that was open to these kids,” added Schoellkopf. “No other services were available. They didn’t have swimming, they didn’t have gymnastics. But they had us, and that means a lot to me.”

Brown has seen similar mutual benefits in Philadelphia, too.

“I’ve seen that horses draw in kids from the neighborhood,” she said. “They’ll just wander into the barn and become part of our little stable family. Horses do change lives, and especially in the inner city where recreation is limited and you can reach a larger, more diverse group of people. I’ve seen it over and over and over again, and it never gets old.”

“Horses do change lives, and especially in the inner city where recreation is limited and you can reach a larger, more diverse group of people,” Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy’s Erin Brown, shown here with Pretty Boy, said.

Ivan McClellanig

FACING CHALLENGES

Operating urban equine facilities, also called UEFs, can bring challenges. No one knows that better than Gibran Stout, the head coach at the non-profit OC Vaulting, which is based at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif. Stout, an urban equestrian in Los Angeles and Orange Counties since 1970, is also a licensed real estate broker/ lender who has been active in preserving equestrianism and trails in her area. She also runs the Facebook page Urban Equestrians & Friends. “Urbanization or development of an area also drives up property values and demand for space which means that the amount of space equestrian facilities require, by nature, make such endeavors very difficult as a profitable business,” Stout said. “High property values, rents, taxes, insurance, and waste removal and water-quality issues generally make it an extreme financial challenge in an urban setting.” But there are some strategies that potentially can help keep UEFs in urban settings.

EDUCATE CITY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS ABOUT UEFS AS COMMUNITY RESOURCES.

“We all need to shift to thinking of UEF’s as resources like parks and libraries, which require a lot of financial resources and provide passive and free enjoyment,”

Stout said. “What if we had equestrian centers that actually generate income from users and the potential for self-sustainability with programs for the surrounding non-riding, non-horse-owning population?

“The science clearly shows the countless and tangible benefits horses bring to our communities,” she added.

“An equestrian facility also means less asphalt and concrete. That improves air and water quality, which potentially reduces global warming. And especially during these trying times, we all can see the healing horses bring to everyone whose lives they touch.”

Detailing the benefits of equestrian sport and equine therapy for a range of citizens—from budding young athletes and after-school programs to therapy for first responders, veterans, and others—can help build the case for UEFs as community resources.

Urban lesson horses must combine physical soundness with a rock-solid temperament for beginning riders like Corey (shown), says David Silver of Detroit Horse Power, “because most of our participants will be having their first experiences with horses through us.”

BUILD TOWARD PARTNERSHIPS WITH PUBLIC LANDS.

UEFs on public lands can benefit from lower or even no rent, lower property taxes, cheaper insurance and inhouse waste removal, and large assets and resources for water quality. Seeking out potential public lands sites and partners can open possibilities for both a community and a UEF—and help horses reach new, urban audiences.

USE YOUR UEF’S PROXIMITY TO THE PUBLIC TO BE AN EDUCATIONAL AMBASSADOR.

“Our facility is on state-owned fairgrounds, home to the largest fair in California,” Stout explained. “Four weeks a year we have a noisy fair with a 150’ ferris wheel adjacent to the main riding arena and barns. We also have year-round events such as police motorcycle training, car shows, concerts, political rallies, concerts, and more. There’s a constant flow of members of the public, curious visitors who often need to be educated on how to act around horses. If we are to endure, we need to be open and sensitive to their curiosity and their needs, as they rarely understand ours and outnumber us, by far!”

BE A CONSIDERATE NEIGHBOR—AND MAKE IT VISIBLE.

“There’s often a misconception that equestrians do not care about pollution or their horses pooping everywhere,” said Stout. “We all want to do all we can to prevent pollution into the watershed and natural waterways, and we all want to be good neighbors. I personally think that having horse ‘diapers’ similar to those driving horses use could be a great solution out on trails, for example.”

BE MINDFUL OF CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATION REQUIREMENTS AND HOW THEY AFFECT YOUR STABLE.

Waste removal on small sites can be challenging. Current Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFO, regulations cover equestrian facilities just as they do as animals in large commercial and industrial farming facilities, Stout cautions, even though large animal feed lots and recreational riding facilities operate differently.

Stout urges urban equestrians to familiarize themselves with CAFO regulations and also to support efforts to revise the law’s application to recreational horse operations. For info on CAFO regulations, visit epa.gov/npdes/ animal-feeding-operations-regulations-and-guidance.

GET INVOLVED IN YOUR LOCAL UEF.

Are you an urban equestrian (or potential equestrian!)?

Googling or searching your neighborhood social media pages can help you find a UEF near your community.

“Once you get a toe in, you will tap into the wonderful community of horses—a safe place, where we all are one in our affinity of one thing: horses,” Stout said.

Urban lesson horses must combine physical soundness with a rock-solid temperament for beginning riders like Corey (shown), says David Silver of Detroit Horse Power, “because most of our participants will be having their first experiences with horses through us.”

Courtesy of Detroit Horse Power

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

URBAN EQUESTRIANS & FRIENDS FACEBOOK PAGE facebook.com/groups/urban.equestrians

CAFO REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE epa.gov/npdes/animal-feeding-operations -regulations-and-guidance