A Santa Cruz mountain horse stable preps for its next act

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is embarking on an ambitious 20-year plan for the 1,432-acre Bear Creek Open Space Preserve, located just five miles south of Los Gatos. The plan’s goal is to open up new recreation areas to the public by the end of 2018, while protecting the preserve’s natural resources.

Part of the plan calls for improvements to Bear Creek Stables that’s been operating since the 1930s at 19100 Bear Creek Road. The stables sit on approximately 15 acres and are home to 70 horses.

Most of the stables’ horses are privately owned, so they’re not available for public use. But horses are available for riding lessons and summer camps through Pam Ashford, who leases the stables from the open space district.

“It’s always been a boarder barn,” Ashford said. “If you want to take lessons, you take them on my horses.”

Ashford has been on a month-to-month lease for two years.

But the open space district is expected to put the stables’ lease up for bid at some point, so the Friends of the Bear Creek Stables are gearing up to offer more educational, equestrian and ecological programs to the public.

“The open space district is not in the business of running horse stables, so we had to convince them the stables are a community asset to help connect kids with nature,” Friends’ co-founder Jenny Whitman said.

“Now, we need to bring the community in here.”

Twins Emma and Evelyn Williams have been coming to the stables for more than three years and also attended summer camp a few weeks ago.

“When we have play dates sometimes we bring our friends up here and take them on a trail ride,” Evelyn said.

Bring the horses carrots, Emma said, and “they’ll be all happy.”

Whitman has a funny story about carrots. She rescues former race horses through the Neigh Savers program and is sometimes surprised at the things they do.

“One time I gave a carrot to a rescue horse and the sound of biting into it freaked him out. He jumped across the paddock and just stared at that carrot,” Whitman said. “We get race horses from Neigh Savers that have never seen a tree up close before and turn them into trail horses.”

Whitman said the Neigh Saver horses, which are considered “throwaways,” have also helped troubled kids from the Home First program.

“I find that the kids who are most at risk are most in tune with the horses,” she said. “They see themselves in the horses because the horses and kids are throwaways together.”

In addition to her Neigh Savers activities, Whitman takes people on fauna and flora hikes. That program will likely be expanded by the Friends.

“Our group exists to pro-

vide programs for the public,” Friends’ co-founder Nancy Cole said. “We offer docent tours and a pony coop, where families ‘lease’ a pony that they care for one day a week. They also work with a trainer and go out on the trail.”

There’s a goat co-op as well, with two little baby goats recently added to the menagerie.

“Kids can milk the goats; it’s a natural way for them to interact with nature,” Whitman said. “One day I walked into a stall, and three little boys were holding the goats and being very quiet.”

The goats serve a dual purpose because when they’re turned loose, they eat dry brush, which helps create a defensible space against wildfires.

Firefighters from the Redwood Estate’s fire station recently toured the stables with an eye toward developing a wildfire plan for the west side of Highway 17, Friends member Rosemary Gellman said.

“They learned the layout of the stables and considered staging areas for engines, helicopters and other special considerations,” she said.

Firefighters were also consulted on a “shelter in place” plan that’s being developed to protect the horses from wildfires.

The Friends are working with the open space district on a long-term master plan for the stables that’s expected to cost anywhere from $1 million to $2 million, Whitman said.

Money for the stable upgrades and improvements to the open space preserve in general will come from the $300 million bond measure that was approved by voters in 2014.

Visit bcsfriends.org, bearcreekstables.com and openspace.org for more information.

GEORGE SAKKESTAD — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Carabella, formerly known as the race horse ‘Queen of Blades,’ takes a jump with Jenny Whitman at the Bear Creek Stables. Carabella is a Neigh Savers thoroughbred that was adopted by Whitman and transitioned into a new life at the stables.

A horse at Bear Creek Stables in Los Gatos finds a way to scratch his back on a hot afternoon.

PHOTOS BY GEORGE SAKKESTAD — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Friends of Bear Creek Stables co-founder Jenny Whitman leads Carabella, a 6-year-old thoroughbred into the ring for a workout.

Eight-year-old Evelyn Williams cuddles with Gus, which is apparently one of her favorite things to do at Bear Creek Stables. “I really like petting the horses and riding them on the trail,” she said.