Yesterday on my walk, I counted four horse boarding places on one street, less than a mile from my house. On Sunday I walked in a different direction and found two horse boarding places, still within a mile from my house. All six of these places are within the city limits of Los Angeles. Barely, but they are.
When Dave and I were looking for a house to buy four years ago, he suggested Chatsworth because it was near the hills, affordable, and had a small town feel because of all the horses in the area. Back then he never knew that my horse obsession was brewing and about to take over my life again. What he did know is that I was a farm girl who had never lived in a big city and he wanted to make Los Angeles as easy as possible for me.
I think moving here was a great idea. Just north of the place in the picture, there is another boarding facility that also runs cattle. They have cattle-harassing events, like team roping, cow penning. I say”cattle-harassing” with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Yes, there’s some truth to that but I don’t believe it has to be cruel. For example, rounding up cows to drive them into a pen is not cruel. They are separated from their comfort zone, i.e. the herd, for about one minute. Team roping is different. Steers are roped about the horns and heels but they do not have to be stretched out so they fall over. This just takes a little sensitivity. Calf roping, in my opinion, is cruel. They are just babies and they’re roped about the neck, thrown to the ground and have their feet tied up. Still, for only a few seconds but still… All these events are useful skills to have if you have cattle when it comes time to brand (or tag), medicate, or any other activity that requires close proximity to cows.
All this happens within the city of Los Angeles. It’s like being in another place, a place where you can escape traffic, noise, asphalt, even for a little while.