Muir Beach horse stable operators fight for livelihoods
There was a time not long ago when a visit to Muir Beach along the Marin County coast would almost guarantee an encounter with a horseback rider.
The often cold, windswept oceanside cove has, for 48 years, had a stable where a dairy farm once stood. At its peak, there were as many as 50 horses grazing the area, and the free spirits who rode them could be seen regularly cantering on the beach and along the trails in the rugged hills overlooking the churning ocean.
There are now 11 horses at the Golden Gate Dairy Stables, but the people who run the place are fighting for their livelihoods. The stable operators are being required by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to almost completely reconfigure the facility, repair the hay barn and fix up the old dairy grounds if they want to continue stabling horses.
The work, which must be done in exchange for a 10-year use and occupancy lease, could cost as much as $250,000, according to Maureen Pinto, the stable operations manager and the executive director of the Ocean Riders equestrian group.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Muir-Beach-horse-stable-operators-fight-for-5139911.php