The equine lifestyle and culture is very much a part of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and has been for at least the last century. From a work animal for ranchers and farmers in the late 1800s to their recreational use today, horses are an ever-present part of our community.
The first riding academy on the Peninsula was developed in 1925 at the site of the current Palos Verdes Stables. With stables, a half mile riding track and jumping fields, the Academy provided horsemanship training and prepared riders for the show ring. In just twenty years, Sportologue, the horse authority magazine of the time, called the Academy “one of the best in all of Southern California.”
Fourteen miles of bridle trails were part of the original Palos Verdes Project. With the popularity of horseback riding, however, the Project increased the length of the trails — extending some to the ocean and others along paths away from the main roads. The area soon drew riders from Pasadena, Hollywood and Los Angeles “to enjoy the novelty of horseback riding near the sea shore.”
The Great Depression of the 1930s may have slowed development of the Peninsula, but not the equestrian lifestyle. The Rolling Hills Hunt Club which started in 1937 held “drag hunts” in which colorfully-attired riders accompanied by English-bred hounds chased a scent that had been laid over open fields.
Other clubs have also flourished on the Peninsula. Clubs ranging from the promotion of proper horsemanship, maintaining riding trails, and managing horses and their equipment, to clubs for competition and the simple pleasure of trail-riding – there is something for everyone.
In the 1950s, the Palos Verdes Stables, one of the longest running stables on the Peninsula, hosted hayrides which ended up on the beach with a “wiene bake” and watermelon. Long time Palos Verdes Estates resident Nancy Bolton recalls riding “Patty Cake” to Malaga Cove and tying her up at the Malaga Cove Hitching Post while she visited the Plaza.
With the explosive growth of the Peninsula after World War II, much of the prime horse-riding area was threatened by residential development. So strong was the horse culture, the cities of Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates incorporated in 1957 to preserve their horse lifestyles.
Over the years, housing, streets and shopping centers have become prominent features of the Peninsula’s landscape. But the horses and their riders we see along PV Drive North and the busy Crenshaw and Hawthorne intersections, remind us that the Peninsula’s equestrian culture is still alive and thriving.
Dennis Piotrowski and Monique Sugimoto are Adult Services Librarians at the Palos Verdes Library District.
Article brought to you from the Palos Verdes Library District, Local History Center.
For more information about local history, visit pvld.org/localhistory. Be sure to visit the updated Palos Verdes Community Archives at palosverdeshistory.org.
