New riding trail delights horse owners
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

Owning a horse in Old Agoura is now safer thanks to a new trail installed by the city of Agoura Hills.

To celebrate the long-awaited trail's creation, the Old Agoura Homeowners Association is hosting an inaugural trail ride and ribbon cutting ceremony on Sat., May 19. After the ride, an equine microchip clinic will be offered.

The existing portions of trails between Colodny Drive to east of Fairview Place and west of Foothill Drive to Easterly Road were renovated. The trails west of these roads are new. The trails connect to the Santa Monica Mountains area, including Cheeseboro Canyon Park.

"Old Agoura has no sidewalks or streetlights," said Cyrena Nouzille, chair of the Old Agoura Homeowners Association equestrian trails and use committee. "The trail is our safety net for pedestrians, and the pedestrians are horses."

Kelly Fisher, assistant engineer for the city of Agoura Hills, said the trails cost $175,000 to renovate and extend. Rails were replaced and the footing is now made of decomposed granite that maintains the look of dirt.

While Nouzille is pleased that the new equestrian trail maintains the rural feel of Old Agoura, she is even happier about the safety it adds, especially in light of the new higher speed limit on Driver Avenue. The limit was first upped to 40 mph by the county of Los Angeles, but the city recently dropped it to 35. The limit used to be 30 miles per hour.

"The speed limit doesn't reflect the use of the streets," Nouzille said.

"It has always been the city's desire to construct a network of connecting trails for the residents to enjoy as stated in the 1987 Old Agoura Design Standards," Fisher said. "The City Council not only took in account of the safety of the horses and riders, but the high school students and pedestrians as well since Old Agoura doesn't have sidewalks."

Drivers' higher speeds posed a problem for horses and their riders. Nouzille said a horse was struck by a car and had to be put down, and a woman rider was clipped by a car's side view mirror. Some drivers are not familiar with the nature of horses, Nouzille said.

Saturday's ride is open to the public, and participants are invited to ride horses, cows, donkeys, mules, llamas- even tractors. Riders should meet at the west end of the trail on Driver at Easterly Road at 10 a.m.

Microchipping available

At 11 a.m., following the trail ride, the microchipping clinic will be conducted at the park. The small computer chip encoded with identification information will be implanted by Richard Stevens, DVM, who works at the Conejo Veterinary Clinic.

The clinic maintains the database for the area. In the event of earthquakes, fires or other disasters, horses sometimes become separated from their owners. An identification microchip makes retrieving the animal much easier, Nouzille said.

The clinic is sponsored by the Agoura Hills Community Emergency Response Tea m.

The CERT team will distribute information at the park, and refreshments will be served.

The procedure is $45, payable by credit card prior to the day of the event, or by check or cash at the clinic. To pay for the fee by credit card, call the Conejo Valley Veterinary Clinic Large Animal Division at (805) 496-0505.

Call Nouzille at (818) 889-6087 or e-mail webwrangler@oldagoura .com to make an appointment.