Published in City Scoops

I wrote awhile back about pitching City Scoops and now the fruits of my labor are online for all to see. Check out my article (and photo) here.

As a bit of peek into editing, below is my original intro. Besides taking out my first two sentences (which I was quite proud of) City Scoops pretty much just moved things around. Hurray for maintaing the integrity of my work!

Horses are a lot like most of the other fauna regularly seen in New York City. They’re typically found near parks and are a common enough sight that no self-respecting New Yorker whips out a Blackberry to take a photo. Beyond the police patrols and the tourist bating buggies that have become associated with horses in New York, a rich history of riding thrives today. At least a half-dozen stables in the city rent horses for scenic trails rides, beach rides, lessons or even parties.

While the unaccustomed runner in Central Park might jaw drop at the sight of a horse and rider out for a stroll, horses have always been part of the cultural scene in New York. Almost 200,000 horses lived in Manhattan at the turn of the century and were used to pull newly-invented streetcars when New Yorkers complained about engine noise.

Interestingly, New York laws still allow for horses to share roadways with cars as long as they don’t block traffic or go on highways. Technically, you could commute to work by horse if, of course, you had somewhere to leave your steed during your workday.

This commute would have been feasible before the 2007 closing of Claremont Stables, the oldest continuously-operated stables in the country that was located in the Upper Westside. The closing of the stables upset many hardcore riders, who bemoaned the loss of a historic institution and structural proof of New York’s humbler beginnings. Even with this setback, plenty of options still remain for the determined or even recreational rider.

The following list is only a sampling of stables that are easily accessible from Manhattan; There are many more to be found in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Every stable contacted offered lessons as well as trail rides, and all have both English and Western riding available.

I wrote awhile back about pitching City Scoops and now the fruits of my labor are online for all to see. Check out my article (and photo) here. As a bit of peek into editing, below is my original intro. Besides taking out my first two sentences (which I was quite proud of) City Scoops ...