Horse riding stable gets city's permission to expand from 12 horses to 20

Ormond Beach Observer
News

A horse riding stable with a devoted following of local families may expand from 12 horses to 20, Ormond Beach city commissioners decided in a Jan. 19 commission meeting.

Commissioners voted 5-0 to allow a special exception for the expansion of the business, called Kings View Farms and run by Jordan Huntley on Durrance Lane, after a series of local residents told the commission how valuable riding lessons at Kings View have been for their children. The approval changes the property's land use category from "agricultural" to "riding stable" and includes a requirement that stables be constructed for any new horses before the horses are brought onto the property.

"A horse can make a difference, and someone that cares about a child to teach them about a horse makes a huge difference in someone’s life. ... It's a wonderful addition to the city of Ormond Beach."

— SUSAN PERSIS, Ormond Beach city commissioner

"Since she's been going there, the difference in my child has been — I can’t even explain it," said resident Pam West. "And all she wants to do is be there, and Jordan has taken her under her wing and taught her everything. ... Whatever [Huntley] wants, just give it to her, because she is so talented, and the passion she has for what she does and including children in this and making a difference in their lives is absolutely unparalleled to anything. It’s truly amazing, and I can’t thank her enough for what she’s doing for my family and the community."

Another resident said her daughter had always been passionate about horses, and Huntley had gone out of her way to connect with the child.

"She’s really changed my life; she’s really changed my daughter's life," the resident said.

Resident William McCarthy said his daughter, 12, has been taking riding lessons at Kings View since the summer.

"She’s learned so much," he said. "Jordan’s taken the time to take her to her first horse show to compete, and she’s really been doing a lot better at home and in school because of having this outlet."

McCarthy had also bought a horse that's now stabled at Kings View.

"This place here, all the stables are clean, there’s a hay room, there’s feed and they’ve got a good schedule," he said.

By the time the proposed expansion reached the City Commission, the city's Planning Board had already voted unanimously in favor of it, and the city's planning staff had evaluated the facility and recommended that the City Commission approve it.

The lone voice of opposition at the Jan. 19 meeting came from Wayne Griffin, a Durrance Lane farm owner who said he's been involved with horses all his life and that Huntley's property is too small for 20 of them.

"You can not keep 20 horses on 2 acres of land," he said. "... It’s not good for the horses. ... The city needs to limit the number of horses you can have per usable acre."

The property is 5 acres, not 2, according to city records.

There is an old rule of thumb: One horse per acre. But, as Huntley and one of her staff members explained, that's for grazing horses that are feeding on the pasture and need a certain amount of grass to consume. It's not for horses that are fed on hay.

"I can see someone who has a backyard horse, that they would say, 'OK, that’s too many horses on that much land, on 5 acres,'" Huntley said. But she then detailed the horses' supplemental feeding schedule and the regular rotations in which they're brought into the pasture and exercised.

A Kings View staff member said that her job involves feeding and watering the horses daily. She submitted a "feed sheet" to the commission, showing the horses' feeding schedule.

"Every one of these horses gets plenty of exercise, plenty of food, plenty of loving," she said. "I don’t see any issue with more horses; that's just more loving, more feeding, more caring. ... To save a horse, give it a good life, teach it something — I don’t see no issue with it. ... They all get fed; they all get taken care of."

Some of the horses had been slated for slaughter before they were brought to Kings View.

Commissioner Rob Littleton asked if Florida has a legal standard for horses per acre. It does not, Planning Director Steven Spraker replied.

Littleton said he had looked up standards for horses per acre online, and had initially been prepared to vote against the special exception because he was concerned that Kings View is too small. But then he found an organization called the Equine Land Conservation Resource, which suggests a more nuanced approach to how many horses a parcel can support than a simple number-per-acre calculation.

"That was kind of my ace in the hole up here, because I was going to vote 'no' just a couple of hours ago," Littleton said. "But the lady worker who turned in this feed sheet … that’s what I was looking for and that’s what this group that advocates for a different method than horses-per-acre wants to see, and with there being no state law … my mind has been changed."

Mayor Bill Partington agreed.

"The thing that tips it for me is the fact that you do have a management plan," he said. "... Horse ownership, from what I’m told, is like eating potato chips — you can’t have just one, so you’re always looking to have more. My fear is that based on what I’ve heard tonight, you are going to do so well ... that you’re going to quickly outgrow Ormond Beach — and I hate to see that happen. ... That was powerful testimony tonight."

Commissioner Troy Kent had one hesitation: That by allowing for 20 horses, the city would be setting a precedent.

"Ormond Beach is saying, 'This is what you can have,'" he said. Huntley and her family, Kent noted, seemed very knowledgable and caring. But what about other potential stables in the future?

"I guess my question, Mr. Spraker, is: Why the comfort level from staff with 20 horses on 5 acres?" Kent asked.

"The key thing ... is the management of the facility," Spraker replied. "So, one-horse-per-acre is basically if you’re let them graze and that’s it. That’s not what this is. This is a commercial business where they’re boarding horses and they’re riding horses, so it’s different than the traditional one-horse-per-acre. ... We’ve been out there. We believe this is well run. And if it’s not, there are safeguards."

Commissioners Dwight Selby and Susan Persis had also both visited the farm.

"I’m definitely supportive of this for two reasons," Selby said. "Number one, animals that otherwise probably would not be alive today are being saved, but more importantly, lives are being changed, and those testimonials were very powerful. ... To hear about kids who ... are struggling in their lives and they find meaning and purpose — and I guarantee you, I just know that these kids that didn’t want to do their homework, didn’t want to listen to their parents — they learn discipline. They get encouragement. And heir lives are being changed because of what you’re doing."

He had one reservation, wanting to ensure that stalls are available for additional horses before the horses are added.

Persis agreed.

"The passion from everyone that I talk to is amazing," she said. "Those kids at school who need a little extra ... a horse can make a difference, and someone that cares about a child to teach them about a horse makes a huge difference in someone’s life. It can be the difference in being a positive or negative life. It really can. ... It's a wonderful addition to the city of Ormond Beach for young people, and even adults, to have a riding stable, and to come up and just be with nature. And I think that’s just a huge, huge thing."