FROM VAQUEROS TO COWGIRLS VALLEY HOME TO RICH EQUESTRIAN TRADITION.

Byline: RICK COCA Valley News Writer

The San Fernando Valley's horse-riding roots run deep.

From the proud Spanish and Mexican vaqueros, to the finely dressed Stetsoned heroes of Hollywood's Golden Age, to today's equestrian enthusiasts -- generations of riders have enjoyed a saddle-top view of these parts for centuries.

Even as trails and horse-friendly properties are threatened by development, the estimated 10,000 horses at area ranches, homes and boarder-stables mean the tradition should continue for some time.

Jerry England is a Chatsworth resident and an equestrian advocate who first mounted a horse more than half a century ago while visiting family in Montana.

``From then on, it was a pretty miserable time for my parents until they bought me a horse,'' England said.

A member of the Chatsworth Community Council and chairman of its equestrian committee, England, 63, is the founder of the Chatsworth Equine Cultural Heritage Organization, a grass-roots organization working to preserve the horse-riding culture in Chatsworth.

England and his wife, Joyce, have four horses on their Chatsworth property. A western folk artist who comes from 12 generations of horse riders, England has a deep appreciation for horseback-riding traditions. When he rides near his Chatsworth home, he sees history.

``We have canyons a mile from my house with running water,'' England said. ``It's like being set back a hundred years.''

Like many others, England is particularly concerned with property development and zoning. He said in the past two years, Chatsworth has lost three boarder ranches that housed 120 horses to sales and property conversions. Boarder ranches traditionally offer an affordable alternative to horse owners who don't own horse-zoned property. England said they're important because people who use them are typically younger and less affluent than those who have their own equestrian property.

He also cited an upcoming 375-home development, just north of Chatsworth and the Ronald Reagan Freeway. After much negotiating, the developers decreased the number of homes to be built and designated 55 of those as horse-keeping lots.

Still, for many locals, the project means less riding area.

``We're definitely going to lose some trails,'' England said of the popular riding spot around the development.

Losing trails wasn't always a concern.

England said in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, celebrities such as Barbara Stanwyck and Zeppo Marx owned ranches nearby during the heyday of horse culture in the Valley.

``I used to see John Wayne and Roy Rogers on Ventura Boulevard,'' England said.

Keeping the pastime alive today requires passing horse knowledge to the next generation.

For Tiffany Wratchford, 27, of La Tuna Canyon, it was pretty much a given that she'd ride.

``I had a grandmother that spoiled me and gave me a pony for my mom's baby shower,'' Wratchford said.

Wratchford's mother was an avid rider and shared that with her daughter.

Wratchford recently competed in the Equestrian Trails Inc. National Convention and Horse Show. The national riding club hosted two events at Gibson Ranch in Sunland and the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. Wratchford competed in several events at Gibson Ranch and was awarded the overall champion for ages 18 to 39.

She spoke about the bond that develops between owners and their horses.

``My horses have always been my best friends,'' Wratchford said. ``Whenever I get stressed out from work, my husband (who's a horse trainer) sends me out to the barn, and I just mellow out (with their horses) for awhile.

``They're very cheap shrinks,'' Wratchford said with a laugh.

Jeanette Provolt of Tujunga is the national second vice president for Equestrian Trails.

Provolt's mother also passed on her passion for horses to her daughter.

``I think my mom had me on the back of a horse before I could walk,'' she said.

Provolt said besides riding-skills' categories, such as Precision Barrels and Poles Keyhole, Equestrian Trails sponsors a different kind of competition for young riders: the Junior Ambassador Program. The ambassador program is a court competition, with the winners, boys and girls in different age categories, serving as queens and kings for the year. The young people take a written test on their knowledge of horses and the club. They are also judged on personality, poise and riding ability.

The goal is to help build young riders' characters and prepare them to carry on horse-riding traditions when they're older.

Jack Mattingly of Woodland Hills said although he doesn't ride, he's glad his daughter, Laurasia, decided to pursue the sport. Besides winning championships, the benefits that young people like his 14-year-old daughter learn by caring for a horse go well beyond riding skills, Mattingly said.

He repeated something his daughter's trainer said to him when extolling horse riding's effect on youths.

``It keeps them out of the malls,'' Mattingly said. ``It keeps them out of the cars. It teaches them great responsibility, and it's cheaper than rehab.''

If the last part of what Mattingly said is true, then for hundreds of Burbank residents living in the horse-zoned area near Riverside Drive, Floran Frank and a few of her friends saved them a bundle in therapy bills.

In the mid-1960s Frank, 83, and a group of horse-loving Burbank residents lodged a three-year battle with the City Council to enact zoning laws that protected their right to keep horses, Frank said.

``I moved here to have a horse and no sooner than I moved here, there was a petition to remove the horses,'' Frank said.

Today, Frank, a 39-year docent at the Los Angeles Zoo, still enjoys riding her once-wild mustang, Savanna, across the Swinging Bridge that crosses the Los Angeles River before eventually opening up to more than 50 acres of hills and trails in Griffith Park.

She said she's reminded daily that the pitched battle waged decades ago was worth it.

``To this day, when I see people coming by my house, when I see them riding their horses down the street or walking their horses, it brings TEARS to my eyes,'' Frank said.

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Photo:

(1 -- 5 -- color) ABOVE: Alexis Kerl, 15, trains at Stoney Point Ranch in Chatsworth. She's a blur riding Tequila at the Greater Los Angeles Paint Horse Club's Pierce College show. UPPER LEFT: Tiffany Wratchford of La Tuna Canyon and her thoroughbred Western Skyes rode their way to a championship at a recent Equestrian Trails Inc. National event at Gibson Ranch in Sunland. LOWER LEFT: Griffin Alexander, 12, of Chatsworth at the "Show for the Gold" at Pierce College. UPPER RIGHT: Floran Frank of Burbank, with her once wild Mustang, Savanna, is thankful that she and others battled to protect Burbank horse owners' rights 40 years ago. LOWER RIGHT: Bill Lander, the equestrian manager at Pierce College lives on the grounds. '(Horses) don't tell time very well,' Lander said of the 24/7 nature of his job.

Rick Coca/Valley News

(6 -- color) no caption (cowboy hat)