HORSE PLAY'S HAPPY END MAGIC MOUNTAIN TO LOAN OUT CAROUSEL STEED.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

VALENCIA - Six Flag California's Magic Mountain relented Thursday in the yearlong struggle with a small Connecticut town that waged a campaign for the return of a 1912 hand-carved carousel horse to star in a museum exhibit.

Savin Rock Museum officials in West Haven called off a massive letter-writing campaign involving much of the state - from 500 schoolchildren to U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn.

``It's just incredible. I can't even tell you how excited we are about it,'' said an overjoyed Beth Sabo, a member of the museum committee. ``We never thought we'd see this day. A horse is coming home after 30 years.''

Over the year, Magic Mountain had refused countless requests by the mayor of West Haven and the museum committee to loan or sell one of the 64 painted Tobaggan Co. flying horses of The Grandest Carousel of Them All. Magic Mountain bought the carousel in 1971, and cherished it as among its first rides, though holding several of the original horses in storage.

But ``rock rats'' - old-timers from the area of West Haven called Savin Rock - hold fond memories of the merry-go-round rides aboard the horses and hoped to see at least one at the Sept. 8 museum opening.

In a surprise move this week, the Valencia park succumbed to increasing pressure from West Haven and agreed to loan one of the horses for five years, at which time the loan could be renewed.

West Haven had entreated a couple of big names to strong-arm the theme park into cooperating.

State Rep. Stephen Dargan, D-West Haven, called upon former vice presidential candidate Lieberman and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro to use their influence to retrieve one of the historic horses.

Sabo, chairwoman of the Savin Rock Museum Committee, said she received a call Thursday from Magic Mountain's Andy Gallardo effectively asking her to stop the attack.

``He was crying uncle,'' Sabo said, ``and he told me to call off the dogs.''

Gallardo did not return several phone calls seeking comment.

West Haven Mayor Richard Borer also talked to Gallardo, who said the horse would be shipped East once the details are hammered out.

``He told me he had walked through the warehouse and picked out a beautiful horse for us,'' Borer said. ``The memories of Savin Rock will never be forgotten with this piece.''

Both parties agreed that West Haven would insure the horse for $100,000 and pay the shipping costs from California to Connecticut.

Harold Hartmann, who dismantled the carousel and shipped it to California 30 years ago, was thrilled by the news.

``It's the best news I've heard in about 10 years,'' Hartmann said. Mayor Borer said Magic Mountain's cooperation would put a smile on many faces.

``It means a great deal to our community, especially the elderly who worked at or visited the park in their youth,'' Borer said. ``It'll be therapeutic to them.''

He expressed his gratitude to Magic Mountain and to Santa Clarita city officials for facilitating the negotiations.

That sentiment was not shared by others earlier in the week when Dargan launched an effort to get one of the ponies.

In a news release, Dargan said he was taking the fight to Congress, and that he would seek additional state funding if needed. He also asked local schoolchildren to join in the battle with a letter-writing campaign to Magic Mountain.

Nearly 500 students at the Savin Rock Community School - which was named after the amusement park - were set to flood Magic Mountain with letters asking them to send a pony.

After Thursday's developments, Borer immediately contacted the school's principal and told him to put the kibosh on the letter-writing campaign.

Borer said the children were still going to write letters to Magic Mountain, though.

``Now, they're going to write thank-you letters.''

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Magic Mountain agreed Thursday to loan a carousel horse to a museum in West Haven, Conn.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News