Millbrae Horses Face Eviction

About 50 horses will soon be without a home as Skyline Stables is being evicted to accommodate a new water storage tank proposed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. 

Skyline Stables is an equine co-op located on San Francisco municipal land in Millbrae.  The stables lease the land from the city, covering approximately 13 acres.

"We're a historical part of Millbrae. We've been here over 60 years," said horse owner Michelle Fox. 

The stables history dates back to the 1940s, when local horse owners started keeping horses on the land.   

The city of San Francisco bought the property in 1943 and agreed to let horses remain on the property.   

"Three barns were built by 1951 and many more were built over the next several years," said President of the Skyline Stables board, Christine Hanson. 

The arrangement was formalized in 1948 when the stables signed a lease with San Francisco. 

Over time, SFPUC built up the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant, which is responsible for cleaning water from the Crystal Springs Reservoir system to supply northern San Mateo County and San Francisco with drinking water.  

"Through the years the group has had to move the barns around for different expansions of the water plant," Hanson said. "It's been the typical, when they said jump, we said how high" 

Now, a new 47,000 square foot water tank calls for the equestrian facilities to be removed entirely.  

As part of the HTWTP long-term improvement project, it was determined that the spot of the stables was the best location for a new drinking water storage tank, based on size, stability, gravity flow capabilities and environmental impact.  

"The proposed structural and slope stabilization measures as well as the relocation of the plant's treated water reservoirs are necessary to protect the public health and safety and to maintain emergency operations following an earthquake," said Alison Kastama, Peninsula communications liaison for the SFPUC.

Though the horse owners understand that the tank needs to be built, with four more years on their lease with SFPUC, they are asking to be relocated to another spot in Millbrae.  

"In recognition of this situation, the SFPUC's environmental consultant conducted an extensive survey of horse stable facilities within 35 miles of the current Skyline Stables site," Kastama said.  "Over 200 available stalls and pasture sites were identified within this area, with several facilities indicating capacity to accept a large group of horses if not all the remaining horses."

As a non-profit group, Skyline Stables' tenants work together to care for the horses and clean the stables, keeping costs low. Relocating the horses to alternate facilities in the area would be a financial burden on the tenants, and not possible in some cases. 

According to Kastama, the horses cannot be moved to another part of SFPUC owned land within the watershed. 

"It is not feasible because livestock stabling is fundamentally inconsistent with the SFPUC's Watershed Management Plan," she said. 

To ease the transition, however, the SFPUC is collaborating with the City of Millbrae to assist Skyline Stables in identifying additional horse boarding options, which may include the use of their existing structures and some amount of financial assistance.

"We're working with SFPUC so that the stable doesn't disappear and are hoping that we'll get to go to a new location in Millbrae," Hanson said. 

The stables currently board horses from about 15 local families and although it is a private group, they have plans to expand their reach. 

"In addition to riding lessons we are hoping to get into equine-assisted therapy down the road," said Fox. 

Unfortunately this must be put on hold for the time being. 

"The first thing we have to do is keep the stables around," said Hanson. "That is our current focus."