Sheltering of horses brings heated debate

BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

“In the executive order, no blame is cast. It is just unbelievably silly up there [on the council dais]. It did not occur to me that it would create this brouhaha over a common-sense thing.” – Kennedy O’Brien Complaints from residents that horses at Sayreville’s new stable were left outside during the recent storm have resulted in a political dispute at borough hall.

Responding to calls he received from residents about the safety of horses left outside during the late-August Tropical Storm Ernesto, Republican Mayor Kennedy O’Brien issued an executive order calling for the horses to be given shelter during severe weather.

“To me, it was a simple executive order reflecting the concerns of residents. It is a simple common-sense thing to me. There is nothing political about it,” he said.

But the action did not sit well with Democrats on the Borough Council, including Stanley Drwal, who spearheaded the effort to have Washington Riding Stables operate a horseback riding facility at the Julian L. Capik Nature Preserve.

The mayor’s order calls for the horses at the preserve to be provided indoor shelter whenever there is a severe weather alert broadcast by the National Weather Service.

At the council’s Sept. 11 meeting, Drwal said the executive order puts the ability to operate the facility in jeopardy. The horseback riding center is owned by the borough and operated by Washington Riding Stables, formerly of Piscataway. The stables, which opened in August, have 25 horses and eight ponies available for trail rides and lessons.

“[The executive order] could cause us to close the horseback riding facility if implemented,” Drwal said. “I am very concerned.”

He said the horses have adequate shelter under the trees at the nature preserve, adding that this practice is common in the state and in other regions with similar temperate climates.

“The horses are well cared for,” Drwal said, adding that the executive order’s requirement that the horses be moved to an indoor facility during high winds, heavy rain, lightning, hail or extreme cold is a costly one.

“I do not want to lose another good opportunity for the people of Sayreville,” Drwal said.

Borough Attorney Brian Hak said any issues regarding the protection of the horses is up to the owner and operator of the facility, Gary Halper, and not the borough.

“The borough, by way of executive order, cannot dictate to property owners how to use [their] property,” Hak said.

Drwal said he has owned horses and did several years of research on the horseback riding facility and learned that sheltering horses outdoors under tree cover, which he referred to as open boarding, is a common practice.

“This seems to me to make it impossible for anyone to operate the facility,” Drwal said. “… I would hate to see this facility close [because of] a few people who do not have knowledge of horses.”

O’Brien said he was surprised by the council’s opposition to an action that he considers necessary.

“In the executive order, no blame is cast. It is just unbelievably silly up there [on the council dais],” O’Brien said. “It did not occur to me that it would create this brouhaha over a common-sense thing.”

The operator would not necessarily have to build an indoor facility for the horses, O’Brien said, adding that he thinks the horses should be transferred to an indoor facility during severe weather conditions.

“I did not say that they had to build a multimillion-dollar stable,” he said. “Just get them out of the hurricane. This unfortunately came out in campaign season, when people [tend] to see nefarious plots. In my seven years as mayor in the minority and in the majority, this has been the single-most contentious year.”