Point Reyes National Seashore staff this week sought to clarify that the predominantly volunteer-run Morgan Horse Ranch behind the Bear Valley Visitor Center would not necessarily close upon the last horse’s death, responding to a Pacific Sun article published last month that stated the ranch would “cease operation once the last horse dies.” Rather, the park said it simply does not have enough funds to pay for new horses or to restart a breeding program that ended in the 1980s, when the herd peaked at around 20 horses, and that a plan for the ranch’s future has yet to be devised. “Closure of the Morgan Horse Ranch is not at all imminent, nor are we discussing that,” said John Dell’Osso, a park spokesman. “We’ve not done any planning for the future of the ranch at this point.” Mr. Dell’Osso stressed that the park would consult with Marin’s equestrian community and Morgan horse advocates to determine a future for the ranch, which now hosts only five horses ranging from 16-year-old Elvis to 25-year-old Huckleberry. The ranch began in the 1970s as a breeding, training and public educational facility for the sturdy workhorse Morgans, which over the years have served as patrol transports, garbage haulers and, last year, marched in the college football Rose Bowl parade in Pasadena. But at an annual cost of as much as $120,000 for site maintenance, daily care and staff salary, keeping the ranch as a future home for horses may prove infeasible, said the ranch’s manager and only paid staff member, Phil Straub. “What I’ve been told is that the horses we have are the horses we’ve got,” said Mr. Straub, who was quoted often in the Pacific Sun article. “And once they’re gone, that’s kind of it, unless we can find an alternative source of funding.” If history has anything to say, stocking the ranch with new horses seems unlikely; a few years ago, the park declined to accept a donation of three fully trained, prize-winning Morgans, according to Mr. Straub. Even so, many in the equestrian community hope the park will at least consider the possibility of keeping Morgans at the ranch for years to come. “The Morgan Horses are a vital component to managing the visitor population in the park,” said Monte Kruger, the president of the Novato-based Marin Horse Council. “Volunteer-mounted patrol is a great backup to the ranger staff there. We are going to work hard to see that mounted patrol in place.”
Park says no plan to close Morgan Horse Ranch
