Los Angeles city planners are closing in on a plan for something new to replace the Pony Rides at Griffith Park nearly two years after the popular attraction was shuttered and the animals sent to other locations.
The Department of Recreation and Parks held a public hearing Monday to receive feedback on a variety of proposals – all gathered by a consulting firm from surveys and focus groups with people who live in the city.
“People are very passionate about it because these are so many families’ memories that have been there over 75 years,” said Wendy Nowak of PlaceWorks, which organized the hearing.
Some the alternatives that were discussed include installing an outdoor climbing wall, a community garden, an animal rescue facility and a museum telling the stories of indigenous people.
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In December of 2022, the city decided not to renew the operating contract of a company that ran the pony ride attraction due in part to animal rights protests over alleged mistreatment of the animals.
The three-plus acre site has been sitting empty save for dirt tracks, wooden fences and chain link enclosures. The animals and the queues of excited schoolchildren waiting for a ride disappeared long ago.
And yet, another similar attraction is still on the proposal list, said Nowak, based on support from people who responded to PlaceWorks’s surveys.
“Pony rides were on there,” she said. “They’re one of the uses as well.”
Zohra Fahim, founder of Los Angeles Alliance for Animals, called that fact “absolutely disgusting” at the hearing.
“We, as constituents, are deeply troubled by the data that was presented today,” she said, “I know that constituents don’t want animal cruelty in the parks.”
Other attendees made clear that an animal attraction didn’t have to include “cruelty.”
Todd Laverne of the Compton Cowboys, an equine riding group, said an installation that would allow disadvantaged children access to horses would be perfect for the location.
“It has purpose,” he said. “It can help, especially, children develop and get a sense of purpose and get a sense of confidence.”
Input from the public hearing will go back to a committee in the weeks to come, before a plan will be submitted to the Los Angeles City Council.
