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March 20, 2014


Horsetowns: Burbank CONTINUED from page 16 ONTINUED from page 44


of the Rancho District and the equestrian estates director for Rodeo Realty. T e quality of this T neighborhood is reflected in the way it holds its real estate value. “In the Rancho, property values have actually soared. I actually had two sales this summer alone way over the million-four mark.” says Geisenheimer. Whether you have horse facil-


ities or not, living in the Rancho means having relative protection from bad real estate markets. “Although around half the


Streets in the Rancho District are well-marked in the interest of daily riders navigating around a magnificent and well-used trails system (below). Horse-and-trailer rigs (bottom) in driveways are not uncommon in this horsey urban area.


Rancho is non-equestrian used properties, the presence of horses brings a country aura to the com- munity,” says Geisenheimer. “TeT Rancho has a small-town feeling. Residents know each other by their horses’ names, and the cama- raderie is tremendous.” Horse owners in the Rancho keep their charges on small lots, with 90 percent of the Rancho lots less than 9,000 sq. ft., according to Geisenheimer. Despite the small size of these lots, residents love having stables in their backyards. T e Rancho is close to Burbank’s movie and television studios, so it’s not surprising that many horse lovers in the fi lm industry reside


fi


in the community. Famous Town


People who have never even


been to California know the town of Burbank, thanks to legendary comedian Johnny Carson, who often made references to “beauti- ful downtown Burbank” on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” The city is home to the NBC studios where “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” taped for 22 years before moving this year to New York with new host Jimmy Fallon. as well as the Walt Disney andWarner Brothers Studios. Burbank has long been home


to the movies. Part of the San Fernando Valley, the city was once part of two large Spanish land grants. In 1867, a dentist by the name of David Burbank pur- chased 4,600 acres of this land and turned it into a sheep ranch. He eventually sold right of way to the Southern Pacific Railroad,


which brought settlers to the area. In 1887, the town was dubbed


Burbank by land speculators who had purchased the acreage from its original owner and were selling it off as farm lots. A care- fully planned commercial district was built in the center of these lots, featuring wide streets and avenues. With this, downtown Burbank was born. Western Heritage Preserved Given its western heritage,


Burbank-adjacent Griffith Park is an appropriate home for the Museum of the AmericanWest. The museum is part of the Autry National Center of the American West, along with the Southwest Museum of the American Indian and the Institute for the Study of the AmericanWest. The Autry National Center


was established in 2003 follow- ing the merger of the Southwest Museum, the Women of the West Museum, and the Museum of the American West (formerly the Autry Museum of Western Heritage). The Museum of the American West is located adjacent to Griffith Park, and features both permanent and temporary exhibits related to the country’s western heritage. Horse lovers can find plenty of equine-related arti- facts and displays at the museum. Western heritage and the


town’s connection to film and television industries remain intact. Scott Perez, third-genera- tion proprietor of a pair of popu- lar horse rental barns as well as owner of Stephens Hay and Grain store, has rented horses to studios for years. The history according to “the old guys” he has encountered as boss wrangler on various sets is a colorful one. “They tell me a lot of the barns


here now used to be old movie barns that rented horses to the studios,” says Perez. “The west- erns would need fresh horses, and I’m told they used to herd the horses down the riverbed in the days before the cement wash, and they would cut off the horses at each studio as they would be needed. In the 1940s, the cow- boys would let horses graze in the


File photo


File photo


Jay Geisenheimer photo


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