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Rolling hills, stately oaks, exquisite Arabians—
clearly, this must be the Santa Ynez Valley, an unmatched Horsetown
home for a diverse group of equestrians.
Santa Ynez Valley
Horsetown Highlights:
• 2010 Population: 4,418 • County: Santa Barbara • Avg. High Temp: 72° F •Avg. Low Temp: 43° F
•Avg. Annual Rainfall: 16 inches
• Elevation: 638 feet
•Median Home Price: $738,400
• Popular Horse Activities in Town: Team penning and sorting; U.S. Pony Club; SYVAHA Sage Hill Competitive Trail Ride; Vaquero Show & Sale.
• Compelling Horsetown Features: Parks-Janeway Carriage House; miles of trails within the city limits; proximity to Santa Ynez Mountain, Los Padres National Forest and Cachuma Lake Recreation Area trails; Santa Ynez Valley Arabian Horse Association.
Santa Ynez retains Western heritage for equestrians with plenty of breeds, trails
S by audrey pavia for the horsetrader
ANTA YNEZ—Rolling hills, bright blue skies and lavish equestrian estates. Visitors to the city of Santa Ynez are treated to these sites and more
when they enter the picturesque Santa Ynez Valley, home to one of the most beautiful horsetowns in California. Located 140 miles from Los Angeles, 300 miles from
San Francisco, and only 30 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Santa Ynez is a paradise for horses. With plenty of room for pastures, lots of trails for riding, and an Old West atmosphere, Santa Ynez is the town of choice for many equestrians.
How It Started As with many of the horsetowns in the Golden State, Santa Ynez’s beginnings go back to the founding of a mission. Mission Santa Inés was the 19th mission estab- lished by the Spanish Franciscan missionaries who colo- nized Alta California. When they came to the Santa Ynez Valley in 1798, they found a thriving band of Chumash
Indians, who were living close to the land. The mission was established in 1804, and many of the Chumash were converted to Catholicism. They maintained the mission’s horses, mules, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, as well as crops of wheat, corn and beans. The mission was secularized when Mexico obtained its independence from Spain, and the Franciscans lost con- trol over the Santa Ynez Valley. After this happened, ran- chos were established by private landowners, who reveled in the fertile land they found in this part of California. Once the Land Rush hit in the mid-1800s, pioneers
began coming to the valley and settling in the area. Several of the Old West style buildings they established in Santa Ynez are still standing, a testament to the town’s rich heritage.
In 1882, the city of Santa Ynez was founded. The
valley’s pastoral lands were filled with horses at the time, and not much has changed since then. Santa Ynez has been spared the blight of suburban expansion and
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Emma Maxwell photograph
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