RULES OF THE ROAD EQUESTRIAN RULES OF THE ROAD - For Drivers
Give Equestrians the Right-of-Way. Your vehicle isn't a living animal with a mind of it's own. Decide to help keep the horse and rider safe.
Nobody Owns the Road. Try a little courtesy and patience, and lower your blood pressure at the same time. Slow Down and Be Aware of the hazard of animals and riders, both on the street and off.
Use Caution When Approaching Horses on streets or trails. It takes only moments for a horse to get spooked and bolt and for a terrible accident to happen.
Don't Honk Your Horn. Horses are animals that are preyed on and so have an instinctual drive to escape frightening situations and our children and neighbors can get hurt in the process.
Respect the Right-of-Way of Others by not violating traffic laws such as failing to stop at a stop sign or traffic light, speeding or making unsafe lane changes or illegal turns.
Use Caution When Passing Horses. IT'S THE LAW.
Caution in Passing Animals: VC 21759 The driver of any vehicle approaching any horse drawn vehicle, any ridden animal or any livestock shall exercise proper control of his vehicle and shall reduce speed or stop as may appear necessary or as may be signaled or otherwise requested by any person driving, riding or in charge of the animal or livestock in order to avoid frightening and to safeguard the animal or livestock and to insure the safety of any person driving or riding the animal or in charge of the livestock. Pass Horses From Behind With Care. Allow the rider extra room and drive slowly around to give the horse a chance to see you. If there's not enough room in your lane to pass, wait until there is room in the other lane or when the road widens before you slowly proceed past.
If A Horse Is Acting Up - Stop for a moment to allow the rider to get the horse under control, then proceed slowly and be prepared to stop if the horse starts to act up again.
If People Are Loading A Horse - Give plenty of room in case an inexperienced horse suddenly backs out of the trailer - or better yet, wait until the horse is loaded onto the trailer.
Do Not "Send A Message" by driving close to a horse because you feel the rider is hogging the road or being rude. Be the better person and have patience.
EQUESTRIAN RULES OF THE ROAD - For Riders
Nobody Owns the Road. Be courteous and keep to the right when vehicles are present.
Ride Defensively. Assume that not all drivers know what to do and that not all drivers will do the right thing.
Share the Road. When you see or hear a vehicle approaching, be polite and move to the right to give the driver room to pass.
When Riding Two or More Abreast, you may be as wide as a vehicle, but you're not a vehicle. Return to single file as quickly as possible to allow drivers to pass. Remember, a little courtesy goes a long way.
At Intersections, let the faster, heavier vehicle go first, even if you do have the right-of-way. After all, what's your hurry? Do Not Be a Traffic Controller. Do not ride in the middle of the road or lane just to slow down traffic.
It's Your Job to Protect Your Horse. When being passed, if necessary, stop your horse until the vehicle goes by. Horse vs. Vehicle = Horse Loses.
You are Responsible for Your Own Safety. Ride with traffic, be visible, alert and communicate your intentions, and always wear a helmet.
ALWAYS WEAR LIGHT OR REFLECTIVE CLOTHING WHILE RIDING OR WALKING AT NIGHT.
When Loading or Unloading a Horse, do so on a side street and out of traffic, when possible.
If your horse has trouble, signal any approaching car to go around or stop, or wait until the vehicle passes. Do not assume that the driver knows your situation and what to do.
When Crossing the Street or Using an Equestrian Crossing, you have the duty of using due care for your own safety. No horseback rider shall leave a curb or other place of safety and proceed suddenly into the path of a vehicle which is close enough to constitute an immediate hazard. VC Section 21805 Equestrian Crossings.
Use the Trails When Possible. Remember that it's all about being safe and enjoying the ride.
Archived News
Our Mission
- SHPOA has been leading the fight against SB 50 and AB 516 and successfully helped put these terrible pieces of pending legislation on the state's back burner.
- SHPOA worked with LAPD on a successful horse back task force resulting in 30 citations in less than 2 hours.
- Since August 2014, SHPOA has been leading the fight against the high speed train. For more info click here or www.dontrailroad.us
- SHPOA was instrumental in securing Grocery Outlet to replace the shuttered Ralphs
- SHPOA’s Neighborhood Watch Program
- Free Daily Fodder (daily email) information system keeping you informed
- Equestrian-safe crossings SHPOA helped create on Wentworth at Wheatland and Mary Bell
- Traffic/radar speed enforcement return on Sunland Blvd. due to SHPOA’s efforts
- SHPOA partnered with our neighbors in Sunland-Tujunga to stop the Home Depot tenancy
- SHPOA’s maintenance of white horse rail fencing and removal of litter and graffiti (click here to report broken fencing; if car accident, please report license plate no. if possible)
Become a Member Today Support SHPOA
Resources
Here is a short 2:50 video about what's happening with housing.
UPDATE! On August 30th, it was decided that AB 516 will remain in the Appropriations Committee--the author may bring it back next year but for now, it's very good news! Thank you everyone who made their voice heard, including Sen. Portantino and Assemblywoman Rivas.
Some of SHPOA Accomplishments
The following was provided by Councilwoman Monica Rodriquez's Office. CD 7 was the ONLY council district that showed a decline in the homeless population and it was due to diligent efforts to match people with services/housing. This is how they did it. Click here for the pdf file.
To the editor: Your editorial praising Gov. Gavin Newsom for his tough new housing requirements for Southern California failed to mention the negative aspects of forcing local governments to “plan” for 1.3 million units.
Your newspaper recently reported that California’s population growth rate was the lowest in its recorded history in 2017, when the state added just shy of 187,000 new residents. That would suggest we need far fewer than 1.3 million new units in Southern California.
We are already dealing with the burden of budget shortfalls for public safety and utilities, testing the limits of aging water mains, sewer systems and landfills. We don’t have unlimited water, and we don’t want increased traffic and the resultant air pollution. We want to preserve our historical zones and open spaces.
You state that some local governments have shirked their responsibility by bending to complaints. In other words, these governments are doing their job.
We are proud to be NIMBYs, because this is our backyard.
Cindy Bloom, Sunland
The writer is president of the Shadow Hills Property Owners Assn.
Click here for the full document. This list will be updated often so check back for the current status!
Public Safety! Land Use! Membership & Outreach! High Speed Train!
SAVE THE DATE! SHPOA Meeting
Tuesday, September 10
Keynote speakers: Don Ray and Michael Callahan (The Spy of Shadow Hills)
Graciela Ciurluini. U.S. Census Bureau
click here for agenda
YOUR 2019 SHPOA PRIORITIES
PLEASE JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES TODAY!!!
"I get the newsletter so I must be a paid member, right?" Sadly, no. Everyone in Shadow Hills gets the newsletter regardless of paid status. That's why it's so important that you renew your membership annually. For just $25 (only 7 cents a day!!), your generous support helps our volunteer-staffed community service organization cover the recurring costs associated with our website, Daily Fodder, Neighborhood Watch/emergency notifications, cleanup projects, trail maintenance, newsletter, community meetings and events, insurance, and other expenses.
SHPOA was formed in the mid-1960’s and remains committed to preserving our rural community. We continually work with other community leaders throughout the northeast San Fernando Valley, meet with elected officials, attend and testify at government meetings/hearings, write letters, monitor legislation and ordinances, and keep you informed about important issues affecting Shadow Hills. Our newsletter is printed and mailed six times a year to every household in Shadow Hills and remains a community favorite.
It’s easy to subscribe to Daily Fodder emails where you will receive timely information on lost/found animals, emergency notifications, community events/announcements, and a few fun items as well. (1) Click on the green box under “RESOURCES” near the bottom of this page or (2) by texting SHPOA to 22828.
We welcome your suggestions and volunteerism and we hope to see you at our meetings.
So please renew your membership (for Shadow Hills/Stonehurst area residents) or your newsletter (outside of Shadow Hills) subscription now. Click here for a mail-in form or pay via Paypal using the "Online Member Payment" button to the upper left.
Help protect yourself against becoming a victim of crime. Click here to learn more.
SHPOA'S LETTER TO THE LA TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD WAS PUBLISHED! SEPTEMBER 5, 2019
Welcome to the Shadow Hills Property Owners Association website. We are a non-profit association of dedicated volunteer residents dedicated to preserving the rural community. SHPOA’s mission is to protect, preserve and promote our country lifestyle, safety, equestrian rights and property values. We are certified with the state of California and the IRS as a non-profit organization. We prioritize our activities based on input from you. We are often “first responders” on matters of concernto you. We have none of the required fees and enforcement powers of a typical HOA.
LAPD and Shadow Hills Equestrian Task Force a Success!
On Wednesday, July 24th, SHPOA and several of our spirited equestrians partnered with LAPD in a task force with the goal of writing citations for motorists who failed to following traffic laws, with a special emphasis on those failing to yield to horses and their riders. This task force of 5 LAPD police officers was the brainchild of and led by our own traffic lead Officer Joel Flores. He came up with this idea after the tragic death of Dakota, a much-loved horse. Dakota’s rider, a seasoned equestrian, sustained serious injuries due to a reckless Shadow Hills driver a couple of months ago.
We met at 7:30 am and equestrians rode a couple of routes known for speeders.
In 2 hours, 30 citations were written: 18 speeding; 4 stop sign; 3 warnings; 5 crosswalk.
Officer Flores confirmed that this task force will now become a regular part of our traffic enforcement, and other communities have expressed interest in having their own LAPD Equestrian Task Force.
So reckless drivers, beware! LAPD and Shadow Hills will not tolerate reckless driving in our neighborhood. While LAPD is frequently patrolling, you will not know when our task force will be out and about—ticket book in hand!
Thank you to equestrians and LAPD!