AHA? Uh-huh! AH Designates Altadena Heritage Area

The end of Ridgeview Drive was coned off, and live music was provided along with refreshments. More than a hundred people gathered, and board member and equestrian Karin Bugge officiated. She had come up with the idea for this AHA! Michele Zack gave a short talk about how this place fits in the history of our town, followed by demonstrations of five different traditions of horsemanship at the Altadena Stables at the heart of the block.

The Stables have been an Altadena fixture since at least 1921, perhaps since as early as 1911. Like so much of Altadena, they have seen a series of incarnations — from opulence to decay to restoration, and reinvention. At one time it boasted a regulation size polo field, but almost died in the 1970s until purchased by Desdy Kellogg Baggott, the current owner and our host. She runs this thriving institution still, and the surrounding neighborhood is home to many horses and horse-lovers.

Displays of horsemanship included Western, Saddle Bred, Charro, Saddle Seat, and Charro riding – a tradition of fancy riding from northern Mexico and Old California very much alive in Altadena to this day.

Thanks to the County Supervisor’s office, that provided tables, chairs, umbrellas and traffic cones, and the Department of Public Works, who agreed to post five custom signs Altadena Heritage commissioned around the Equestrian Block to create a strong sense of place for this Altadena neighborhood..