New York Times: April 20, 2005<\/p>\n
\nBy KAREEM FAHIM<\/p>\n
![\"Image\"](\"https:\/\/www.stablebrooklyn.com\/images\/stories\/boyhorse.jpg\" "\\"Image\\"")
The Kensington Stables shelter a quiet, rustic Brooklyn intersection
\nfrom the rumbling traffic a block away on the Ocean Parkway, from the
\nstampede of development beyond it, and in some ways, from time itself.
\nEarly yesterday afternoon, children rode ponies down Caton Place, and a
\n12-year-old Andalusian quarterhorse cross named Emma dozed in an
\noutdoor pen. A stable worker, wearing cutoff jeans and no shirt, napped
\natop a bale of hay on East Eighth Street.<\/p>\n
But the recent sale of one of the two buildings that make up
\nKensington Stables, in Windsor Terrace near the southern tip of
\nProspect Park, threatens to trouble all this calm, according to the
\nstables’ owner, Walter Blankinship. He said he would have to vacate
\nthat building, called the Little Gray Barn, by May 1, forcing him to
\nkeep all 45 horses that he owns or cares for in the other building,
\nwhich he owns.<\/p>\n
Besides the stable space, Mr. Blankinship will also lose the use of
\na pen outside the barn and parking for several horse trailers.<\/p>\n
He said finding room in the one remaining building for all 45 horses
\nwould be a struggle. The lack of space means that he will have to cut
\nback on many of the programs Kensington Stables offers, especially the
\nones that bring children in close contact with the horses.<\/p>\n
“We have less space to work, to tour, to operate,” he said. “You
\nwant to provide more lessons, more handicapped rides, but we’re
\ncompletely hemmed in.” The cramped conditions, he said, might also make
\nit dangerous for the young visitors.<\/p>\n
Making room for the 13 horses now stabled in the barn would also
\nthreaten an indoor ring, which is where Fran Levy, the stable manager,
\nteaches therapeutic riding to children with disabilities.<\/p>\n
For a few hours yesterday afternoon, the place seemed made just for
\nchildren. Sanju Misra said she brings her 2-year-old son, Nikhil, to
\nthe stable several times a week. “Having this place here is a great
\nresource,” she said. She said the lessons – $25 for half an hour – were
\ninexpensive. And while she acknowledged that some parents might be put
\noff if the stable became too crowded, she said it would not deter her.<\/p>\n
Akiva Skop, 7, rides Benny, a Mexican mustang, every Monday. His
\nfather, Ira Skop, said Akiva, who has Down syndrome, learned to walk
\nonly a year and half ago.<\/p>\n
“The riding has been tremendous for him,” Mr. Skop said. “He’s been
\nriding for a couple of years, and it’s been great for his balance, and
\nhis self-confidence.”<\/p>\n
Mr. Skop said Akiva appeared to have reached some sort of
\nunderstanding with the horses in Kensington Stables. “He’ll stand
\nunderneath the flanks of the horse, stroking them,” he said. “They
\ndon’t seem to mind. They seem to know what’s going on with him.”<\/p>\n
Mr. Skop said Akiva talked about the horses all the time at home.
\n“If something jeopardized all that, it would be very sad for us,” he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Ms. Levy, the stable manager, said the only good option was to build
\non top of the existing space. Mr. Blankinship said that the stables
\nwere not in danger of closing, but that the sale of the barn prevented
\nhis business from expanding.<\/p>\n
He also said the sale broke an informal, longtime agreement he had
\nwith his landlord, Gloria Jarman, that would have allowed him the first
\noption to buy the barn.<\/p>\n
Reached by telephone, Ms. Jarman called that version “sort of true,”
\nbut said Mr. Blankinship was often late with his rent, and she had not
\nexpected that he would have been able to buy the property. Mr.
\nBlankinship, however, said that he paid his rent on time.<\/p>\n
Ms. Jarman said she “got a very nice offer I couldn’t refuse,” but
\ndid not identify the buyer. She added, “You don’t know that I’m taking
\na deal from a developer.”<\/p>\n
Jay Jones, a retired engineer who lives across the street from the
\nstables, said: “I moved here because of the horses, because of the
\nsmell. I call it one of Brooklyn’s best-kept secrets.”<\/p>\n
\nThe New York Times<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New York Times: April 20, 2005 By KAREEM FAHIM The Kensington Stables shelter a quiet, rustic Brooklyn intersection from the rumbling traffic a block away on the Ocean Parkway, from the stampede of development beyond it, and in some ways, … Continue reading