Tag Archives: horses in the park

Saddle Up: City Pilots Guided Horse Rides In Golden Gate And McLaren Parks | Hoodline

“Hold your horses, San Francisco: this news will likely stirrup some excitement. Beginning today, SF Rec and Park is offering horseback rides to the public in Golden Gate Park. The department is exploring the feasibility of guided horse rides in two … Continue reading

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runaway horse causes havoc in golden gate park (Feb. 21, 1886)

Looking at pictures like this one (South Drive, Golden Gate Park, probably dating to the late nineteenth century, SFPL/AAA-8339), it’s tempting to romanticize the park before the advent of the automobile.  But the following hair-raising report from the San Francisco … Continue reading

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people-watching in Golden Gate Park, 1888

People-watching is a popular, free entertainment that has been available in Golden Gate Park since it first opened to the public in the 1870s.  Here’s one observer’s report on the show that was running on Oct. 8, 1888 (San Francisco … Continue reading

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horses and the founding of golden gate park

A horse actually played a key role in the founding of Golden Gate Park.  The story goes like this: In the early 1870s, faced with the daunting task of establishing a vegetative cover on the sand dunes that had been … Continue reading

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horse stable to open in central park

The following excerpt is from a recent article in the New York Times: ‘Central Park is laced with bridle paths and dotted with pastures, and its plants were once fertilized with manure. But though carriage horses trot through it, police … Continue reading

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