By Mary Cristy

A View from the Hills

To Nancy and Jitze Couperus, the current dilemma of Westwind Barn recalls baseball’s Yogi Berra’s famous quote “It’s deja vu all over again.”

Because back in the l970s, the same question, “What to do with the barn?” was raised and caused the pair to go into action to preserve a beautiful, rural venue for their burgeoning Los Altos Hills community, and others. How they did it, what other friends of wildlife and pastoral serenity jumped on the bandwagon and contributed to the effort, is history.

Founders of the town, like the late Irma Goldsmith, Artemis Ginzton, Dan and Peggy Alexander, and attorney Gardiner Bullis, who based their agenda on preservation of what open space advocate, author Wallace Stegner, designated “God’s little acre,” lent their support to perpetuate what they perceived as a graceful, relaxed way of life that was fast disappearing. Once lost, they felt, it would not come again.

Today Westwind Barn can look back with pride on more than 25 years as a non-profit organization staffed mainly by volunteers, which offers a wide range of activities like The Pacific Ridge Pony Club, the annual Hoedown with its barbecues and square dances, riding classes, and, more recently, a dressage clinic for expert horsepersons who want to master that combination of grace and skill where horse and rider move in unison, with the poetry and precision of ballet dancers.

But nearest to the Couperus’ hearts is the 4-H riding program for handicapped children. In this, Westwind broke new ground as little had been done nationally to encourage the disabled to move beyond their wheelchairs. How could a cerebral palsied child with muscles as weak as a kitten’s sit a horse and ride a trail for a long afternoon?

With gentle horses, and three volunteers per child, on carefully chosen trails, Nancy Couperus felt sure it could be done. So she set about myriad tasks, of funding, acquiring dependable horses, and recruiting like-minded citizens to lead, or walk alongside a child on a horse on Monday and Thursday afternoons.

“Many volunteers are resident students who work for their community service and, having learned the joy of giving, choose careers in nurturing professions such as social workers, veterinarians and nurses,” Nancy said.

Shala Sadrozinski drives from San Jose to Los Altos Hills to enable her daughter Pryia to ride. “Our physical therapist recommended Westwind to us. Pryia’s thigh muscles are very weak. Gripping the horse with her knees strengthens them,” Shala said. “Pryia’s condition allows little opportunity for fun. This gives her something to look forward to, and a social life.”

“It’s the ‘old guard’ who started this,” Jitze said, laughing. “But it’s the ‘new guard’ that’s carrying on.” Like Los Altos Hills mothers Rebecca Hickman and Terry Radlo, who found a gap in Westwind’s needs and set out two summers ago to fill it.

These creative young mothers brainstormed a children’s recreation program that includes a week-long riding clinic for eager little novices, an Ohlone camp to teach Indian lore and petroglyphs, nature walks, and wildlife studies. For grown-ups the two engaged a professional trainer to oversee their “dog walk” and teach owners how to control and protect their pets outdoors and in.

Having preserved Westwind for 25 years, having served a generation of disabled children, and sparked innumerable enjoyable events for guests from 6 to Senior, Friends of Westwind Barn are hopeful that a way may be found to preserve this jewel in the crown of Los Altos Hills and environs, and continue the good work for those still to come.

Cristy, a Los Altos Hills resident, has been writing for the Town Crier for more than 40 years. Her column is published the first week of the month.