By Lauren McSherry

The Los Altos Hills Horsemen’s Association could be jumping some hurdles in the near future.

The city’s parks and recreation department has been directed by the Hills council to investigate replacing the public riding ring on Purissima Road with an all-sports field or baseball diamond.

The horsemen’s association became revitalized in recent months after the Bullis Charter School requested the half-acre ring and one of the Little League fields on the city-owned property as a temporary school site. The association’s flurry of activities included canvassing neighborhoods collecting signatures to save the ring, revising its Web site and scheduling community events and a summer riding camp for children.

A proposal to replace the ring, submitted by Los Altos Little League President David Rock, offered a condition that it be relocated to Westwind Barn. Over the past month, the council has been in the process of reviewing five proposals, of which Rock’s was one, submitted by local recreation groups for allocating state bond money designated for city parks and programs.

The idea apparently originated at the council level. Rock said it was suggested by “a couple of people on the council” and that it was a logical and cost-effective solution for acquiring an additional field.

“We have a shortage of fields and we have to look to remediating the shortage,” Rock said. “We were not pushed to put a proposal in. We knew about the park bond money.”

Councilman Craig Jones said the council was “disinclined” to spend money on another equestrian project when there is a need for more sports capacity in the city. The council already supports one equestrian project, funding the parks and recreation department’s riding program and building paddocks at Westwind Barn.

“The era of having a horse in your back yard is largely a bygone era,” Jones said of the ring’s purpose, which was to serve residents who stabled horses on their properties.

Harry Bahlman, vice president of the horsemen’s association and a Friends of Westwind Barn board member, said the association “will fight people taking over the public ring.” He added that Westwind Barn already has one jumping and two dressage arenas and there is not enough room to build another ring.

“The Little League proposal totally floors me,” he said. “I thought we were working together to save the riding ring and Little League fields. I just wish we could sit down and work together on this.”