MILPITAS — Santa Clara County authorities are investigating a controversial Bay Area horseback riding company weeks after a horse under their care allegedly died from neglect.
Chaparral Ranch — which has been at the center of animal abuse allegations for years — called the county’s Animal Control to their Milpitas grazing facility to assist with a downed horse. The responding officers issued a citation to ranch operators for criminal animal neglect, a first for the company, according to Lisa Jenkins, program manager for the county’s Animal Services Center.
Spokesperson Aaron Kinney said the county cannot comment on any details regarding the case because it is an active investigation with the District Attorney’s Office.
But those familiar with Chaparral’s animals claim the horse, a female named Honey, was being underfed in Milpitas and had to be euthanized after the county’s visit. Earlier this year, locals like Rebecca Misa had repeatedly flagged down animal services about Honey’s alleged neglect in facilities under Chaparral’s supervision. The San Jose resident, who had first met Honey when she was at the ranch’s Los Gatos stables, said the county did not respond to her concerns. Now, its too late.
“It so completely shocking that so many people have failed her,” Misa said. “She 100% could have been saved.”
Animal neglect refers to an animal that is deprived of basic needs, including food, water, or shelter.
Chaparral co-founders did not respond for comment on the citation.
Misa’s concerns about Chaparral’s mistreatment aren’t new. The company operated for five years out of Golden Gate Park and was once a popular destination for horseback riding in the Bay Area. But a May investigation by the SF Standard revealed operators allegedly mistreated their horses and employees.
Even after employees submitted a 41-page whistleblower report to San Francisco in 2021 describing unsuitable conditions at Chaparral, the city continued to renew the company’s permits at the park and Camp Mather, a family summer camp near Yosemite that is run by the Recreation and Parks Department.
Following the Standard’s investigation, both permits were revoked and the Golden Gate horses moved to Chaparral’s stable at San Mateo County’s Wunderlich Park in Woodside. The stables are still operating, but a renewal of its contract in 2025 is pending.
The board of directors for Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District in Los Gatos, where Chaparral’s Bear Creek stables are located, voted in May to delay their decision on closing the stables until an ad hoc committee could fundraise and look for grants that could support the maintenance and repair of the stables. In April, Midpen suspended all camps, trainings, riding instruction and other equestrian events, but the stables are still boarding horses.
Chaparral also offered horse riding summer camps at Ed R. Levin County Park in Milpitas, but the company’s permit with the county expired in April and is no longer operating out of the park. While Chaparral removed Golden Gate and Ed Levin Park from the list of location on their website, the company is still offering horse riding camps at Marina Equestrian Center in Monterey and Woodside as of July 25.
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