By Lisa Peterson

On October 18, the Planning and Zoning Commission is conducting a public hearing for an application from the Newtown Bridle Lands Association to amend the zoning regulations regarding boarded horses in Newtown.

The NBLA is proposing a new section for the boarding of horses with a two-acre minimum lot size and no more than two boarded horses per acre on any lot. They further propose another new section for larger boarding stables and non-profit clubs to have a five-acre minimum lot size with two boarded horses per acre. Both sections contain manure management plans and for larger barns arenas and outdoor lighting must conform to current special exception guidelines. They further propose an additional section regarding parking spaces and a revision to another section regarding paddock size, horse density of two horses per acre and replacing the word pasture to paddock/turnout.

The NBLA has stated at its recent public meetings they only want to address the boarding issue and not personal use. How can you regulate some horses and not others? These zoning amendments will address boarding for the backyard barn owner, yes, but it will also open up the debate for the “personal” horse owner as well. A horse produces manure that creates an odor whether it is boarded or not and neighbors who complain about the smell don’t care if you own the horse or not. The problem is attached to the proximity of the land. Additional regulations should be created to protect all horses, not just boarded ones. If we have laws in place that allow us to have horses with associated sights and smells and we are in compliance then it doesn’t give unfriendly neighbors any ammunition.

So let’s take a look at a few of our neighboring towns to see what they have done in regards to horse zoning regulations. After speaking with a few zoning enforcement officers by phone this week, it became clear that Newtown is unique.

Monroe/Bethel

Monroe with its 26 square miles has less than half the land of Newtown and a few thousand less in population. The only areas you can keep horses in Monroe are residential zones. The town is zoned for one–, two–, and 3-acre lots. But you need a minimum of five acres to keep even one horse. But after the five-acre minimum, you are allowed one horse per acre. One could keep five horses on the five-acre minimum lot for private use. The Monroe code states horses are classified as “traditional farm animals, such as but not restricted to, horses, cows, sheep and any other large animals.”

According to Zoning Enforcement Officer Jack Brandt, if you wanted to go the special exception route and have a commercial boarding facility you still need the minimum of five acres to start, however, you can have two horses per acre for boarding. Basically, twice the density for commercial over personal use is permitted.

Brandt said he hasn’t had any complaints from neighbors about horses and believes there aren’t many private horses in Monroe, “There might be under 10,” he said counting up the ones he knows about. “Well, let’s just say I know about the ones I can see from the street. We get more calls about nuisance roosters than horses,” Brandt said.

While Bethel is a small neighboring town of only 17 square miles, it has the same five-acre minimum for boarding horses as Monroe. And the boarding of horses also needs the special exception permit. For private use there is one acre for the first horse and one-half acre is required for each additional horse, according to Zoning Enforcement Officer Betty Brosius.

“For a commercial facility you also need to have the five-acre minimum, a 40-foot setback for the riding arena, manure setbacks and parking spots. Basically, if you bring money into the facility it’s commercial,” Brosius said. “We have not had any problems with backyard boarders because I don’t think there is that use here in town.”

Easton/Wilton

Easton is a town of 28 square miles, with a small population of a few thousand people. A vast portion of land is watershed and is owned by a water utility company. According to Zoning Enforcement Officer Phil Doremus, Easton has no minimum acreage requirements for the keeping of horses.

Just like Newtown there is the special exception permit relating to business barns. Many of the larger commercial barns were “grandfathered” before the special exception regulations were written. But as for illegal backyard boarding barns enforcement doesn’t happen unless someone complains.

“As complaints come in I will visit a site. To see if there are boarders I may take a license plate number off a horse trailer and then match records from the Tax Assessor’s Office or through the police department and the state Department of Motor Vehicles. If the horse trailer address doesn’t match the barn address then I become suspect and look into the facility to see if they are illegally boarding horses there,” Doremus said.

 As for who owns what horses, he says it’s hard to tell.

“Horses don’t have license plates and unless you are into animal husbandry it is hard to know where to go looking for tattoos or other forms of identification on a horse.”

Doremus said the majority of complaints about private horse farms concern odor, flies and outdoor lighting for nighttime riding. The only regulations in Easton regarding outdoor lighting for private uses are for tennis courts. There are none for private riding rings.

A quick scan of the Internet found the Wilton regulations require at least 10 acres of “suitably drained land and a manure disposal plan” for commercial use. For residential lots of one and two acres you can have up to three horses. But you can’t have more than one horse per half acre in other areas.

It appears these towns all require the special exception permit for boarding of horses whether it was one or 20 horses, however, all the lots were far smaller than the 20-acre minimum required in Newtown. But all horse owners were subject to the same manure management plans and horse density restrictions regardless of use. Only the commercial boarding use was subject to additional regulations. Perhaps further research is needed before we enact any horse regulations.

Lisa Peterson is a horsewoman with 30 years experience riding, teaching and owning horses. She is the owner of Peterson Pet Sitting, LLC and can be reached at 270-1732 or elvemel@usa.net