The Los Angeles Times ran a long feature story last week about the demise of the equestrian lifestyle in Southern California. The story noted the closure of several large—and small—facilities in Orange County and the San Fernando Valley, prompting some California equestrians to question whether horses and people can co-exist with Southern California’s suburban sprawl.

In December stalls housing horses belonging to vaqueros in the City of Industry closed. Without a low-cost home for their animals, some of the vaqueros were forced to give up their horses.

Orange County officials are considering turning that county’s fairgrounds Equestrian Center into a parking lot. San Diego’s famous Miramar facility also just closed.

To keep the developers at bay, a small group of activists has met with local legislators about changing zoning and property tax rules to allow horse owners some relief.

One idea is to change property-tax rules, writes the Times, to allow horse operators to qualify for significant tax benefits.

The group also wants to find ways to prevent horse property from being rezoned for commercial use—an idea that could prove unpopular.

The county of Los Angeles reports that there are currently about 1700 horses residing there. And although the land is valuable, the current economic situation may give them a respite for the time being.