Missing from Long Island (Centereach, Bethpage: leases, costs, horse)

[Crookhaven]

Originally Posted by Lancet71

I used to ride a little bit in Middle Island in the 80's but long since gone.

Theres still quite a few but it aint what it used to be.

This area was still the country 10 years ago.

Long Island Horse Properties

Crooks

[Lancet71]

Originally Posted by Crookhaven

Theres still quite a few but it aint what it used to be.

This area was still the country 10 years ago.

Long Island Horse Properties

Crooks

My cousin and I used to go from Sept-Nov to a place in Middle Island just off MCR for about a 1 hour ride for $25.Then the place was gone.Can't remember the exact street though.

[atypicalLIer]

Originally Posted by PONYPULR

I see we're focused on food and shopping, but I miss the open space. I'm in the horse business and I miss all the big old farms where we used to ride and have horse shows in the 60's and early 70's. We had several areas that we called "runs" that we could fox hunt on, that actually ran through the backs of people's property, and they actually ENJOYED seeing the Hunt with their "pinque"(red) coats go by!! In a timeframe of about 35 years, LI has turned into Queens with trees!! No more big old farms, we are down to two or three horse show grounds, none in Nassau, and the only registered Hunt, which does not hunt live fox, has maybe two runs out east, mainly on the high t's. An entire facet of Long Island's heritage is rapidly diminishing.
OK, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Don't ever get off that soapbox! There are many facets of LI worth preserving but sadly, all people ever see are proposed new shopping, big homes and the destruction of our old LI. People have been spoon fed "It's progress" pablum as the reason so much has to be destroyed. The sheeple want what's new and shiny, like petulant children in a toy store.

Sweet heavens! We live on an island which has a very distinct Indian heritage, colonial history, Revolutionary history, a former playground for the fabulously wealthy Gold Coast types, incubator for once unimaginable scientific discoveries -- Long Island is a fantastic place!

The public needs to see all of these wonderful aspects of Long Island Heritage.

The horse farm/ring by West Meadow Beach is being resurrected; someone up in Strongs Neck has recently built a HUGE horse barn and rings. As I am not a horse-person, I don't know whether these are private or if this is old news in the horse community. I see it as a positive for preserving LI's old traditions.

I don't own a horse, but learned to ride as a young Girl Scout at stables adjacent to the Bethpage Golf Course. 30+ years ago there were plenty of small stables were a child could learn to ride. Now parents have to pack up their young equestrians and drive far from their homes. It's sad.

[ClarkStreetKid]

To bad the Island's horse population is shrinking, but it's no more surprising than the Island's auto racing past disappearing. Land is at a premium and horses need land.

BTW, Got plenty of horse country down here and I'm out at my friend's horse farm just about every weekend. Sad that where I live now reminds me more of where I grew up than where I grew up currently does. Except for it's lack of beach.

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by Crookhaven

Theres still quite a few but it aint what it used to be.

This area was still the country 10 years ago.

Long Island Horse Properties

Crooks

I believe the area considered Smithtown Pines which weaves from the Commack/Smithtown line to the Blydenburgh trails/preserve to the west is all still deemed "horse property" in many sections.

I understand much of the angst of losing open space but I also think that keeping horses in general is awfully expensive. That has also been a part of its decline in my humble opinion. Owning/keeping horses always struck me as a rather expensive hobby, even decades ago.

[Lancet71]

Originally Posted by Crookhaven

Theres still quite a few but it aint what it used to be.

This area was still the country 10 years ago.

Long Island Horse Properties

Crooks

It was somewhat considered the country in the 70's to maybe around 1980 when they started building.

[hotkarl]

I miss freshwater swimming holes and ponds. Not too many around anymore, and the ones that are, you wouldn't want to swim in them. I don't think there is even a single swimmable freshwater pond in Nassau anymore.

[nancy thereader]

Even the sweet cool fresh water spring on Strong's Neck Dyke Road entrance that we used to go to as kids is now locked up on "private property".

[Crookhaven]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

Even the sweet cool fresh water spring on Strong's Neck Dyke Road entrance that we used to go to as kids is now locked up on "private property".

Thats sad.

We used to fill up jugs there.

Island of No.

[hotkarl]

Yup, sad. Aside from pollution, one of the biggest problems is development. They built on many of the lakes, ponds, etc, and now they are private property with no public access anymore. There are still a few on the east end that I'm aware of that still have public access and are "swimmable".