---
title: "Burbank Rancho Has Protected Urban Horsekeeping Since 1950 — Here Is Why That Matters Now"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/17d9649f-0713-4e1c-8306-a2de775176e1
source_url: "https://www.burbankrnsp.com/history"
stack: https://stacklist.com/c/education/stack/3840bd5f-ae32-4275-b29c-bf27d51f3750
summary: "The Burbank Rancho Neighborhood is a historic urban equestrian community in Los Angeles, located along the Los Angeles River between Griffith Park and Burbank's Media District, with a unique equestrian identity preserved since 1950. The City of Burbank is currently preparing a Historic Context Statement and Historic Resources Survey to document the equine and equestrian history of the Rancho and identify eligible historical resources."
tags: "burbank-rancho, equestrian-history, urban-equestrianism, los-angeles-river, historic-preservation, griffith-park"
key_entities: "Burbank Rancho (location), Los Angeles River (location), Griffith Park (location), Glendale Narrows (location), Burbank Media District (location), Riverside Rancho (location), Atwater Village (location), Los Angeles Equestrian Center (location), Mariposa Street Bridge (location), City of Burbank (organization), urban-equestrianism (concept), historic-preservation (concept), National Register of Historic Places listing (event)"
classification: "reference"
content_hash: "sha256:e196a3bb35369dbde3da40c4863c5b7493956ce670665701cb436df3a0ea9b58"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 668
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

#  Burbank Rancho Has Protected Urban Horsekeeping Since 1950 — Here Is Why That Matters Now

History of the Burbank Rancho The Burbank Rancho Neighborhood is a rare remnant of urban equestrianism. Along with the Riverside Rancho in Glendale and Atwater Village in Los Angeles, it forms a historic cluster of equestrian neighborhoods in the Glendale Narrows. Located on the banks of the Los Angeles River and sandwiched between Griffith Park (the nation’s largest municipal park) and Burbank’s Media District (the nation’s largest cluster of film and media jobs), the Burbank Rancho has asserted its unique identity for over a hundred years. It is part of a commercial-equestrian area historically known as the Riverbottom that includes the cities of Burbank (Burbank Rancho) and Glendale (Riverside Rancho), as well as the Los Angeles Equestrian Center (physically located in the City of Los Angeles and a part of Griffith Park). The Riverbottom has for several decades provided equestrian support services like stables, tack and feed stores, horse rentals, and riding academies. Burbank Rancho’s equestrian identity and lifestyle has also been supported in part by the adjacency of movie studios and the Westerns they made and filmed in Griffith Park. The Burbank Rancho is the only area within Burbank that allows the unique activity of urban horse keeping, as allowed by the City’s Municipal Code since 1950. It benefits from direct access to Griffith Park and its rugged dirt trails via the historic Mariposa Street Bridge. Built in 1939 — after the concrete channelization of the Los Angeles River — the bridge links the equestrian communities north of the river to Griffith Park on the south. It has a storied past and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 2024. Subdivision of Rancho Providencia, 1886 (City of Burbank) View fullsize Equestrian Neighborhoods of the Glendale Narrows along the Los Angeles River Historic Context Statement & Survey The City of Burbank is currently preparing a Historic Context Statement (HCS) and Historic Resources Survey (Survey) for the Burbank Rancho Neighborhood. The HCS and Survey will focus on the equine and equestrian history of the Rancho and will identify eligible historical resources and potential historic assets connected to this history. The City is currently gathering information to prepare these documents. If you would like to share information related to the history of the Burbank Rancho Neighborhood, please email us at RanchoHistory@burbankca.gov . When these documents are complete, they will be made available here. If you would like to receive project news and updates by email, sign up for our mailing list HERE . Mariposa Bridge, 1960s (Burbank Public Library)