Horse Farm's Jump Course

David Eagan was in a tough spot Saturday morning. Not only did he have to chair a standing-room-only meeting of the Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee, but he also had to weather comments from the crowd over his own proposal to establish a horse farm less than a mile from the meeting room.

Mr. Eagan, who is the chairman of the citizens committee, and his wife, Mary Ann McCaffrey, are seeking to build the Kilmore Horse Farm on 14 acres of farmland running between Sayre's Path and Town Line Road. Many of the 13 homeowners whose backyards adjoin the farmland were on hand Saturday to register their disapproval.

At issue, as it has been in other applications for horse farms on agricultural land, is whether such an operation is appropriate on preserved farmland.

Nine-Stall Stable

"I hope the fire marshal doesn't show up; we'll all be outside!" said Mr. Eagan before opening the committee's meeting in the Wainscott Chapel.

After brief discussions on sign enforcement and the proposed convenience store at Wainscott's Hess gas station, Mr. Eagan addressed his plans.

An original site plan submitted to the East Hampton Town Planning Board had proposed more building area than was allowed under the Town Code, but Mr. Eagan assured the committee that buildings had been pared down to conform.

With the new calculations, the Kilmore plan calls for the construction of a nine-stall, 3,024-square-foot stable, an 1,800-square-foot garage, a 7,200-square-foot indoor riding ring, and a four-space, unpaved parking area.

Indoor Ring Dismays

It was the idea of an indoor ring that drew the most fire, though a few opponents argued against allowing horses on the property altogether.

A "horse farm" is specifically defined in the Town Code and is a legal use on agricultural land, provided a list of standards can be met.

A horse farm is restricted to the "boarding, breeding, raising, or training of horses." Any public riding lessons or horse-for-hire arrangements would redefine the business as a "riding academy," which would not be permitted on the farm preserve.

No Dudes

"Our intent is to conform with those restrictions to the letter of the law," said Mr. Eagan. "Let me tell you what we're not doing. We don't intend to run a commercial riding academy. . . . This is not a dude ranch. This is not Deep Hollow."

Deep Hollow Ranch in Montauk offers public horseback riding and lessons, and boards well over the 15 horses Mr. Eagan said would be the maximum number on his farm.

Mr. Eagan said a horse farm had been a "lifelong dream" for his wife, who is an amateur equestrian.

"I adopted it. It sort of came with the package," he joked.

Neighbors Object

Altogether, the buildings on the farm would fall beneath the town's coverage limits for farmland - only 2 percent of an agricultural parcel may be covered by structures.

Still, the thought of any large buildings going on the land upset some of the neighbors.

One, Brian Ramaekers of Wainscott Hollow Road, said he had not been opposed to the idea until he saw the plan for a 20-foot-high, 7,200-square-foot riding ring.

"This is a huge building," said Mr. Ramaekers, after holding up photographs of a smaller indoor ring at Two Trees Farm on Snake Hollow Road in Bridgehampton. "This is not agriculture. This is recreation. This is going to be the largest building in Wainscott, south of the highway."

Untraditional?

Mr. Ramaekers also argued that a large horse farm was not in keeping with Wainscott's farming tradition.

"This is not traditional agriculture, at least not in Wainscott. We've been growing crops, not building buildings for people to ride horses in when it rains."

He noted that Peter Dankowski, a Wainscott farmer, had wanted to farm the land and had inquired about it, only to find that Mr. Eagan and Ms. McCaffrey had already leased it with an exclusive option to buy.

Broker Involved

The lease itself arose as an issue Saturday, when Iris Osborn, a committee member as well as a Planning Board member, disclosed that she had served as the couple's real-estate broker while they were shopping for land for the farm.

Mrs. Osborn stressed, however, that they had found the site themselves and made a deal with its owner, John Shanholt, on their own.

"I was not the broker who brought about the deal," said Mrs. Osborn, "but if I feel I can't be fair and impartial, I'll recuse myself."

Cites Easement

For Lauren and Lloyd Simon, who said they had just purchased their "dream house" bordering the field, Mrs. Osborn was not a factor. The riding ring was, however.

"My dream is being shattered," Mr. Simon said, adding, "I would have less to complain about if a potato farm went in and a farmer said, 'I need a barn to store my potatoes in.'"

Another neighbor, Francine Lembo of Wainscott Hollow Road, held up a copy of the easement over the property, which lists "commercial riding academies, dude ranches, and stables," as prohibited uses. Based on the inclusion of "stables," she said the easement forbade a horse farm.

Lawyer: It's Legal

Not so, said the Planning Board's attorney, Richard Whalen, on Tuesday. Mr. Whalen was responsible for drafting the generic agricultural easement now used in most cases. He said the intent in the Eagan easement (which predates Mr. Whalen's version) was to prohibit larger commercial operations.

"When they say 'stables' they're referring to a commercial stable where you go rent a horse and ride the countryside." He added that Mr. Eagan's plan, as a whole, "doesn't appear to violate the agricultural easement."

As for the indoor riding rink, Mr. Whalen said that if it was used for the training of horses it would fit into the permitted use.

Polo Matches

He cited a case not far away in Southampton, where a company called Equus sought to put a polo-oriented horse farm, with polo matches, on a farm parcel whose development rights were owned by the town.

Though that use was challenged in court, a judge ruled that if the horse farm was meant for the raising and training of polo horses for sale, polo matches were integral to their training.

Some of those at Saturday's meeting came in support of Mr. Eagan's and Ms. McCaffrey's plan, including Diana Weir of Clyden Road, Wainscott.

Supporters

"This is the country. Horses belong in the country," she said, "and if these people are abiding by the laws, they should be able to go forward."

After an exchange of raised voices, Andy Babinski, a longtime Wainscott farmer, urged some civility, "before you people make mortal enemies out of one another."

As for the horse farm: "All the people with houses on that land bought their piece of paradise," said Mr. Babinski. "Now somebody else wants a piece of paradise, too."