The Mounted Patrol of San Mateo County, Since 1942
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On Kings Mountain Road in Woodside there is a 23-acre horse grounds with an arena, a clubhouse and a long guest list. It belongs to the Mounted Patrol of San Mateo County, a riders' organization that dates to 1942.
A wartime patrol that stayed
The patrol was established in 1942. After the war the county sheriff kept it going, and its members were sworn in as reserve deputies. In 2001 a local paper described a special unit of 50 riders: when the sheriff called about someone lost in the woods, they took their instructions and rode out in pairs.
The grounds
The property at 521 Kings Mountain Road has been one of the Peninsula's busiest horse venues. The Fourth of July junior rodeo there drew about 2,000 people in 2001. The San Mateo County Horsemen's Association has held clinics and its annual show on the grounds, and the sheriff's canine unit has trained there.
Neighbors
Woodside grew up around it. In 2001 the patrol asked the town for permission to build two barns for 20 horses, and neighbors pressed the town to limit the number and noise of events. The town council was still settling what the grounds could host in 2011.
Who rides
The patrol describes itself as a charitable organization for men, with members chosen from experienced riders in San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Alameda, Marin and Santa Cruz counties. Its foundation has also paid for trail work in the area.
This is one entry in the full Bay Area horse history timeline.