Horses

o7There is nothing we like to see so much as the gleam of pleasure in a person's eye when he feels that we have sympathized with him, understood him, interested our self in his welfare. At these moments, something fine and spiritual passes between two friends. These moments are the moments worth living. f7 -- DON MARQUIS "Cindy, I enjoyed reading last week's column about your trip with friends to the dude ranch in Wyoming, but you never wrote about the horseback riding," a friend said to me last week.

The manager of the Orange County Fairgrounds Equestrian Center, Rick Hanson, has been accused of failing to keep riding facilities clean and safe, raising tenants' rents without notice and making remarks characterized as intimidating and offensive. When some equestrian center riders and tenants leveled those charges at a fair board meeting Thursday, Hanson and some of his employees and customers denied the problems were as severe as presented. The fair board hires the manager of the equestrian center and can enforce contract terms such as those involving the condition of the facility.

Chris Yemma Newport Beach Breakers' Coach Dick Leach received a very important phone call Monday night. Breakers' star and top-ranked World Team Tennis men's singles player Ramon Delgado, who had suffered a sprained thumb Sunday in a mixed doubles set against Springfield, was on the line. "He's our horse; we get on his back and we ride him," Leach said about Delgado. "He called me up [Monday] night and said, 'Coach, the horse is coming out of the barn.

Alicia Robinson Local horse lovers will celebrate all things equine today with an event recognizing the statewide "Day of the Horse." Santa Ana Heights residents who are members of the Back Bay Equestrians will gather by the Delhi Channel this morning to mark out where a future horse arena will go, give riding demonstrations and snap pictures of people with horses. The U.S. Senate in November approved a resolution declaring today the Day of the Horse, and President Bush is expected to issue a proclamation declaring a national Day of the Horse, said Jayne Jones, a member of the Back Bay Equestrians, who organized today's event.

Alicia Robinson While his opponents think his political future is fading to black, Orange County Superior Court Judge Jim Gray is aiming to be the dark horse in the U.S. Senate race. As the Libertarian candidate challenging Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, the 59-year-old Newport Beach resident has kept up a vigorous campaign schedule that included visits to medical marijuana clinics in Northern California, speaking engagements in South Central Los Angeles and taping television ads that will air the week before the Nov. 2 election.

June Casagrande Horse owners and city water-quality enforcers could be on their way to a compromise on how to deal with manure in the newly annexed Santa Ana Heights area. In about six or eight weeks, the City Council will consider plans on how to make peace with the equestrians while still satisfying county and state water-quality rules that take a hard line on horse manure and other animal waste. At a study session on Tuesday, most council members seemed to favor a program to pay someone to clean up horse trails more frequently and to pass the cost on to horse owners.

DON CANTRELL Out of World War II, prep football and horse racing, Joe Muniz has known triumph and trauma. He can write off the trauma from his memory bank, but he will always treasure the triumphs that have blessed him and his family over the years. Some of the high points include: Marrying the lovely queen of the 1944 Newport Harbor High junior-senior prom, the former Jerri Conner, which would lead to three wonderful children. Seeing one of his race horses, "Chicks Beduino," named the 1986 state champion in California.

Immigrant license law makes Hispanics angry, too Please, let's be clear ("Battle over licenses for immigrants not over," Wednesday). We are talking about illegal immigrants who are working in factories and in other jobs with false Social Security cards and who now demand driver's licenses. These people and those who employ them are breaking the law. As a Hispanic and an American, I can tell you that state Sen. Gil Cedillo and these other Latino organizations that want to force the driver's license law for illegals down our throats do not speak for me and the vast majority of Hispanics.

JOSEPH N. BELL It isn't often that a journalist finds himself personally involved in a breaking news story. But when I read about the ongoing tiff between the city of Newport Beach and the Back Bay Equestrians over how, if, and why horse manure should be disposed of, there I was, right in the middle. So I had to put aside an almost-completed column to take a cut at the Santa Ana Heights Horse Manure Caper. I would guess that about four times a year, I find it necessary to shovel up horse droppings in the entrance to my driveway.

I applaud the city of Newport and its tough stand on water quality issues that can only benefit every resident. Maybe the Pilot should ask all the residents of Newport Beach if they are willing to compromise their water quality so folks in Santa Ana Heights can ride horses and not be bothered ("Horse riders fight animal waste rules," Tuesday). There are things you need to keep in mind: 1. This is not a new issue. Who cleans the horse trails and the horse poop?