Matinkylä’s old riding school will be demolished on the eve of summer. Many people are interested in renting a plot of land on the parade ground. A small miracle is needed to still see horses there.
Espoo In Matinkylä, near Suomenoja’s bird wetland, old stable buildings are waiting to be dismantled. The doors have been torn off their hinges and the windows have been stoned and broken. The board buildings painted with red clay are at the point of collapse. Horses have not been seen in the yard for years.
The Etelä-Espo riders’ home stable had already seen its best days 35 years ago, when my girlfriend, who had ridden for her age, took me to a beginner’s course on a horse. The premises were rickety and the places were scattered, but the immediate surroundings of the stable were the most idyllic: the beaches of Nuottaniemi and Suomenoja were within reach of galloping paths. At the end of Sunday morning cross-country runs, we often rode through Matinkylä’s old shopping center – receiving enthusiastic encouragement from the terrace of the neighborhood restaurant Taskumat.
Espoo the city says that it has already received several inquiries about the plot (HS 27.12.). However, a new lease will not be signed until the old buildings have been demolished. This will happen from late spring at the earliest. In the current site plan, the plot is defined as an equestrian center. However, it does not guarantee that there will be ungulates in the landscape in the future: deviations from the formula can easily be found. The city’s representative promises that the plot will remain a local recreation area. I hope so, because it would be too good to miss.
An entrepreneur in the horse industry starting from a clean slate would hardly be found easily in Matinkylä either. Building even a smaller equestrian center with stables and manes would be an investment of millions. Running a stable means a constant flow of expenses, and taking care of the horses requires labor in two shifts, whether you finance it with rented places or a riding school.
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In Sweden, the municipalities finance the horse hobby.
In our neighborhood In Sweden, hobbying with horses is significantly more affordable than in Finland. Municipalities finance clubs that run stables and riding schools, which often operate in facilities built with public funds. In Finland, operations rest on the reliance and risk of private entrepreneurs.
The Physical Education Act places the responsibility on municipalities to create the conditions for physical activity. If only Matinkylä could see the miracle that the municipality would decide to provide facilities for horse riding and entrust the running of everyday life to a non-profit club. Espoo would make many new friends at once.
The author is the administrative manager of HS.
#Column #stable #landscape #Matinkylä #great
