Vannie to replace stable operator

After a long hiatus, pony rides and more are set to return to Van Cortlandt Park.

Earlier this month, the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) announced a request for proposals for a new concessionaire at Van Cortlandt Park’s stables. The move followed years of criticism that the current operator, Catango Corporation, did not offer sufficient amenities for the general public, and came before Catango’s 20-year contract is set to expire next year.

“A lot of people don’t realize the potential of having a horse stable in their community,” said Community Board (CB) 8 Chairman Robert Fanuzzi. “We haven’t really enjoyed the full benefit of that public space.”

Mr. Fanuzzi added he hopes the new operator will appear before CB 8 to hear the body’s “wish list” of public amenities at the stables.

DPR’s call for proposals states the new operator will have to offer horseback riding to the public on the roughly 21 acres devoted to the stable and on a bridle path running through the park. The department added it would favor operators that offer programs such as after-school activities, summer camps and therapeutic riding.

The shift comes after a 2011 audit found Catango owed DPR $106,820 in penalties for letting horses stay in Vannie’s stables for free, along with other violations.

DPR allowed Catango to make capital improvements instead of paying the fines.

A DPR spokesperson declined to answer whether Catango had accrued more violations since the 2011 audit.

Community members have long criticized Catango for making the stables accessible to professionals and serious horseback riders alone and for targeting users outside the Bronx.

Catango’s website for the facilities, referred to as the Riverdale Equestrian Center, only provides directions for reaching the site from Westchester along with Manhattan’s Upper East Side and Upper West Side.

The Riverdale Equestrian Center did not answer a request for comment.

DPR says the stables were closed until 1982, with Catango’s contract beginning in 1995.

Some residents recalled taking their children on pony rides through Van Cortlandt Park prior to the stable’s closure in 1982.