Horses were the primary engine of development for Woodside, California, until the early 20th century. They provided the labor and transportation necessary to transform the rugged Santa Cruz Mountains into a settled community.
Key Contributions to Development
- Logging Industry: Woodside began as a logging hub during the California Gold Rush. Teams of horses and oxen were essential for hauling massive redwood logs from the forests to sawmills. They navigated "skid roads"—crude paths that later became the basis for some of the town's modern road and trail networks.
- Transportation & Infrastructure: Before motorcars, horses pulled the stagecoaches, wagons, and buggies that brought the first English-speaking settlers to the area. They were also used to set the grades and curvature of early roads.
- Agriculture & Ranching: Horses were the backbone of early Woodside farms and ranches, used for plowing fields and working cattle. Many historic properties, like the Folger Estate, were originally established as working ranches and timberland.
- Shaping the Town Layout: The current "rural residential" feel of Woodside is a direct result of its horse-powered past. Early residents' desire to maintain riding trails and large parcels of land led to the zoning and preservation of open space that still defines the Woodside General Plan today.
- "made the town of Woodside".
Historic Landmarks
- Folger Estate Stable: Built in 1905, this Victorian Gothic stable was designed by Arthur Brown Jr. (who also designed San Francisco City Hall) for coffee tycoon James A. Folger II to house his family's carriage horses.
- Wunderlich Park: Once a working ranch, its old wagon trails and skid roads used by logging teams were later transformed into the riding and carriage trails used by the public today.
- Spring and Sprite: A bronze sculpture of a mare and foal stands in the town center as a monument to the horses that
Lurline Matson Roth
Legendary equestrian and philanthropist.
Owner and Breeder of Champion Saddle and Fine Harness Horses. Why Worry Farm and Filoli, Woodside CA.
” Filoli was too beautiful not to share”- Mrs Roth donated Filoli to the National Trust in 1980.
Chief of Longview - “The Great Parader”
The Menlo Circus Club Stables- built by the “Accidental Founders of The Menlo Charity Horse Show”
Spring Down Equestrian Center - a Peninsula Treasure
High Horse Holidays- Historic Stable and Art Tour
WHOA! and Day of the Horse- www.whoa94062.org
SAVE THE DATE! Oct 13-15, 2025
Woodside, CA.
Guernsey Field
Originally a cow pasture, this magnificent land is now The Horse Park at Woodside. It was used for many years by the Los Altos Hounds and was turned into a 3 day eventing center by visionary horseman Robert Smith In 1980.
Contact Us
2995 Woodside Rd, Suite 400-325 ,Woodside, California 94062, United State
