our facilities
our trail access
Enjoy riding through Fairmount Park's 56 miles of beautiful trails by entering the park at the Houston Meadow trailhead located directly behind our exercise ring.
our outdoor ring
The lighted 100x200 riding ring arena has recently been resurfaced with new sand footing, which we’ve heard “straight from the horse’s mouth," is a joy to play in. It features a round pen, mounting block and exercise equipment for setting up jumps and more.
our stable
Our historic barn and outdoor riding ring are located in an urban setting, bordered on two sides by residential housing and on the other two sides by Fairmount Park. With over 9,200 acres, Fairmount Park has been called "one of the largest urban parks in the country."
We believe the stable is uniquely situated to offer local residents in the
surrounding community, as well as visitors to Fairmount Park, access to a relaxed equine environment that they might otherwise be unlikely to experience.
Courtesy Stable has capacity for 12 horses. All of our box stalls are lined with rubber mats and pine shavings. Horses are turned out daily, in three turnouts, where the horses have all day to exercise and socialize. This historic building includes a hay loft with a rustic event space above where our horses live comfortably below on the first level.
Our barn features include:
· Easy trailer access
· Locked tackroom for your convenience
· Covered and outdoor washing stations
· 3 turnout pastures with electric fencing
· Grass yard for leadline grazing
our history
The property
1860s
Courtesy Stable was originally a cattle barn, believed to have been built around 1862 on land owned by William McFadden, and then eventually owned by Henry Howard Houston. The Houston Estate was largely responsible for expanding the borders of Wissahickon Valley Park beyond the narrow ribbon park the city of Philadelphia established in the 1860’s to protect its drinking water.
1920s
Together with the neighborhood horse owners and riders who lived nearby, horses played an integral part in making sure that cars were really forbidden on Forbidden Drive. The Philadelphia Riders and Drivers formed to coordinate a protest in 1921 that finally ended the question of whether cars should be allowed on the main thoroughfare of the park.
1950s
The Philadelphia Riders and Drivers reorganized as The Riders of the Wissahickon in 1952 and used Courtesy Stables as a headquarters for a time. Courtesy Stable was donated to the city (although the deed transfer may not have actually occurred until 1975), becoming part of the Wissahickon Valley Park which protected it from being sold for development - a fate some other stables in surrounding Roxborough suffered. Although the Riders of the Wissahickon no longer exists as a group, riders from Courtesy Stable participate to this day in the Wissahickon Day Parade which celebrates when cars were no longer allowed on Forbidden Drive.
TODAY
Founded in 2005, The Boarders & Stewards of Courtesy Stable is a non-profit organization which maintains the 200+ year old barn on Cathedral Road. For over 20 years now, we have been providing riding lessons, horse boarding, pony ride events and more to our Philadelphia community and beyond who love horses and the local parks as much as we do. Donate now to support our next 20 years >
The barn
The stable barn is a bank barn, many of which were built in the United States between 1790 and 1900. A bank barn is a two-story barn built into the side of a hill, allowing ground access for both floors from the front and back of the building. Wagons could then drive onto the upper floor to unload food and supplies for the livestock kept below. A barn built as a horse stable would normally have higher ceilings than Courtesy does, which supports the fact that it was originally built to house cows, not horses.
The barn also has an overshoot or forebay, typical of a Pennsylvania bank barn, at the front of the lower level, which shields the stable from rain and snow and also provides extra space on the upper level.
Today the horses are kept below and food and equipment above. We have a long list of improvement goals to both the barn and property and need your help to achieve them!
our friends & partners
Brunch with Santa!
SAVE THE DATE:
Sunday, December 8th starting at 10am
$15 per person (pre-register fee)
+ $10 per ride (at the door)
Refrechments, crafts, photos with Santa and 'reindeer' rides to celebrate the season.