Horse Heaven

Lisa Cohen has been horse crazy for at least 14 of her 24 years.

Although she didn’t have a horse in Westlake, where she grew up, her parents sent her to a summer camp where she learned to ride. One summer they leased a horse for her so she could get an idea of what was involved in the care and feeding of the beast.

But what separates Cohen from most other girls who have gone through similar spells of horse passion is that instead of growing out of it, she has grown up with it.

Now it is the focus of her ambitions.

“What I would really like to do, once I finish school, is have a country inn where I could raise horses and use them for trail riding with the guests,” she said.

Toward that end, she is enrolled in the horse science degree program at Pierce College, the only two-year degree program offered in California, according to Ron Wechsler, who heads the program.

Included in the program are classes in breeding, nutrition, stallion care, mare care, raising a foal, horse judging, an introduction to the sport of rodeo, and beginning, intermediate and advanced riding.

Wechsler--whom Cohen said is a knowledgeable and patient teacher--said that although many in the program are interested in full-time, horse-related jobs, a lot of the people just want specific information or experience.

He said that’s perfectly all right with him and the college, and at only $5 a unit, he said he is getting a lot of takers.

The program attracts students ranging in age from 17 to 72, who come from as far as Bishop, San Bernardino and Ojai.

Special sections are offered for disabled students, although Wechsler likes to mainstream them into the non-handicapped classes unless that would be uncomfortable or unrealistic for them.

Wechsler is working with about 250 students, primarily at the school’s new horse unit, but if and when funding becomes available, he would like to see that number increased.

That would be in addition to the students who don’t want to leave.

“I’ve been in the program for three years, instead of two,” Cohen said, “because it is so educational and practical and I wanted to take everything that was offered.

“I’m going to go to a four-year institution, probably Cal Poly, next year, but I’ve gotten a good grounding here at Pierce,” she said.

Brainstorm

Realtor Jeff Brain is the new president of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce and one of the first things he would like to do is get people on a trolley.

He said there has been a lot of talk about how to make Ventura Boulevard a better place to shop and go out to eat, but he thinks putting in a trolley line from Lankershim Boulevard in Studio City all the way to Woodland Hills is the answer.

He said he has a lot of support from others in the chamber and the Ventura Boulevard Assn.

“I can’t think why widening the intersections would help people deal with parking or traffic,” he said. “That’s what is proposed in the Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan that would cost about $150 million and take about 10 years to complete.”

Brain said the trolley buses would cost less than $15 million, be put into effect almost immediately and make the boulevard look like San Francisco.

Sort of.

Except for the hills, of course.

They Gave, and Gave

At the beginning of hostilities in the Persian Gulf, the San Fernando Valley office of the American Red Cross asked for help in replenishing blood supplies.

They got it.

Ann Biege, a spokeswoman with the organization, said, “We usually have about 36 donors a day, but after we made our request we were getting more than 110.”

Biege said their supplies are back up to normal, but she hopes people won’t stop coming.

“It’s a nice habit to get into,” she said. “Saving someone’s life makes you feel good.”

Overheard

“I use to yell at the kids to turn off MTV. Now it’s CNN.”

--Woman talking to checker at Vons, Woodland Hills