City leaders opted to continue allowing equestrians to have free rein on Half Moon Bay beaches during a heated late-night council session.

In a close 2-3 decision, the City Council rejected placing new restrictions on horses traversing a short strip of beach between Kelly Avenue and Poplar Street. In a subsequent vote, council members instead unanimously endorsed a tamer plan to leave horse privileges intact and instead only post safety signs and organize a volunteer education group.

The decision to keep the current “status quo” for horse riding came at the climax of an impassioned City Council meeting to review a long-planned ordinance to limit access for horses on city beaches.

The meeting was attended by more than 80 avid horse riders from throughout the Peninsula, about 40 of whom publicly spoke to urge council members to vote against any new restrictions.

“We unequivocally oppose any type of restriction on any type of horse on any type of beach,” said Willa Chapman, executive director for the Friendly Acres and Sea Horse ranches in Half Moon Bay. “All the time our horses are on the beach, they're safe.”

Elected officials were considering three separate options for how to restrict horses. The first option would have put up safety signs, limited all horses to staying within a 20 foot of the coastal bluffs and restricted commercial horseback tours to essentially follow a one-way path. The second option was similar but would have restricted riders only from commercial horseback tours from the local ranches. The third option, which the city eventually approved, put no restrictions on horses but was amended to include an unspecified program to clean up horse waste left on the beach.

Horse-riding advocates varied their public comments between praising the community and threatening litigation and frequently could not hold back their applause or catcalls, despite numerous warnings from Mayor John Muller.

City officials including Councilman Jim Grady, Councilwoman Bonnie Dunham and Police Chief Don O'Keefe argued that the city's beach stretch needed stricter rules because safety accidents had happened in the past and could again occur down the road.

After more than a hour of public commentary, Grady presented some photos showing a horse on the beach that had knocked off its rider and was uncontrolled.

Many attendees balked at the display, saying it was taken from a different beach.

“I'm not going to listen to this kind of crap!” said Alan Demmons, an horse-rider who stood up and began shouting. “This is crap! It's crap! I won't respect this kind of nonsense!”

Demmons left before city officials could ask him to leave.

Dunham and Grady, both serving their last council session before newly elected members replace them, together made a motion to have the city restrict commercial horse riding on beaches.

“I have no thought of doing away with horses on the beach,” Dunham said. “But I feel everyone needs to share this beach and safety is an issue.”

Councilwomen Naomi Patridge and Marina Fraser voted against that motion, with Muller joining them to cast the final vote to reject the ordinance.

In a following vote, the entire council approved the milder plan to post safety signs and encourage waste cleanup.