Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident asks Rio Rancho to allow two horses per acre in E1 zone, citing changed land use and private feeding
Summary
A resident asked the council to amend the city ordinance to allow two horses per acre in E1 zoned properties, saying current lots no longer provide forage and that horses are social animals that need company.
At the council’s public forum, resident Tammy Zack asked the governing body to revise the E1 zoning ordinance to allow two horses per acre rather than the current one horse per acre limit.
Zack, who said she has lived in New Mexico for 32 years and keeps two horses on an E1 property, told councilors the original ordinance dates to the 1980s and that conditions have changed: lots no longer provide grazing and owners feed horses manually. She said, “Horse people know that horses, live together. They are not, a solo bridal, like dogs or cats,” and asked the council to consider changing the limit to “2 horses per acre instead of 1 per acre.”
Why it matters: Zoning rules that govern animals and agricultural uses affect rural and semi‑rural property owners and neighborhood compatibility. The request would require staff and council consideration of animal welfare, manure management, lot size, nuisance and public‑health impacts if put forward as a formal ordinance change.
Council response and next steps: The item was raised during public comment; no formal action was taken at this meeting. Zack thanked councilors for listening and said she would follow up.
