Miniature horse to get new digs in Castle Rock

Movie star named Ragtime to live in home's basement

Sarah Langbein, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 3, 2006 at midnight

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A famous miniature horse once at the center of a court battle in California is moving to Douglas County with its owner.

Ragtime, a 19-year-old horse featured in movies and commercials, will live in the house Patty Fairchild recently purchased in Castle Rock. He will have his own bedroom in the home's walk-out basement, Fairchild said.

"It's beautiful," Fairchild said from her home in Simi Valley about Colorado. "I want to live a calmer, happier life."

She's moving here to be closer to her daughter, son-in-law and grandson, who live in Highlands Ranch.

In the late 1980s, Ragtime's unusual living situation sparked a fight among the city of Thousand Oaks, the Oakbrook Village Homeowners Association and Fairchild.

Neighbors contended that by having Ragtime living at the suburban home, property values were being lowered. They said the horse, which weighs 175 pounds and is 29 inches tall, shouldn't be considered a pet.

Fairchild, who talks about the miniature horse as if it were her child, fought for two years to keep Ragtime.

In 1989, a Ventura County, Calif., judge ruled that the homeowners association's livestock restrictions weren't clear and said the horse could be considered a household, domesticated pet, Fairchild said.

She and her husband, Richard, expect to arrive in Castle Rock on Monday, along with three dogs and two toygers, a new breed of cat that resembles tigers. The animals are part of Fairchild's business, Ragtime's Ranch & Movie Animal Rentals. Ragtime, who's already in Colorado, has appeared in a Super Bowl commercial and a film called The Adventures of Ragtime.

Fairchild hopes her legal troubles don't follow her to Colorado.

According to Castle Rock's animal code, livestock are not allowed within the city limits, unless the animal is part of a show or in a designated zone. It's unclear if Fairchild will face any problems at her new home.

"I hope to God not," she said.

Fairchild is looking to film an animal movie in Colorado once she gets settled.

"The movie will touch everybody's hearts," she said. "There's been no movie like it."

langbeins@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2536

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