Leighton Armitage is an assistant instructor at Mystic Canyon Stable in Rolling Hills Estates and has been riding since she was six, but the South Bay native now lives in Westwood and attends UCLA.

She escapes the hectic lifestyle of the school life and freeway traffic to get to her suburban oasis. She arrives at the barn and trades her flip flops for a pair of boots, where life moves slower.

She chooses Romeo and takes him out of the arena to get ready to ride.

"I’m trying to make him not look disgusting while he’s on camera but he’s pretty disgusting," Armitage said.

The two of them head toward the trail, but first they’ll have to cross the street. Luckily, the horse-centric community is designed for this, down to the button on the traffic light that is located at horse-height.

Romeo trots as they head toward the country store, one of many places in Rolling Hills Estates where you can tie your horse to a post.

Lisa Correa is the vice president of the Palos Verdes Horsemen’s Association, and she also works at Mystic Canyon Stables. She knows how horse culture in L.A. is always under threat by development.

"This type of enjoyment is going to be short-lived if we don’t protect it," Correa said.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Horsemen’s Association works to keep horses on the peninsula as well as protecting and promoting trails.

"They’re trying to push all of this, there’s nothing here. What they would like to do is say let’s bulldoze this whole thing down and make condominiumsm," said Correa.

Despite the threat of development, Armitage loves the trails, and that’s where she really gets to know the horses.

"He loves to gallop, it’s his favorite thing ever," Armitage said about Romeo's love taking the trails at a faster speed. 

While riding horses, she gets the chance to unplug and do what she loves - but soon enough it’s time to go back. For Armitage, riding the trails of Palos Verdes is an escape and way of life she hopes will stay protected.