Calm before the storm

Where was I? In a dirt parking lot in Riverside and in the back of a truck. OK, it wasn’t quite that bad; the Riverside Rancheros club site was actually secluded and surrounded by thick Eucalyptus groves. With some imagination you could believe that you were far away from civilization.

With the horses quieted down, it was time for dinner. Since the caterers’ truck hadn’t arrived from Arizona, we were on our own for this meal. Burger King. But…all of the meals, beginning the next day, would be catered by a crew from Wickenburg and we had already been given a menu for the week ahead. Steak and lots of it. Plus the occasional lobster.

Most of the riders were socializing in the club house while we set up our sleeping spaces in the bed truck. A few of the riders did manage to stumble down to the mangers later in the evening to see to their horses, but not many. Most were too busy with partying. Although it wasn’t really our responsibility to care for the horses on that first night, we took the remaining horses to water.

My first lesson as a wrangler was to learn how to tie and untie horses from their assigned spots on the manger. And to remember where they were tied. Each manger space had a number and I learned quickly that horses don’t necessarily like their neighbors. Get a horse in the wrong spot and it’s likely to cause a fight. A horse wreck. I was also told to gather up as many horses as possible when watering, at least 3 of them and 4 would be even better. So I would carefully note the numbers as I untied the 4 horses and led them out. But, horses, being as stupid as they are, would quickly move back and forth and all around me as I tried to keep them separated. I soon had a tangle of horses in my hands, all pulling in different directions. And as soon as they were at the water troughs, they would move from trough to trough, sampling a little water from each, while I tried to keep them in some semblance of order. Impossible. Once they were full, I would lead them back while I tried to remember which one went where? What was that number? Talk to me horse! Where do you belong?

With 6 wranglers working, it didn’t take long to get the horses watered and back in some order. But this was easy, I was told, we only had about 90 horses and tomorrow we would see the additional 60 added to the mangers. Oh, oh!

Judy woke us up at 5:30 and we began our day by filling the water tubs and adding some hay to the mangers. Then it was time to begin the daily watering rodeo. And it really was a rodeo as the horses had grown quite thirsty overnight and pulled us to the water. After a few trips, I switched to taking no more than two at a time, just to avoid being crushed in the rush to water.

After the horses were back in place, it was time for our breakfast. The cooks had arrived late last night and had been up since 4. And being wranglers meant that we were always first in line for food. A perk we loved!

A little while later, relaxing with coffee cups in hand, we watched as the riders gathered for the ceremonial beginning of their first ride, 17 miles to the south. And once they had left, the work began for us. The mangers and all that gear had to be taken apart and placed in trucks and trailers for our trip to the first nights campsite.

About 1-1/2 hours later, we had everything packed and our bed truck was now filled with the suitcases, cots and bedrolls of the riders. A mountain of gear. And since I was the spare driver, I was given the veterinarian’s truck to drive. A brand new Chevy pickup with all of the luxury items included.

It was time to hit the highway and our caravan went just as fast as its slowest vehicle, the hay truck. But we were moving and the adventure had begun.