A dream comes true
by Eleeza V. Agopian, Anaheim Bulletin
Thursday, April 24, 2003


Garry Stauber has been traveling the length of California with his two girlfriends, Guenevere and Ginger for the past month and a half.

Though one may get jealous of the other at times, neither of the girls will leave Stauber behind.

That's because the two horses are just as attached to Stauber as he is to them.

A Silicon Valley human resources director, Stauber, 47, was inspired two years ago to take his dream vacation-a horseback ride along the length of California.

"All of us want to do something great," he says of his adventure. "We all have dreams that we set aside."

Stauber took a leave of absence from work and hit the trail on March 15, starting in Panoche, about 60 miles south of San Jose.

He essentially rode along the San Andreas Fault until reaching the Pacific Coast Trail, which he followed to Frazier Park and on into Southern California.

The threesome hit snow in Wrightwood in the Angeles National Forest and got trailered to Campo at the California-Mexico border.

He rode back up and has taken an extra-long pit stop in Southern California, boarding his horses at Rancho del Rio Stable in Anaheim to spend time with his son and newborn granddaughter.

Now he plans to get trailered back up near Santa Cruz and ride along the coast to the Oregon border. So far, he's ridden about 500 miles. In all, Stauber is riding about 1,700 miles at a rate of about 2 miles per hour.

It's no easy task, riding through California.

Stauber carries with him 120 pounds of gear, which the girls alternate carrying. And he's constantly on the lookout for danger. Rattlesnakes are the scariest, but slippery rocks and cars zipping by can work the girls into a frenzy, too.

"You're working," he says, when asked if he gets bored. "It's not relaxing."

And the horses know that.

"They seem to sigh more when it's their turn to carry the packs," he says. Both have distinct personalities, as well.

Guenevere is a work horse; give her a task and she's on it. Ginger is more of a character; a bit unpredictable at times, whereas Stauber says he can predict what Guenevere will do each day.

"Horses are just like us," he says. "We want identity, we want purpose."

The 120-pound packs include about 20 pounds of food every day for each horse.

"Weight adds up real fast," he said, which is why he carries very few luxury items, although he does have a cell phone handy.

One of the obstacles in preparing for the trip was finding information on packing. Stauber says he ended up using old cavalry manuals and got plenty of guidance from the Long Riders Guild, an organization dedicated to helping people who ride for 1,000 continuous miles or more.

Stauber used to run a breeding program on his ranch with 25 horses. Now he's down to six. When this trip is over, he said he'd like to run some sort of program that encourages and teaches people to ride.

Ultimately, he says, he'd love to inspire one person to take a chance and do his or her own long ride.

While many ask if he's doing the trip for a charity or some cause, he says it would be noble, but a bit selfish because the trip is really just him fulfilling a personal dream.

However, Stauber adds, if people are interested in making some sort of donation, he's directing them to DreamPower Horsemanship.

A nonprofit organization, DreamPower uses Equine Assisted Psychotherapy to help children with disabilities or who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

As far as his girls-Guenevere and Ginger-they've become like family.

"They'll be with me forever now," he says.