California on Horseback
Horse People" Garry Stauber
by Erin Gilmore
July 2003
Everyone has a "Dream Adventure." Something they've' always thought of doing but never took the time to do,
an outrageous adventure that calls to them throughout life. However, not many people take that step further
to do it. Garry Stauber's dream adventure includes two horses and the open road, and, with two years
of planning, he is living it right now.
Formerly a staffing manager for a Silicon Valley company, Garry has taken time off to ride the length
of California on horseback. There is no great charity or cause that he is riding for. His reason is simple
"I'm doing this for me. It's something I've always wanted to do, and now I have the opportunity to
take a hold of my dreams," he says.
With good friend Martha McNeil helping, and riding part of the way with Garry, he has ridden a
continual ride on two parts. The first half began on march 15 in San Benito County and in six weeks
he rode south to the Mexican border. Martha then picked Garry and his horses up and trailered back
to San Benito County, where they began riding north to the Oregon border.
With the experience of the first half under his belt, he used those experiences to plan better for the second
half. Knowing exactly how much food to pack, and how many mile to average in a day, Garry planned the ride
so he would have food drops every three days, but wo out of every three nights he has to find a place to stay
for the night. Garry has been continually amazed at the kindness of people across the state. As soon as they
hear what Garry is doing, they go out of their way to help him out. One family gave Garry their home for
the night and went and slept in a mobile home. Garry's stayed in a firehouse and been brought dinner by
strangers.
Garry has seen very few problems. His horses have stayed sound and he has only had one problem with saddle
sores in the beginning of the trip. His support crew along the way have included his adult sons and their
wives, and countless friends along the way. He has been fortunate not to encounter a lot of bad weather, and
hasn't had any snowfall on him. He has ridden into areas with snow, and, in Mt. Laguna, he experienced some
pretty hard sleet.
The temperatures have been more of a problem, with the heat reaching 103 degrees north of Sacramento. That combined
with the mosquitos that breed in the rice fields in the Sacramento valley made for some uncomfortable riding.
However, Garry's two horses, Ginger and Guenevere "look as fat and happy as the day that we started" says Garry.
Although he switched off between the two, Ginger likes to lead and is happiest being ridden, while his palomino
mare Guenevere is more content being the packhorse.
Garry's' greatest resource has been a group called the Long Riders Guild, whose members consist of riders who have
covered 1000 miles or more. They track long distance rides and their members have covered every continent
exceptAntarcticaa. The members gave valuable advice and tips to Garry, who can now count himself among them.
Garry's largest obstacle during the ride has been planning the route. He took advantage of farmland, riding on
small roads with less traffic and coastal plains. He took the Pacific Crest Trail for must of the ride
but hasn't been able to follow it the whole trip because itsconstantt ups and downs are hard on the horses.
Garry found great riding south of Parkfield to Frazier Park. There were
no cars and beautiful country. Now a strong advocate for BackcountryHorsemenn, Garry has seen firsthand
the deterioration of trails throughout the state. "We need to fight for the trails we have. Even the ones
that exist now aren't being put on maps anymore. We need to be partners with the park system so that we can work
to preserve our trails," says Garry.
At press time Garry was well into the second leg of the trip somewhere north oftheh Northern California
town of Red Bluff. With 200 miles to go, Garry is cutting down his average daily miles from 20-25 to
about 17. "One of the horses got caught up in thepickett line and got a rope burn. That set ups back a
couple of days, and now I'm making days light. I could be finished sooner, but I'm taking my time," says
Garry. At the pace he's going he'll be done before 4th of July. He'll return home tired, but with a
fresh look on life and the satisfaction of knowing he's lived a lifelong dream. Not many people can claim that.
Garry has a website chronicling his journey. Go to www.dream-adventures.com to follow his travels
and wish him luck.