Steens Mountain Guest Ranch
Oregon (see ad on Page 59)
(541) 493-1164
www.oregonguestranch.com
This family-operated working guest ranch wants its visitors to experience the life of the true cowboy and experience the life of a buckaroo first-hand. Here, you become a part of the cowboy crew as soon as you set foot on the ranch’s beautiful Pacific Northwest soil. For the next few days you will live, breathe, eat, sleep, and fully enjoy the sought-after life that made the American West famous.

Seated at the base of the Steens Mountains in the heart of Oregon’s historic buckaroo country, Steens Mountain Guest Ranch provides a unique, intimate, cowboy experience. With its ‘two guests per buckaroo’ ratio, you’ll be one of no more than four guests on the ranch at any time.

As part of the crew, you can expect ranch-raised horses and no ‘nose-to-tail’ riding – and you will receive individual attention while working next to the cowboys. Ever helped doctor a calf or brought in a stray cow? Your hosts realize that not everyone wants to experience everything, so you define your comfort zone and just stand back and watch the action, if you’d like.

BURBANK – The Hollywood Charity Reining Royale, hosted by William Shatner, returned April 25-29 to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, this time with a new reining Maturity class in the line-up.

Trainer Tom Foran, who operates out of the LAEC, defended his ‘home turf’ by winning the maturity on Elaine Davis’s gelding, Lil Joe Tag. He also rode to the reserve title on Copus Performance Horses’ talented stallion, Gunball Machine.

DEL MAR – Rich Fellers and the 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse Flexible have ridden headlines the last month with their respective championships at the FEI/Rolex World Cup Final and two grand prixes at the Del Mar National Horse Show. On May 12, it was Flexible’s daughter, Colgan Cruise, who earned the win and the limelight, as the sire took a well-deserved day off at the Blenheim Ranch and Coast $60,000 Grand Prix of California at Showpark.

After riding to a one-two finish in the Ranch and Coast’s $10,000 1.40M Jumper Classic, presented by CardFlex, Fellers took Colgan Cruise, owned by Fellers and Harry and Mollie Chapman, to the only clear round on designer Anthony D’Ambrosio’s course on the grass field. The talk of the track was an early vertical-oxer double combination that kept many from reaching the jump-off.

BAKERSFIELD – Lance Johnston used a 152 score in cow work aboard This Cats Smart Too to vault past the field and win the Open Championship of the Valley Cow Horse Association Hackamore Showdown, held April 27-28 at the Sundance Arena in Bakersfield.

For his win with This Cats Smart Too, owned by Katie Moon, Johnston earned the $4,000 Open purse. Reserve champion Phillip Ralls on Chris Larcon’s Dom Dualuise – who had marked a 150 in the herd work – collected $3,124.

NORCO – An annual, four-day San Juan Capistrano-to-Norco trail ride in its 18th year turned tragic May 4 when a horse died after a 300-foot fall down a steep, remote hillside near Trabuco Canyon.

Clay Southerland of Orange Park Acres and his 4-year-old, Cash, were among 45 horse-and-rider teams taking part in the 62-mile trek by the Norco Outriders. On the morning of Day 2 – the most technically challenging of the four days -Southerland, 56, fell with his mount and two other horse-and-rider duos along a portion of unforgiving single-track trail.

DEL MAR – Rich Fellers and Flexible flexed their synchronized muscle at the Del Mar National Horse Show with a pair of dynamic grand prix wins on successive nights May 4-5 that confirmed the pair is riding in their own stratosphere. Just a week earlier, Fellers and Flexible had become the first U.S. tandem to win the FEI/Rolex World Cup Final in 25 years.

In Saturday night’s $100,000 Hermes Grand Prix of Del Mar presented by Intuit, six of the entries contesting the 13-obstacle course were members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games. These combinations were contesting the first of four 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events. And in the second and final class of the Del Mar Observation Event long-listed riders once again jumped into top placings.

DEL MAR – Hometown star Steffen Peters and Legolas made their best scores yet as a tandem at the Del Mar National Horse Show where they won both the Grand Prix and the GP Kur.

The duo won 3* CDI Grand Prix April 27 with a personal best score in their short international career of 76.574% and the following day repeated their success by taking the higher step of the podium on the kur scoring 78.325%.

SONOMA – Susie Hutchison debuted the mare SIG Excel in her first grand prix May 12, and the Temecula-based trainer won the $20,000 Equine Insurance Grand Prix at the five-day Horse & Hound Spring Show.

SIG Excel, purchased from Alan Waldman by SIG International Hutchison last November, is an 8-year old Dutch mare, who under Hutchison was circuit Champion in the Level 6 division at the 2012 HITS Thermal Desert Circuit. They moved up to the level 1.40 classes Blenheim EquiSports events in San Juan Capistrano.

Horses play a major role in the transformation of young lives in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Compton, thanks to the efforts since 1988 of Compton Jr. Posse founder and current CEO Mayisha Akbar and her dedicated team. At the Fifth Annual CPJ Fundraiser Dinner and Auction at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center May 12, Akbar and posse members displayed their appreciation to all their supporters with an evening of entertainment, glamour, and a heartfelt sharing of transformational stories involving inner city lives. This year, the CPJ honored Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca and also Dale Harvey for their respective contributions to the Posse’s cause and growth. Celebrities including Emmy-winning actress and benefactor Patricia Heaton and creative designer Yvonne Smith added to the evening’s glow. Olympic rider and staunch CPJ supporter Will Simpson served as the auctioneer.

MORE INFO: http://www.comptonjrposse.org