Trail Riding
October 25-28 promises to be a trail riding extravaganza in Wickenburg. Riders from all over the state will have the opportunity to camp, party, trail ride and place the winning bid on items ranging western art to trips. It’s the Fourth Annual Amigos Del Hospital Ride at the DC Boyd Ranch. Riders from previous years have requested more ride time. In order to accommodate them the Ride has expanded to a four-day weekend with the first ride going out on Friday. The Ride is once again at the DC Boyd Ranch. For the first two years, Laurence and Maureen Serrano donated their ranch, the Valle Escondido Ranch in Morristown. Recently, the Desert Caballero Riders acquired the DC Boyd Ranch for the Desert Caballeros Western Museum; however, they want it to be a resource for the whole community. The trails on the Ranch are lightly used and provide a unique location on the banks of the Hassayampa River for the Ride. The Ride raises money to benefit the Wickenburg Community Hospital, a community-supported hospital. Proceeds from this year’s Ride will go toward the purchase of a new 64 slice CT scanner.
Riders will be able to register and set up camp Thursday afternoon. The camp site has almost all the comforts of home including portable showers, an ice machine, and a large tent for all the meals and activities. There is even hay for the horses. The ride committee plans to serve a dinner of BBQ Brisket and all the trimmings including real Dutch Oven Cobbler for dessert. Registration continues throughout the day on Friday. The Wickenburg Community Hospital will cater a breakfast starting at 9am. At noon, snacks, sandwiches and beverages will be available. The first trail ride follows at 1pm. After time back at camp to untack and shower, the bar opens at five pm, complete with appetizers. Dinner, catered by Chuck Wagon’s West, is at 6pm. Riders are invited to bring their unused or unwanted tack for the first auction of the weekend, the “Tacky Auction”, a live auction of tack and other “tacky” items that will go under the hammer at 7:30. This is similar to a tack swap except all the proceeds go to the hospital fund.
Saturday morning, everybody is out of bed early for breakfast at 7:30. The day is dedicated to riding. The committee has scheduled a long and a short ride, to satisfy every horseman. The long ride will go out about 9:30 Saturday morning for about five hours ; the short ride leaves at 10:30 for three hours. The committee will supply bag lunches. Once the riders return to camp, the day’s entertainment will continue with a gymkhana. Riders can cheer on their favorite contestant or join in. By five, with all the horses put away, the live auction of premier items will accompany hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Among this year’s auction items is a Montana backpack trip into the wilderness. The silent auction runs all afternoon and closes after dinner.
On Sunday, there is one more short trail ride after breakfast. Then it’s time for everyone to return home until next year.
The first year, the Serrano’s and other folks from Wickenburg did all the work. As the Ride has grown, so has the amount of work. The Ride committee plans to get any other expenses underwritten. The Third Annual Ride raised $28,000 for the hospital, $17,000 from the auctions. They have a $10,000 Platinum Sponsor, the Remuda Ranch Center for Anorexia and Bulimia. There’s a level of sponsorship to suit any pocket.
It’s an opportunity to enjoy the old West, complete with horses, chuck wagon food, cowboy music, and camping under the stars. But riders who want to get in on the fun will have to hurry. Already, 50 riders have signed up. Many of these are riders returning from earlier years. For more information, call the Hospital Development Office at 928-668-1812.
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