- • Hosts the Silent Auction at the El Presidente Party — typically 120+ items.
- • Runs the Duck Races, conceived by Rob Reed — named ducks, racehorse-style stats, and Calcutta betting that has paid out as high as 80-to-1.
THE CAMP
How they got here.
Los Cab traces its roots to March 26, 1947, when 67 men left Wickenburg on horseback for the inaugural Desert Caballeros Ride. Dallas Gant — father of longtime camp boss Rusty Gant — was among the founders. The ride was conceived to give business and professional men “a few days escape from the normal tension and worry of everyday living” in what was then billed as the Dude Ranch Capital of the World.
As the ride grew, the original group split into camps — Los Cab, Remuda, Colorado, Honkers, Poor Boys, and Cheapskates — and Los Cab kept the name of the founding outfit. The other camps still rib Los Cab for drinking wine and reading the Wall Street Journal in the saddle. They’re not entirely wrong.
Rusty Gant has organized the camp’s logistics, staff, and horses for more than 50 years. The camp emphasizes fine dining on the trail — Cabernets paired with steak — and members are known for sharing a glass and a bottle with whoever wanders over from a neighboring camp.
— ADAPTED FROM NOTES BY KEN LOYST.
What this camp brings to the week.
Every camp hosts something the rest of the ride looks forward to. Here’s what this one is known for.
PAST RIDERS
A few names.
- · Dick Spencer (publisher, Western Horseman)
- · Wally Schirra (astronaut)
- · Hugh Ingels (rancher)
- · Rodney Fitch (businessman)
- · Moose Dunne (circuit judge)
- · Jack Gibbons (CIA)
New riders are placed by the board.
If you want to ride with Los Cab, say so on your application — and list a sponsor if you have one. Final placement is up to the board.