DC Newsletter

I began working at the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department in November of 2000. My first duty station was out of Yarnell. This area includes north Wickenburg, Angel’s Flats, Sayers Station, Boyd Ranch and a lot of the places where the Desert Caballeros Ride goes. I’d heard about the DC Ride for years as a deputy. And I’d heard some great stories about this legendary trail ride from other Yavapai deputies who had gone on the DC Ride as a “Ride Deputy.”

Being a “Ride deputy” meant that they took off from work that week, without pay, and volunteered to “oversee” this historic Arizona trail ride to ensure that the riders were all safe in the event of any and all emergencies.

I’d always wanted to see what the Desert Caballeros Trail Ride was all about. Finally, in 2015, my friend Scott Joy was the Yavapai County sergeant in charge of the deputies who volunteered to go on the Ride. Scott invited Daniel Moralez and me to assist him that year as DC Ride deputies.

I had an amazing experience on that ride. It was the 69th annual DC Ride and I met some great folks – Woody Lowe, Rick Nulman, Tommy Wilmeth, Midnight Schwartz and Tom Hunt, who was the El Presidente of the DC Ride that year. This first year made me want to come back for more. Luckily, I got to go four more times as a deputy, and each time left me wanting more. In my third year on the Ride, Scott Stevens convinced me to rent a horse and participate in the gymkhana, an event that tests the horse’s skills and the rider’s ability.

In 2019 I was told I could not go on the Ride as a deputy due to staffing issues and it broke my heart. Long-time DC rider Tommy Wilmeth invited me to be a guest at the big El Presidente Party the Sunday night before the Ride began, as well as “Day-In-Camp,” which takes place on Wednesday during the Ride itself. I attended, and was welcomed by all, but I still wanted more.

So in 2020, after a talk with my beautiful wife, I decided to go on the DC as a rider rather than as a volunteer police officer in a patrol car with a list of responsibilities that didn’t include being a cowboy. But sadly, I think you all know how that turned out…Covid-19. In 2021, I planned to go on the DC Ride again, but once more Covid interfered.

In 2022, I contacted my good friend Rick Nulman and asked him to sponsor me as a paying rider, and he readily and graciously agreed. That first Desert Caballeros Ride was the “Diamond Ride,” the 75th annual DC Ride, and a very big deal. My horse was magnificent. The scenery, as viewed from the back of my horse, was so much better than the view from my patrol car. As a “Greenstriper” (first-year rider) I participated in the gymkhana again and wore my sombrero with honor as a Remuda Camp “Greenie.”

I even won “Greenstriper of the Year,” the award that Remuda Camp (one of the six “camps” or “fraternal groups” that make up the entire DC Ride) bestows on the first-year rider who shows the most initiative and, they tell me, the most Ride “spirit.” That first year was an awesome experience for me. It made me realize what I had been missing: actually being on The Ride!

For the last three years I have been a “cowboy” on the Desert Caballeros April trail ride. I cannot wait until our next ride in April of 2026. I can’t wait to see all my DC friends again. Like many others, I love this 79-year old western adventure. And I look forward to seeing you all there.

Steve Surak
Ride Deputy / Desert Caballero “Cowboy”