Trail boss gives detailed account of coast-to-coast horse ride

The build up to the Grass March/Cowboy Express ride focused on the protest. And the conclusion of the coast-to-coast horse ride centered on organizer Grant Gerber’s death. On Thursday, trail boss of the Grass March/Cowboy Express Jess Jones filled in details about the day-to-day experience at an Elko County Commission meeting. On a mildly foggy September morning, seven riders saddled up their horses on a Pacific beach in Bodega Bay, California, then headed east. Jones said the riders took turns in 5-mile stretches with new riders waiting up ahead to continue the journey. Twenty-eight horses were used, as well as a couple of mules. After a while, the groups reduced the legs to four miles. “We were leap-frogging, which sped us up,” he said. “We were able to ride our horses a little harder and cover more country. … We were able to rotate quite a bit, but we would use every horse every day.” Before leaving, the horses’ diets were supplemented with alfalfa cubes to prepare their bodies’ digestive system for the sustenance. Every few days, more cubes were purchased, Jones said. The horses also ate grains. California was difficult, according to the trail boss, because of the tight roads with narrow shoulders and traffic concerns. In response, the riders mapped out routes on the back roads. “By the time we got through California our horses were used to pretty much anything,” he said. Along the way, people opened up their horse arenas and homes for the riders. “Trying to find places for 28 head of horses is kind of a logistical nightmare every night,” Jones said. “And the farther east you go the less rodeo ground you can find with places to hold them.” Cowboys in Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Kansas helped the original group for portions of the trip. “Each day started at about 4 o’clock in the morning and ended at midnight,” he said...more