The SCCHA has been around since 1945 and still has members and friends whose families were part of the club from the beginning and for all the years gone by. To share their stories and provide a place for them to stay in touch, we're keeping this web page open to all those who have stories to tell about the times when Santa Cruz County was still truly rural and getting around the county on horseback was as easy as saddling up a willing horse. 

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To post your remembrances here, email manedance@baymoon.com

The Churchill Peters Family of San Francisco also contributed financial support to the club's founding and the construction of improvements such as the arena, picnic and BBQ area, the picket lines that used to be immediately adjacent (on the north) to the clubhouse and the wooden bleachers, horse show guest boxes and announcer's stand. I have a picture of Churchill and his two daughters presenting a Grand Entry ribbon to me in 1961 or 62. 

Articles of incorporation were filed Jan. 9, 1945: Copies of these documents might still be held by Johnnie Johnson, H. Alan Ware, Rod or Honora (Ware) Robertson, or Mamie Burnett. I have Alan's address and will drop a line to him. I'll try to track down Mamie, as Marcia Miller believes she lives in the town where I work. Ada Ducker Gibeau (Penny Wahler's grandmother-in-law) was VERY active on the county trails council, so Penny or Bill Wahler might have old papers on some of this. 

As late as the mid-Sixties, we had an annual family trail ride and BBQ in the then undeveloped de la Veaga Park, and finished up at Wagner Grove. We had room to picket about 25 or 30 horses, and the rest stood tied to trailers for HOURS. I do not recall problems with this arrangement, although it seems odd to think about it now... Often the ride included a "side-trip" to Emma Knight's Stable on Branciforte Drive or a round trip through the grounds and creeks of Loma Alta. 

In the Fifties, Turner Flats held a "hurdles course" of what seemed to me to be ENORMOUS brush aikens -- steeplechase jumps all made of greasewood and manzanita brush 4 1/2-5 feet high. The horses galloped very fast over them, jumping through the brush, rather than clean over it. Watching horses school these fences while learning to jump "through and at speed" was tremendously exciting. 

In 1955 a lease with the Cowell Trust Estate SCCHA would share  the grounds with the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Posse and the San Lorenzo Valley Horsemen's Association: Col. Busby (sons: Ryan and Brooks), Dick Schaeffer's dad (who founded the Camellia Gardens nursery), Bunny Ricard's dad, and Fred Wagner were all part of these negotiations.

The Graham Hill property was originally vacant except for a track which was used by trotting ponies. A quarter-mile "sprint track" also ran north-south, along the west side of the arena, and shared a fence with the spectator boxes. The club taught conditioning and pace with the oval track and the sprint track, by breezing horses against a stopwatch. We used to compete (for honor only!) to see who could come closest to a specified time, thus hitting a precise certain pace. The Grand Entry for the formal shows, during the Miss California-affiliated era, also assembled on the northern part of the sprint track before parading past the spectator boxes and out and around the oval track. We were sure we were VERY elegant, with all the convertibles and fancy carriages mixed among the various groups of riders. 

All the existing structures and fences had been constructed by the participating clubs since 1946. The original arena was completed in 1954 and served until 1988 when it was replaced with a pipe corral arena: The original arena fence was a jump-in, jump-out design popular in the Forties and Fifties. The Field Hunter classes required demonstrating hunting pace (hand gallop) across the full course, and in and out of the arena. The horses were expected to ignore the bustle in the stands -- an amazingly they did! Peter Lert (Los Gatos), Antonio Vascek (Los Altos) or Richard Collins (Pebble Beach) often judged these classes, as they were experienced field hunters themselves. "Tony" and "Dick" were also Masters of Fox Hounds for the Los Altos Hunt during the Fifties and Sixties. 

The forest was VERY well established at Graham Hill long before 1959, the first time I ever rode in it. The picket lines for tie-outs were cut out of the forest, and the paddocks were made of deadfall logs secured to stout oaks and other trees with baling wire -- all under the shade canopy. No nails--- EVER! Liz Friedlaender (then married to Herman, now has reclaimed her maiden name of Searle) led an annual trail ride through the forest for the express purpose of identifying the native plants and trees. She held a contest for kids after each ride. We had 30 minutes to go collect specimens for her, and then had to come back and ID each specimen and tell her one special thing about each one. The child who had the most (most correct that is) specimens won some little prize that she awarded. 

The 40's, 50's and 60's were eras of big horse shows, annual shows having begun in 1945. There were as many as 300 participants and 1000 to 2000 spectators who paid admission fees of $2 per car. There were box seats for viewers and a wet bar was available. These shows were often preceded by a parade in Santa Cruz. A parade grand marshal was often featured; this was either a movie star or a leading businessman in the community. Some of the grand marshals were film stars James Craig, Rory Calhoun and James Brolin. The Grand Marshall also led the Grand Entry parade at the lunch break of the show on Saturday. My dad, Terry (T.R.) Alchorn was a club president at some point in the Sixties, and he announced for many of the formal and schooling shows. We had music and a liveried ring master -- very uptown! 

Until Pebble Beach (Dick Collins) built an outside course built on the roughs of Bird Rock, Graham Hill was the only West Coast three-day course. It had a true Irish bank, open water flanked by tall cypress trees, a real timber wagon that was stacked to various heights w/ local redwood logs, the arena fences, the aikens on Turner Flats, a terrifying trakehner (solid log suspended over an unrivetted open ditch), and various other very challenging fences. The west Coast Olympic Trials for 1960 (and perhaps 1964) three-day teams were held at Graham Hill. 

Tryouts for the junior Olympics were held at Graham Hill in the 40's and 50's. The Santa Cruz Pleasure Horse Competition was a popular event from 1954 to 1964. Horses were judged on all aspects of handling from trailer loading, to saddling and bridling, obstacles and rail work, and even conformation and ability to work in groups. This Pleasure Horse Competition was a really FUN event, with so much to learn form all the other participants. The judges rode the finalist horses, and that packed the stands, too! 

1962 saw the first Horse Fair which was held in conjunction with the Santa Cruz County Fair. My mom, Jayne Penny Alchorn, served on the first few boards that organized the "new" County Fair Horse Show. The Fair had an accompanying show prior to WWII, and the "new" board helped restore that tradition. 

Two long standing junior groups have been sponsored by the club, the Santa Cruz County Junior Horsemen's Association and the Color Guard, which has appeared at the County Fair, local parades and other events. During the 60's the club sponsored the Hoof Seats make that Hoof Beats , a drill team comprised of 30 junior riders. They worked under Joyce English and their performances included appearances at the Cow Palace (Grand Nationals). I rode in the color guard at Cow Palace for a few years in the 1967-70 time frame. We were a western group, costumed as early-California Vaqueros. We wore basic black with scarlet accents, and tried to coy Vaquero designs for attire and tack. The color guard consisted of two American flags, one California Bear flag, and a club flag that was pale blue and light gold. 

In 1956 Hermann and Elizabeth Friedlaender founded the Pony Club's first west coast chapter. The Pony Club is a national organization run by volunteers whose goals are to teach riding and care of the horse or pony to young people. The Pony Club has used Graham Hill Showgrounds for its weekly meetings and annual camp rally since its inception. SCCPC was the first Pony Club chartered west of the Mississippi, and is honored as among the longest in continual operation. It's not quite true that Pony Club has met continuously at Graham Hill. The first year or two, the weekly meetings were at Liz and Herman's Mole Haven Farm, on Cherryvale in Soquel. We also met for a while at Kenolyn Camp, because we could use the rental string there. The Camp Rally had almost 60 annual participants during the Sixties. 

I have FOND memories of riding my Roja Sand (Sandy) from our Dominican side of deLaveaga Park home/pasture, thru deLaveaga up Branciforte Drive to Ada Gibeau's property on Granite Creek Road.   My Sandy had been born on Ada's property.  Then, in the 1970s I would ride up the hill behind Ada's property which connected to the Church Peters property. Mr. Peters was SO nice in that he had a couple horses pastured on his acreage on top of the ridge, but he still let us ride through. We were basically on the PG&E easement. In order to ride thru his property, with his loose horses, we had to carry a branch to kinda ward off his horses if they decided to get nosy and follow.  On weekends, often there would be Peters family members in the swimming pool, but we never interfered with them. 

I was conditioning for NATRC, and would ride that Granite Creek ridge to Santa's Village. Then, I would either ride across the Granite Creek bridge to Scotts Valley Drive, or ride the ridable culvert under Hwy 17 to Scotts Valley Drive.  Then, I'd either take Lockwood Ln. to Henry Cowell or Graham Hill, and back Sims Road, to La Madrona & El Rancho Drives, back thru Carbonera, along Goss back to home.  A good big circle! I shudder to think of doing it today because of the volume of fast cars on the roads! 

Penny Wahler's mother-in-law (Ada Gibeau's daughter), Jean Wahler is still a member of SCCHA. She should have a lot of info, too. Ada's old house on Granite Creek was the old stage coach stop. 

I *so* remember when John Schumaker died.  He was teaching a jumping lesson at Loma Alta. He told the group/class "You do it like this". He was jumping from the parking/barn side into the Pony Pasture. As he & his horse jumped the fence, he fell off, hitting his head, and was Dead At The Scene.  Only in his 30s, I would guess.  It was front-page news in the Sentinel!   And, ANY time something like that happened, my dad would cut the article out of the paper and put it on my pillow in my bedroom, to make sure I saw it (and adhered by it). 

As I rode up Branciforte Drive to/from Ada Gibeau's, I would often check out Knight's Stable, and/or McCray's Stable. I remember when my Sandy was a young dippy, Emma, Ada & I were clearing trails in lower deLaveaga Park.   Emma must have been in her late 70s, and Ada must have been late 60s. Ada was riding her good ol' Paiute.  Emma was also on a suitable steady mount.  I was about 19-20 yrs old, Sandy was 4-5 yrs old. While Sandy was "turning summersaults down the trail", Emma & Ada were STANDING IN THEIR SADDLES, with pruners in hand.  I vowed at the time, I was gonna be the same -- now I'm beginning to have my doubts. 

Ada had quit riding at 70, saying "it was time."  I argued with her that it was too soon for her. When she was 94, she confessed to me that she quit riding too soon. 

We would line up for Grand Entries just outside the arena at the north end of the arena, facing north, and go around the big track, entering the arena at the south end of the arena. The first trophy/ribbon I ever won was in 1960, Funny Costume division of the Grand Entry, riding my pinto gelding, Micky. 

Some years later, when Star was pregnant with Patrick's Pride (named by Terry Alchorn because was born on St. Patrick's Day, at Loma Alta), so I had a loaner horse from Rancho Verde Summer Camp on our Brookwood Drive pasture. I took Sunny in the Funny Costume division of a Grand Entry, dressed as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, complete with cow bell on his breast collar. The bell clanked, and some horse spooked & bolted around the track -- meanwhile, Sunny was a perfect gentleman! 

The Santa Cruz Pleasure Horse Competition was a popular event from 1954 to 1964. Horses were judged on all aspects of handling from trailer loading, to saddling and bridling, obstacles and rail work, and even conformation and ability to work in groups. Some years went by and the Santa Cruz County Pleasure Horse competition was revived.  The perpetual trophy had been in the possession of the last winner, Led Englesman, Wilder Ranch caretaker. When he proudly showed Simone Reese the trophy, he had a plastic bag over it to protect it. 

Then, the SC County Pleasure Horse competition was revived for a couple years. I believe it was 1974 when Linda Watson (of Scotts Valley) won it on Dixon's Dream. Then, the following year, the trailer loading segment of the competition was going to use my trailer.   There was a low turnout of entries, and my neighbor Pat Vanderlan and her sister Lynn Nice twisted my arm to go home and get my Sandy and take her in the competition. I remember Pat, Lynn, and I working like li'l beavers trying to get the tarweed off of Sandy (our Brookwood Dr. pasture had tarweed in it), and I had just gone home to catch Sandy & bring her back that morning for the competition.   In fairness, I said Sandy is used to this trailer -- so instead of loading in the left, it was decided I would load her on the right-hand side to make it a li'l different for us anyway. Sandy won the four-phase competition!  And, I am TICKLED PINK to be the holder of that perpetual trophy!!!!!  The trophy had always been a stand-up type, but both sides of the plaques were filled up, so to get my name and Sandy's on the trophy, it was converted to a wall hanging type, with redwood (for Santa Cruz) backing. While the trophy was being engraved & finished -- I will NEVER forget the day Pat Vanderlan brought the finished trophy to me, and presented it to me with Sandy's & my names on it. The trophy hung with my other trophies on my hallway wall here at my Old San Jose Road home for about 8-9 years, when it hit me that nobody really was seeing it here.  As I was riding thru Briarcliff to the Kennolyn trails, and Hillary Smathers Falconer had been a prior winner of the trophy, I "gave" the trophy back to Hillary to hang at Briarcliff, thereby more people would see it. 

Joyce English later married Les Strong. Les used to rope at the 30th Avenue roping arena, practically around the corner from Todd Brown's roping arena (now Clares St. shopping center). My sister and I used to come home from school on Wednesdays and ride from our Brookwood Drive pasture to/from Les' roping arena, where we'd get lessons on roping, and hang around with the cowboys per se. 

When Joyce English was teaching lessons at Loma Alta, I took lessons from her. Then, she taught lessons at Roaring Camp.  I remember one day we came from a Hoof Beats lesson...  Afterwards, Joyce was giving each of us rides home in her li'l sports car. As we zipped down Graham Hill Road, we sang "My Favorite Things", then stopped to let Casey Kelly off at her Graham Hill Road home.  (Casey Kelly, now Kathy Miller). Katy Wyckoff was also in the Hoof Beats. 

Then, after the Roaring Camp lesson location, Joyce taught lessons in Aptos, across Soquel Drive from Leo Bass' Meadowood.  Heading south on Soquel Drive, you angled back to the left going under the railroad trestle. Sure had some great schooling shows at Meadowood, too!