Debbie: Please tell us about your background in California's horse industry.

Gwynn: My family has been in California since 1964. I grew up here, submerged in horses and the horse industry, showing off and on, experimenting with so many of the different equine disciplines; from rail classes to cow horses, worked for several prominent cutting horse trainers for a good 10 years, dabbled in several English disciplines. I worked in the film industry in L.A. for 6 years, working as a movie wrangler and stunt woman. I left California for Wyoming for about 8 years, spending lots of time in the mountains horseback, team roped for awhile there. All of this time I worked around helping ranches here and there, but all of it left me feeling like there was something missing. When I finally hit on the traditions of old California, fine bridle horses, low stress stock handling and this style of roping, I felt like I had come home. This had it all. It was gritty and beautiful and sensitive and tough- overall, it was BALANCED. I met my husband Dave the first year of the event. He is the real thing, buckarooing for a living for 30 years. He has kept the event real and authentic. They say that humans are attracted to balance. I certainly was. I knew if folks knew about this stuff and got to see it "for real" they would like it too. I think it is better for the horses and better for the cattle.
 

Debbie: How did you come to found and manage The Californios?

Gwynn: I went to so many events through the years, hoping to find one where all the "real handy guys" were. No matter where I went there would be a few of them, but never a real concentration of pure buckaroo handiness. So in the fall of 1999 I decided to design an event that showcased the real buckaroos. I wrote the rules to promote good stockmanship and designed a scoring system for the judges that rewarded the "right" things.

There were maybe 7 spectators in the stands the first year, and most of them were family of the contestants!  The show grew in a slow, deliberate way. Though we suffered financially for it, looking back I am glad it progressed slowly - like a good horse, we laid the foundation methodically, slowly, thoroughly, and that is what made it solid and authentic. The rest is history.
  

Debbie: A number of our visitors have expressed regret that The Californios is moving from Red Bluff to Reno this year. What led you to make the switch in venues?

Gwynn: We had several reasons we moved the show to Reno. Firstly, Red Bluff is a rodeo town and not well suited to venues that focus on stockmanship and low stress cattle handling. The town's history and interests were in rodeo arena hands, not real ranch cowboys. It is important to present an event in a community that believes in the message you are trying to communicate.

Secondly, the facility at the fairgrounds in Red Bluff was archaic. The seating was uncomfortable, the building was dark, the layout limiting. There was no air conditioning, so a few years the temperature inside the building was close to 100 degrees. I felt our attendees deserved better than that. The facility in Reno is climate controlled, offers real seats (not aluminum bleachers) and more of them, so we improved the view for many. In Reno, there really isn't a bad seat in the house.

Finally, Reno sits sandwiched between the ranch land of California and the Great Basin, so it is more centrally located within the two regions that fostered this style of stockmanship. The city of Reno is thrilled to have us, understands the buckaroo/vaquero way of life and is eager to support the show.
 

Debbie: Are there any new features/services/benefits as a result of the move to Reno that you'd like our visitors to know about?

Gwynn: In addition to what I outlined above, we also now have the support of a premiere host hotel at the Silver Legacy Resort Hotel and Casino. They have offered discounted rates to Californios attendees who book their rooms using the discount code word "reata". Savings are significant. They are also hosting our Saturday night Buckaroo Ball Party to be held at the Casino in the Silver Baron Ballroom. We will have a guest entertainer (to be announced) and admission to the party is included in our event weekend pass. They are also offering shuttle service to the show, as well as car rental rates for our attendees thru Hertz (see our website for details) and an airport shuttle.

I think the biggest perk in Reno is the quality of the facility and the comfort for our fans. I feel the quality of the facility reflects the quality of the show. The Californios is a unique, quality experience and we felt it deserved a well cared for venue.
 

Debbie: What are your favorite aspects of the Californios and why?

Gwynn: I love sharing the passion with others, that really does it for me. I believe people have an inborn sense for the authentic; they can feel when it is real, even if they are not educated to the details. When they come to the event they sense it, feel the energy, and I love to fill them in on the finer points, help them to become "a student of the life".

Some folks ask us if it is "fun" putting on The Californios and I have to tell them the truth, it is a big event with thousands of details and no committee to delegate the workload to, so no, it is not "fun" for us, but it is very satisfying. Very, very satisfying. There have been more than a few times during our grand entry when all the buckaroos are lined up out in the arena under the lights, and I think of my dream to get as many truly handy buckaroos all together in one place, and there they are. A dream come true.
 

Debbie: What would you say are the hallmarks or most important aspects of the Californio lifestye/discipline?

Gwynn: One of the things I felt was lacking in all the equine disciplines I experienced in my lifetime was the concept of balance. Horses might be great in the arena, but never had any outside experience- I felt that was damaging to a horses mind, never getting outside to experience the natural world, the one God made them for.

I also saw horses used only outside, only thought of as a means of transportation from point A to point B, and they rarely had any true connection with their rider, all the subtle communications between horse and rider where non-existent. Emotionally, both horse and rider were vacant. Some quality horsemanship and work in an arena would have benefitted them, would have united them.

The hard core show people often lost themselves in a slow evolution away from what attracted them to horses in the first place. The hard core rough and tumble ranch types did the same thing. losing their sensitivity to living things, evolving away from common sense and human decency chasing the almighty dollar.

The Californios discipline has some dignity in it, some respect for all living things: human, equine and bovine. Don't get me wrong, horses and cattle are large powerful animals and require equal doses of strength and sensitivity. I hope The Californios is working at finding the balance between the two.

Debbie: What distinguishes a Californio from other western/ranching disciplines?

Gwynn: Ranching has changed so much over the last 50 years. It has a very strong "timed event" influence now. Enough generations have been competing in livestock timed events that most ranch folks have that lodged somewhere in the back of their mind when it comes to handling their cattle. The ranches I go to now all seem to be in such a hurry.

The introduction of the ATV has not helped the livestock end of things. It has taken something mechanical and tried to apply it to living, breathing, thinking, feeling things- the livestock usually suffers. I think ATVs are great for fixing fence, packing salt or suppliment, and hauling tools around, beyond that their use degrades the relationship between man and beast.

The Californios mentality tries to do a better job balancing priorities and keeping some "feel" in the handling of livestock. A mixture of slow when needed and fast when needed and everything in between. You can't make a cow or a horse into a machine. This discipline recognizes that fact and works within the animals natural boundaries when done correctly.
  

Debbie: Think about your average BAEN horseperson, who may be unfamiliar with The Californios. Perhaps she or he rides Dressage, Hunter/Jumper, does casual trail riding, shows western, etc. What lessons can the average horseperson take away from The Californios that might improve their own riding and/or relationship with their horse?

Gwynn: I think a lot of what I mentioned above answers this one, but I can add something here. I think a person has to know something exists in order to believe they can achieve it. I think watching the level of partnership going on between the buckaroo and his horse is inspiring. There are hundreds of tiny cues, subtle looks, feels and adjustments going on between the horse, its rider, the cattle, the team members- all happening in the blink of an eye.

Folks who know nothing about The Californios are often mesmerized by the level of feel and connection going on in the arena when the top hands are working. There isn't anyone who can't take that home with them and strive for it with their horse in the show ring or on the trail. To be alive is to be present in the moment, reacting to what life is sending our way, taking that raw energy and shaping it into something beautiful without losing its "naturalness". Who wouldn't benefit from that? Visit The Californios web site