Monday, July 25, 2011

The Great Horse Rebellion of 1990

Horseshoe Bend: 1990

The Summer of 1990 at HB was often later referred to by those on staff as "The Summer that Never Was". The reason for this label was that although it was successful and all the staff had fun, it seemed like nothing really happened. Six weeks of campers with no problems is probably what the Camping Services Department at the council office dreams about but to the staff... not really. Well some forget about an event that happened on about the 3rd or 4th week of camp. It was after lunch and the first afternoon merit badge class had already ended and we were waiting for the next wave of campers to come in. We were lying on the benches of the picnic tables only sitting up when someone yelled "car" or "campers" so as to look like we were awake and alert all along.

All of a sudden one of the wranglers (I think her name was Missy) came riding up on her horse in a panic. "There's been a stampede!" she shouted and rode off. As she was riding away I was able to get from her that it was somewhere near the water towers above camp site 6. At that moment I realized that I left the first-aid kit back in the program box so I went back and got it. Running as fast as I could I made my way toward campsite 6. I don't even remember passing the Trading Post or the central showers. Just as I got to the road above camp site 7 my adrenaline sent my brain a message. I'm sure it was something to the effect of "times up!" because I immediately ran out of energy and could run no more. I had to walk/jog the rest of the way. As I got there the situation was pretty much as I expected it to be but on a smaller scale. By that I mean I expected to see something like a Civil War post-battle scene with wounded lying all around as they were waiting to be bandaged up. It was indeed like that but there were only three or four people needing bandages. Most of the rest were others from the trail ride helping the ones who were hurt. There were only a few wranglers there, the rest went to go get help. I didn't do much bandaging there but I was glad I brought my first aid kit because it was needed.

After that I remember all the hurt scouts sitting in Horseshoe Bend City Hall. It was a staff meeting/dining room then so it was just tables, chairs, a punch machine, a cereal dispenser an ice tea pot, and an ice machine. Clean, not like a teenager's room. No offense to those people who like the way it looks now. I was in there too cooling off. Being a selfish teenager at the time I wondered why no one noticed me. Not realizing that I really didn't do that much to help, or at least not as much as I thought I did.

The horses were a different story. Eventually they were all rounded up and brought back to the corrals. Not being a wrangler I had nothing to do with that so I can supply no more information there. However, in the tack room of the barn there is part of the wall that has little plaques of former horses at HB. Sure, the wranglers say they are no longer there because they've died or have been sold. But... have they?