Horsing around the Hill Country

Gary Gayler looks every inch a cowboy.

He has the hat. The boots. The leather vest. The blue jeans. The bandana around his neck. And the tan.

There’s only one snag: “I hate cows,” says Gary. “But they are good to work horses on, so they do serve some purpose.”

You see, Gary is a horse guy. He trains horses. He takes folks on rides at the 225-acre Montesino Ranch. He stages Old West re-enactments. He helps make movie stars look good on horseback.

When he talks about horses he gets downright philosophical. “Most everything I know I learned from horses and very little has to do with horses,” he says.

Gary splits his time between Wimberley and Colorado. From fall to spring he’s at the Montesino Ranch providing horseback-riding adventures for mostly folks from the city.

He hosts all kinds of people who want to experience the beauty of the Hill Country from the back of a horse. His youngest rider was eight. His oldest was celebrating his 83rd birthday with his two daughters.

Gary has been training horses for more than half a century. It takes him about five seconds to size up the skill level of his guests. “There are some people who are just terrified,” he says. “I usually push people past what they can do. People will come out of the experience thinking they have survived something, thinking they have overcome adversity.”

Bond develops

After the ride, he says, there’s always a bond between the rider, the horse and the guide.

Gary has three grown children who are scattered around the world. A daughter lives in the United Kingdom and still rides. But when he speaks of his five horses at the ranch, it’s like they are his children as well.

The line-up and Gary’s description:

Lewie (the Lip): mischievous, creative, fun to be with.

Jazz: persnickety, not very forgiving.

Cash: sweet as candy.

Ace: the prefect ride.

Trevor: a gentleman, soft and easy, a good old man.

The breeds are either American quarter horses, used on ranches, in rodeos and racing, or Lusitano, a Portuguese horse that’s intelligent and agile.

The guests are about a 50-50 split between people with some experience with horses and novices. Gary provides a quick lesson in the corral to help riders feel comfortable. “I try to tell them it’s the feel,” he says. “I tell them not to get too technical.”

For someone who’s not been around horses and may be a little intimidated, Ace gets the call.

Then it’s up the mountain. Sometimes the first half of the two-hour ride is a learning experience. The second half of the ride is usually more enjoyable as the riders have become more confident, relaxed and have created a bond with the horse.

At the plateau, riders and horses take a break while Gary offers up bottled water and a variety of snacks (which may or may not include his homemade deer sausage) and everyone gets to relax while taking in the panoramic view.

Some may consider the ride up and down the mountain a little steep, but, Gary says: “It’s nowhere near as daunting as going down the Grand Canyon on a mule — now that’s scary.

“When people come out the other side, we have come out of it together.”

Everyone’s different

Taking the same trail day after day could get a little boring, but as Gary says, the people make all the difference. “It’s somewhat of an adventure. It’s all about the group of people I go with.”

Horses respect authority, says Gary: “They have no idea you are afraid of them. They just know you are afraid. If you have confidence, these horses respect that. If you have a relationship with your horses, they have confidence in you.”

He has yet to have a rider thrown or a run-away horse. “I have the instruction down pretty good. If people follow what I say they won’t have any problems. These are good horses.

“You can tell in a matter of seconds if someone is comfortable,” he adds.

Gary spends his summers in the Rocky Mountain states where he and his partner set up western scenes for artists. Often they use the scenery on the Little Big Horn River, where General George Armstrong Custer met his famous demise at the hands of the Sioux and Cheyenne.

For these western scenes, they employ models — many Native Americans — and the artists either come out and paint the scene on site or Gary’s team sends hundreds of photos from every angle to the artist. It costs more than $5,000 day to recreate a scene, but, Gary notes, some of the artists sell their works for six figures.

Sometimes the movies call. Gary trained horses for Kevin Costner in the 1997 post-apocalyptic adventure “The Postman.” He was also employed by acclaimed director Ang Lee in the 1999 Western “Ride with the Devil” starring Toby Maguire and for the movie “Rough Riders,” the 1997 Teddy Roosevelt story starring Sam Elliott, Gary Busey and Tom Berenger.

Back in Wimberley, prices for the two-hour ride (including snacks) are $165 per person. There’s also a four-hour ride at Canyon Lake that costs $195 a person.

Montesino Ranch, where the stables are located, is at 300 Little Arkansas Road, just off Flite Acres Road. The ranch also hosts weddings, corporate events and has guest houses.

For information on horseback rides call 970- 443-7627 or email [email protected].

Gary sums it up: “People have dreams of riding through the sky — and I do too.”