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6 Friends oF red rock canyon
Sharon’s Slant By Sharon Schaaf
n 2010, Texas A&M University student Ben The crew set out on April 1, 2013 and spent a
I Masters, along with friends Parker Flannery little more than a month traveling through Arizona,
and Mike Pinckney, took a semester off school including crossing the Grand Canyon. The begin-
to ride horses for 2,000 miles through Colorado, ning of the trip found unexpected obstacles on
New Mexico, Wyoming and Montana. The excite- the trail and temperature changes. The men were
ment of that trip inspired Ben to plan another trip also getting used to their horses but lost their lead
through the west from Mexico to Canada and film cameraman for two weeks when he was not paying
it this time. “Unbranded,” the book and movie, attention to where he was going and was kicked by
documents the fulfillment of Ben’s dream. one of the horses.
By 2013, Ben was ready to start the trip that They entered Utah on May 17, 2013. Three
would cover 3,000 miles through Arizona, Utah, times the horses ran away and had to be tracked
Wyoming and Montana. He recruited friends down, with the help of locals. Due to injuries,
Thomas Glover and Ben Thamer to join him, three replacement horses had to be delivered to
along with rancher and horse- the men. One was named
man Jonny Fitzsimons. Film- Little Foot, but when he
maker Phillip Baribeau and his slipped off a ledge at Hell’s
crew of four cameramen were Hole and survived the fall
hired to record the trip and uninjured, they renamed
make the movie. Fundraising him Dinosaur because he
Volunteers dedicated to the preservation of Red Rock Canyon
was started to finance the jour- should have been extinct.
ney. A wilderness-experience
route avoiding snow, high riv- On June 27, 2013, the
ers and government restrictions group quickly passed
was planned out; but it had through Idaho and then
to include water, grazing and into Wyoming where they
places to rest. participated in the Jackson
Hole Fourth of July Rodeo.
Sixteen mustangs, symbols of Ranchers along the way
the American West, were adopt- helped them with direc-
ed from the Mustang Heritage tions, horse transport, pen
Foundation (read more about and pasture use and by
this group in our Spring 2018 sharing their knowledge of
edition of “the Rock,” Glenn Ritt interviewed the the land. On July 26, they entered Montana, their
BLM’s Tabitha Romero, Red Rock Canyon’s Wild last state. Crossing the Bob Marshall Wilderness
Horse and Burro Specialist). Thirty days were Complex was complicated by wildfires requiring
spent training the horses to get used to having a the men to detour several times. Glacier National
rider, carrying a pack and navigating the terrain Park was their last obstacle and they reached the
with that load. The horses were Simmie, Gill, Canadian border on September 6, 2013.
Ford, Tamale, Cricket, Django, Bam-Bam, JR, C-
Star, Stumbles, Tuff, Chief, Violet, Dinosaur, Luke Most of the book is written by Ben Masters,
and Frisky. Donquita, a burro, guarded the herd. along with essays written by the horse trainers,
cameramen and the other members of his crew.
the Rock - Volume 9 Issue 2
