Saddle Sore Riders CLUB

Saddle Sore Members,

I hope all of you had an amazing Fourth of July celebrating the 250th birthday of this great country.

What a Fourth of July it was! The ride we hosted along with the Norco Horsemen’s Association was a huge success. Our goal was to have 250 riders to represent the 250 years of this great country. I am happy to report that we surpassed that goal with 255 riders!

This did not happen by accident. It happened because of the hard work, planning, and servant hearts of so many of you in this club.

I cannot begin to thank all of the outriders who helped with traffic and kept us safe as we took on a uniquely different type of ride. You did a tremendous job helping riders, communicating clearly, and stepping in when horses or riders found themselves in tough situations.

To everyone who volunteered on the ground crew, worked as button pushers, and helped get us evenly and safely across the streets, thank you. You did a tremendous job communicating with riders on horseback, keeping people calm, and helping everything move smoothly.

A special thank you to Claude and his daughter for coming out and helping with parking. They were able to get the most rigs into the smallest area possible, and that made a huge difference.

Overall, this was a uniquely different ride, and it was highly successful. It is being talked about everywhere. We even had our 15 seconds of fame on NBC Channel 4 as they highlighted part of the ride. You do not need to spend much time on social media to see the videos, pictures, and comments from people who were thrilled and excited to be part of this tremendous event.

Each of you who were on horseback or helped at the intersections on the ground can say you were part of something epic and historic. This ride truly set the gold standard for how an event like this can be run safely, successfully, and still be a whole lot of fun.

I also want to give a special thanks to the members of the Norco Horsemen’s Association who worked tirelessly alongside us to put this ride on. You did a wonderful job working the sign-up table, getting bands on everyone, and helping start the ride at a good pace.

We also could not have looked better if it were not for the Norco Cowgirls, who led the ride and looked absolutely amazing. Thank you as well to John for the incredible pictures and drone footage he supplied. Overall, it was an amazing day.

Going into the Fourth of July, we also had our burger night on June 30, and Cindy Merritt’s team delivered again. Over 70 burgers were served, and it was a wonderful night of food, service, and fellowship. We continue to receive so many comments about how great our food is and how wonderful the service is. Each of you truly reflects a servant heart and helps make people want to come out, enjoy our burgers, and spend time together.

I hope all of you enjoy the summer and stay cool during the month of July. I look forward to seeing you all on the trail or at our next general meeting in August.

As the old cowboy saying goes, “Good horses, good friends, and a trail to ride are some of life’s greatest blessings.”

Happy trails,

Don Pettinger

President

Saddle Sore Riders, Inc.®