...begins the song that is featured in the black and white silent film "Out On Trail".... written and directed by me and produced by Millicent Sheridan and Gary Gray - soon to be featured here at our web-site. A lot of free talent was wrangled by Millicent and Gary to pull off this little jewel and I would like to start my first column for this web page by listing some of those people and thanking them: Elvis Restaino for his cinematography; JD Crowley for his editing, and Franz Pusch for his musical score, Bijoux Deluxe for hair and makeup, and Steven Paul Fackrell for set design, and then, of course, the Dolls who played themselves (more or less) in the film. That said, I think this first column wants to tell you who we are and why we call ourselves Dolls and why we think we are worthy of having a ten-minute film made about us.

For those of us who call ourselves Dolls, riding horses is not only a passion, it is a rite of passage into another realm of existence, and it is a privilege that we are keenly aware of -- these huge creatures allow us to ride them when they could just as easily toss us and stomp us like big annoying flies. Instead, they allow us to start them (we never say break...) and they consent to become our companions, and as Hollywood Dolls, we treat them as companions, not just pets, or worse, just as a mode of transportation. Those days are over for horses. They no longer need to carry us across country. In fact, now we are able to return the favor.


Recently Millicent and I took Bugsy and Diablo in a two horse slant trailer behind my Escalade to Los Osos, California, where they were boarded in an environment that was more plush than our cheap hotel room. We bedded them down the first night in their roomy rental stalls with plenty of fresh alfalfa and a few treats from home and kissed them good night. They had a view to die for... the starry night and the silent and still waters of Morro Bay, and several beautiful mares in neighboring stalls who were giving the eye to these city boys (men actually, but they are still so boyish). Next morning we got up early and prepared for our day trip.


The fruit and muffin basket the motel provided would not go to waste; we ate the carbs for early morning energy and packed the apples and oranges for the horses. We carefully dressed in the important layers that would see us through the day. I always ride in stretch jeans, but Millie prefers cargo pants for the pockets they provide on her legs. I understand the convenience, but Millie is an expert who usually rides only with a bareback pad... I, however, need the comfort of a saddle and even then, the extra grip you get from a good pair of tight jeans... the stretch part is good for getting on and off, and they look great on your legs and butt. We both wore our tall boots with knee socks, not knowing what kind of terrain we might encounter... but we stuck a pair of thong sandals in the saddle bag for the possibility of wanting to shed boots... not a bad idea when you are going on a day trip, because even if you have ridden in your boots for weeks with no problems, a twelve hour day on and off horseback will challenge the best of shoes... and at the end of the day, when the four of us would be heading back to the ranch in the sunset, dangling our sore feet in thongs might be just what the doctor ordered... (You can always tie your boots by the grip loops inside the tops and then tie them behind your saddle). Always take plenty of leather straps when you go out on trail, the uses are endless and you just might want to braid hair... horse and girl.

Instead of wearing a bra (which is totally necessary if you are any larger than a B cup and if you are going to go any faster than a walk)... we like to don a cute and sexy bathing suit top. Over that goes a long-sleeve (for sun protection), but light-weight t-shirt, and finally (because it is early morning and the chill is still upon us) we slip on our heavy woven cotton Mexican hooded ponchos with the kangaroo pouch pocket in front and the one tie at the neck and the long flared arms that we bought two years ago in Rosarita Beach. They are striped and washed to a wonderful faded softness, mine is purple and Millie's is brown. We take along one extra layer, like a sweater or a "hoodie" type sweat shirt, don our cowgirl hats, always with strong ties for securing your hat under your neck when you canter or when the wind whips up, sunglasses, sunscreen on our faces and hands (although I have discovered a fabulous pair of fly-fishing gloves that are skin-color and comfortable, unlike bulky riding gloves that feel so heavy and unnecessary in summer weather)... and finally we take along a skull cap, something that you can pull down over your ears if the wind really whips up, especially on the beach... and your cowgirl hat can simply ride on your back by its string tie... I have a little wooden cross at the end of my hat strings, so when I am wearing my hat on my back, I have a cross as a necklace at my throat... a simple thing to do with beads and knots at the end of your leather ties.

Millie doesn't wear spurs, but I sport a cute pair of "little girl" very PC stainless steel slip-ons with blunted edges to give Bugsy the old reminder that we can't always do things on Bugsy time, which is to say a very slow walk. One little nudge with these fabulous little spurs and he goes right into his lovely canter.

We don't wear make-up on a ride such as this, but we do carry along the essentials: tinted lip gloss with an SPF 15 rating... (check out Clinique and Estee Lauder)... and a mirror compact with SPF 15 powder/makeup... a cowgirl never knows when she might need to powder her nose, and that compact mirror can save your life (see the survival column)... and we usually wear some fun cowgirl jewelry just to make us happy and always a neckerchief that can live in your back pocket "Brad Pitt style", or, as in my case, stay tied around the neck, wet or dry, to cool the head and to protect the neck which is the most vulnerable part of a woman's body for sun damage.


Now we are good to go and when we reach the stable our boys are so happy to see us they greet us with a loud "neighhhhh"... our day trip is ready to start with food and drink for girls and treats for horses packed away in our saddle bag. Also we have our camera, loaded with black and white film for the drama of the day, and a small sketch book with a small pack of colored pencils and our ever present silver and gold markers to capture the moments on paper (or pinecones or rocks, or shells). And of course, I take a small journal to capture the moment in verse when the muse happens to be riding on my shoulder. We have our extra layers and a blanket for our picnic strapped behind one saddle along with our small leather saddle bag with two pouches.... with smokes, lip gloss, and water bottles on top for easy access. On the other horse goes our purple and turquoise saddle bag ice chest... an incredible invention that holds our precious cargo... two bottles of Cakebread Chardonnay iced down on one side and our sandwiches and potato salad and other edibles with wine glasses, napkins, a good knife, and some excellent cheese balancing the weight on the other side.

Does this sound like a lot of trouble? You bet it is. Is it worth it? "When the Hollywood dolls go riding.... with the Hollywood stars to guide them, and the Hollywood moon behind them... out on trail....!" You bet it's worth it... Diablo kicked up his hells and danced in the waves of the ocean just as he remembered doing as a young Mexican circus horse... and Bugsy saw the ocean for the very first time, at the age of twenty. He didn't like it so much, but held his dignity, and I managed to hold on to an open bottle of Cakebread and a full glass of wine when he reared up at the approach of a rogue wave. Later when we reached the bay and settled down in the shade of an ancient oak with limbs over our heads like umbrellas, our horses tied to other limbs as if they had been grown by nature for this very purpose... then both horses and girls breathed in the pleasure of the day and Bugsy (I am sure of this) told Diablo that he wasn't a bit scared, he just doesn't like to get wet. And I told Millie over and over again, "Can you believe I stayed on when Bugsy reared and didn't spill a drop of wine? Wow, what a moment!"


Riding in the middle of a busy city like Los Angeles could potentially become boring if you have known the pleasures of a day like the one Millie and I had at Morro Bay or if you have ridden the trails of Montana or even my own early experiences at Reklaw Ranch, my family home in Mississippi, riding on 10,000 acres of pine forest and pastures. But there has never been a ride with the dolls that has been either boring or uneventful. It is always about the horses, but the ride always has a life of its own.


This is Cynthia Walker, the bon vivant cowgirl, signing off until next time when I will share with you our magical gourmet sandwiches for trail rides and what food to take when you can't get off your horse and many other style tips to make your riding not only a pleasure, but a "this is what I'm talking about" kind of experience. Cheers, bon appetit, and keep your trails happy, Hollywood doll style!

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