Ride, Rangers, Ride : Cavalry Unit Gives Youngsters a Stable Start on Road to Adulthood

They’re the California Rangers.

Kids. Riding horses.

About 120 of them troop off one night a week to a stable in either Sunland or Saugus. Boys and girls ages 9 to 19 participate, the more experienced training the less experienced in a range of skills from horsemanship to job interview techniques.

Self-esteem and respect for others are major goals. A sense of presence, leadership development, and scholarship opportunities are others.

“They learn to sell themselves, which is good for getting them into the job world,” said Sharon Horan of Canyon Country, captain of her daughter’s troop. Members have cavalry titles, from remount to lieutenant.

Melissa Horan, 16, is a cadet commander, the highest rank among youth members. She joined at age 10 and worked up through the ranks. She hopes next year to earn a scholarship to study to be an emergency medical technician.

Sharon Horan said many of the youngsters join out of a love for horses. They soon learn that responsibility and military regimen are part of the course. “They need to use a lot of common sense,” Horan said. “They are in control of a 1,000-pound animal, traveling at speed. They have to think.”

The troops, with a dozen or more members each, drill not only in riding skills and formations but in military science. “Discipline these days is lacking in a lot of homes,” Horan said. “This is a real structured organization.”

The local groups meet at Bella Vista Stables in Sunland and at Don-E-Brook Farms in Saugus.

The nonprofit organization was formed as a semi-military operation in 1944, when much of the adult male population was fighting in World War II. Teenage boys volunteered to aid civil defense, such as riding in the Santa Monica Mountains to watch the Pacific for enemy submarines.

Now, both boys and girls participate. Members don’t need to own a horse or have riding experience to join.