wild Bunch
Cowboy thought
for the day:
I've heard it said that you are what you eat. Funny, cuz I don't remember eatin' a sexy ol' Cowboy.
The start of it all...
In October, 1982 four buddies, Dave Jones, Charlie Coleman Larry Browning (Buck Bonner), and Mike Fonderhide, from the Indihe anapolis area learned about a trail ride in Missouri near the Big Piney river, in the Mark Twain National Forest, the 4-J Horse Camp. They decided to go and the Wild Bunch was born. Each year more friends started gathering to make the trip and at peak, in the late 80's and early 90's our group grew to around 30 to 35 guys. Our numbers have dwindled since those peak years, but we hope to have a presence for many years to come, as we now have a more formal purpose as you'll read below.
Wild Bunch, Arizona Spring Ride, 2025
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Our Arizona Spring ride is in the planning stages now and it looks like it's gonna be a big one. So far our list is up to 29 "Bunchers" that will be gathering at the Flying E on April 30th for another 5 days of "Cowboyin!" Our group has grown to include so many great souls and Jimmy, and his crew always makes us feel like we belong. Quite a few "rookies" joining us this year, too. GO and Grow, Wild Bunch!
Our purpose, (beyond the friendships and cherished lifelong memories)
On our first Spring ride in Arizona in 2011, we learned that our hosts, Western Destinations, hosts a Cowboy Camp every summer for foster kids and seriously sick around the Phoenix area. As in most large metro areas, thousands of kids are in situations where they wind up in foster programs, too many of them are seemingly forgotten and experience lives that most of can only imagine. Western Destinations and now the Flying E Ranch in Wickenburg has found a way to give hundreds of those kids an opportunity to experience a aste of the Cowboy life. The Wild Bunch also learned that if anyone chooses to make a donation to the local charities sending those kids to the camp, Western Destinations would pretty much match to donation to absorb the expenses for the efforts. Hundreds of kids now go to Cowboy Camp every summer and many of them wind up coming back after "aging out" of the foster programs to volunteer their time at the camp and counsel with the kids experiencing what they once did. ​Some of us "Bunchers" started sending out a little cash to help.
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Well, when all our friends at the Big Piney learned about our support of the foster kids out in Arizona, I found out what big hearts our "horse folks" have. Mention foster kids (or some of those young'uns facing serious medical conditions) and also say "horses", those riders will jump in knee deep with us. On auction day (Thursday) each year at the Big Piney, they started (with Bruce Douglas, in 2015) bringing us things to donate for the Cowboy Camp. since then, as of October 2024, we have been able to send over $120,000 out there to get more kids though that Cowboy Camp at the Flying E Ranch in Wickenburg every summer! So many heartfelt thank you's to 4-J, the Laughlin family, and all of those folks at the trail ride. I had the chance to visit the Camp for a few days in 2019 and I guarantee you that some young lives are getting permanently impacted by all of you supporters. There are even some "alumni" from past Cowboy Camps that return to volunteer their time to help out. With all of our support, we intend to continue this for many years to come.
Wild Bunch, Spring ride 2024
The Wild Bunch made our annual trek out to the Flying E Ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona, May 1st to the 5th. It's always a lot of lie-tellin', beer drinkin', euchre playin', Derby bettin, desert ridin'...you get the point. This has been our yearly tradition since 2011 and ALWAYS builds more amazing memories.
On June 13, 2024, the Wild Bunch experienced the sudden loss of a precious friend, Opal Brown. One of the hardest working people I've ever met and an amazing and beautiful Lady, inside and out. Please hold Jimmy Brown and their large loving family in your prayers and join us in cherishing the memories of this amazing person. Opal left huge holes in the hearts of most anyone who were blessed to know her.
Rest easy, Pretty Lady
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We've had a few folks ask about the results of the raffle for this beautiful Rifle. Well, we had a little gal there on auction that did not have a ticket in the drawing pull the winning ticket for us there in front of the auction crowd. The winner happened to be a gentleman present, Jeff Heuer from St. Girardieu, Missouri. Jeff has been a long time supporter of our efforts to raise money for those "kids". His name is ALWAYS on the spreadsheet after auction day there at the ride. Jeff was so excited, he came right over to the table and wrote a $500 check for the charity! Thank you Jeff, and all of you so much for buying those raffle tickets! that raffle raised a little over $5000 to help get those kids a chance to experience a taste of the Cowboy life! and in total after the auction, the Wild Bunch, LLC was able to send $19,000 out for this summer's Cowboy Camp!
Just a few of the other results from Auction day at the Big Piney:
The David Lee Murphy autographed guitar brought $2100!
The Duke, doin' a little airport "ponderin'" in 2018 on our way to Billings, Montana, then on to David and Susan Brooks' Clear Creek Ranch in Wyoming.
Tuesday, May 7th, 2024, the Wild Bunch and the WORLD lost a beloved brother. Jef Farmer lost his long and courageous battle with cancer this afternoon. I never met a person who did not sincerely admire this man. He will be missed by so many whose lives he impacted in too many ways to try to describe here.
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Rest easy "Duke", our cherished friend, you have done it all with the grace and dignity of no other that I have known. Rest easy our friend, your pain has ended
Beautiful artist decorated hat, autographed by the artist brought $100
$500
$300
Wild Bunch, the early days
, "Garden of the Gods"
Behind the Lodge at Robson Mining World, Aguila Arizona, (May, 2011)
With Mark Chesnutt, after his show in Williams, Arizona May, 2012
Wild Bunch, TODAY!
Wild Horse West, a regular stop between the airport and the Flying E Ranch
