Day two of the Orange County Fair Cattle Drive started with breakfast furnished by Taco Rosa, some of the best Mexican food in Orange County. Once fed the riders saddled up and prepared to bring the cattle to the Orange County Fair. They would drive them down Placentia, across Victoria and then down Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa. Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa is a very busy street with a large number of car dealerships and retail stores. The traffic was kept under control by the Costa Mesa Police on motorcycles, some with horns on and one officer in a cow suit.

 

Because safety is an important issue the best equestrian veterinarian in Orange County, Janice Posnakoff rode with the others and a horse ambulance followed. Fortunately they were not needed for the horses or the cattle. Some riders reported a soreness were the horse meets the rider and cold beer and Margaritas were available to cure that.

 

The crowds cheered, many yelling Cowabunga from last years cattle drive theme. Cow dogs were on hand to keep any cows that wanted to shop for new cars in control and away from the stores and car lots.

Herd three hundred cattle using over one hundred horses. No problem, now do it in the middle of a big city in Orange County California, down the Costa Mesa Mile of cars. That is what was done for the Orange County Fair Cattle Drive. This was the second recent year that the Orange County Fair Cattle Drive was held. In 2007 they also drove the cattle to the pier in Huntington Beach California to promote the theme for the Orange County Fair, Cowabunga.

 

The first day had Bar-B-Que ribs and chicken from Newport Rib Company for lunch and a chance to get to know the other riders. They went on a trail ride, herded the cattle around Fairview Park in Costa Mesa and had a big party that night. One comment overheard was that the party was the more dangerous than the cattle drive.

 

The practice day was to make sure it was a safe cattle drive and to let the various teams learn to work with the cattle and the cow dogs that came along to help keep the cattle out of the various store and car lots along the way.

 

Camera and reporter Tom Potts

 

Camera Gerry Grant

 

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