The Last of a Breed: Stagecoach Horse Trainer at Knott’s Still

Cracking the Whip.

There’s not much call for stagecoach horse trainers these days, but Brace Tyler, 81, perhaps the last of them, is still cracking the whip.

“I’ve retired twice, and they called me back twice,� said Tyler of Fullerton while preparing the Overland Southern stagecoach--the original coach that traversed the unsettled Western plains 100 years ago--for its daily run in Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. He also oversees five other stagecoaches and 48 horses that he has trained.

Tyler has spent a lifetime training horses, including thoroughbreds, quarter horses and cattle ranch workhorses, some when he worked as a cowboy and ranch owner. Later, he prepped his own 32-horse stable to run at race tracks throughout the country and in Mexico. “I had some winners,� he said modestly.

His lifetime work and understanding of horses is legend at the amusement park. “He’s incredible,� said Don Cudlip, supervisor of stagecoach operations. “That’s what experience does.� But preparing horses to pull a stagecoach in the modern world “takes a little different training than it used to,� said Tyler, who believes that he got his unusual first name from the doctor who delivered him. “They tell me that was his name, too,� he said.

Because of the nearly 1 million young and old passengers that take the 6 1/2-minute stagecoach ride each year, “we have to gentle the horses and get them to ignore all kinds of sounds so they don’t get riled up,� he said while preparing one of the equines for a training session in the park’s barn area.

Tyler said passengers can live the history of the stagecoach, pointing out that horses would be changed every 15 miles during the days the West was being settled “and that would give the passengers a chance to grab a cup of coffee or take care of their personal needs.�

Besides adding another bench seat inside the stagecoach, the only modern change has been installation of hydraulic brakes to supplement the original mechanical hand-operated brake.

Although cowboys can leave a person spellbound with tales of yesteryear, Tyler would rather talk more about his grandchildren and his 2 1/2-acre spread near Victorville, where he keeps his own horse and raises fruit trees and vegetables when he’s not training horses. “This past year I grew watermelon that was the best you’ll ever taste,� he boasted.

There’s a new movement in Northern California, reports Richard L. Holden of Buena Park, that will help animal lovers get over the grief brought by the death of a pet, “and there are indications that a similar group will form in Southern California very soon.�

Holden, who will become executive director of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Assn. on Jan. 1, said he sees the group “bringing more awareness and need for counseling� for pet owners who have lost a close companion. The Northern California group is composed of lay people and veterinarians.

He said grief counseling has become even more important in today’s society with the emphasis by the veterinary community on the human-animal bond. He feels veterinary schools will someday include grief counseling as part of the veterinary school curriculum.

Holden also had a word of advice to pet owners for the holiday season: “It’s OK for pets to share in the festivities, but watch out what they eat.�

Elda Barry, 70, of Huntington Harbour won the Ms. Senior America of California title last year and had such a great time she wanted to be part of the pageant again this year. The bylaws prevented her from running again so she really got involved.

She became the California pageant director.

“I was sold on what it does for a person’s self-image and morale. And besides, it’s great fun too,� the former model said, noting that state finalists, all age 60 or older, win a trip to Atlantic City for the Ms. Senior America pageant.

Judging to select the California woman who epitomizes the “Age of Elegance,� as Barry describes it, will be Jan. 14 and 15 at the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach.

Joe Rodriguez of Fountain Valley, his wife and eight children all ride Orange County Transit District buses so it was sweet victory when his name was picked as winner in the district’s sweepstakes contest. There were 9,784 entries.

His prize is a free flight to Munich, West Germany, for a weeklong visit plus the use of a new Porsche. While he may not know his way around Germany, “if you need to know how to get anywhere (in Orange County) by bus, come to our house,� Rodriguez said. “We know every bus schedule by heart.�