Phoenix lawyer Tom Toone, president of the Verde Vaqueros, ambles along a Phoenix trail. Photographed on location at the training facility of the

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1 Phoenix lawyer Tom Toone, president of the Verde Vaqueros, ambles along a Phoenix trail. Photographed on location at the training facility of the Maricopa County Mounted Posse.

BY MIRA RADOVICH PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN BECKETT At Home on the Arizona Range I n the movie City Slickers, Jack Palance tells Billy Crystal that the secret of life is one thing: Just one thing.

2 BY MIRA RADOVICH PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN BECKETT At Home on the Arizona Range I n the movie City Slickers, Jack Palance tells Billy Crystal that the secret of life is one thing: Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don t mean sh**. For some Arizona attorneys, that one thing is a love of riding horses. These self-proclaimed cowboy lawyers enjoy nothing better than donning Western gear, saddling up, riding the desert range or staring down a menacing steer. A P R I L A R I Z O N A AT T O R N E Y 15

When he s not busy handling estates, wills and real estate matters in his twoperson firm, McArthur & McGuire, McArthur is president of the Desert Caballeros, a group that formed in Wickenburg in 1947.

3 I ll probably own a horse until I m done living. I think lawyers ride horses as a getaway, says Jim McArthur, an attorney from Wickenburg. It s an opportunity to be outside and see wildlife, meet friends, get out of character and not wear a suit. When he s not busy handling estates, wills and real estate matters in his twoperson firm, McArthur & McGuire, McArthur is president of the Desert Caballeros, a group that formed in Wickenburg in For the past 55 years, the Caballeros have gathered annually for a five-day ride into the Weaver and Bradshaw mountains northeast of Wickenburg. This year s outing is scheduled for April Originally the Desert Caballeros Ride had about 30 participants. Today, there are 250 riders from as far away as Canada, Ireland and England. McArthur says that some members are so dedicated that they continue to ride into their 80s and 90s. The admiration of riding horses and the mutual love of the West create camaraderie among the group s members. It s like a fraternity years after you graduated, says McArthur. You ve got some common experiences and you get together for the reunion. Only in this case, the reunion begins on a Monday, followed by two days of riding into the desert. It s beautiful country out there, says McArthur. We ride through the wilderness on trails that have been in existence since long before statehood. In addition to the lore of historical routes, McArthur reports seeing deer, javelina and rattlesnakes on some of his rides. Wednesday brings a respite, with a day of horse activities that include roping, horseshoes, rodeo events and other competitions. The Old Peso Dollar cowboy band from Wickenburg entertains the campers Wednesday night. Thursday and Friday are spent riding back to civilization. Come Friday, you get up and wish you had another week or wish you were already home, depending on how sore you are, says McArthur. Some years are cold and rainy and you spend all day sitting on your saddle in a slicker wondering about how miserable you feel and why you d do it all again next year. I d give up my telephone before I would give up this ride. P hoenix attorney Tom Toone, of Beer, Toone & Sheedy, is another Arizona lawyer who subscribes to the cowboy lifestyle. Toone is the president of the Verde Vaqueros riding club based in Scottsdale. The group owns a former working ranch called the Cross S Ranch near Prescott and stages trail rides there throughout the year, including a weeklong ride the first week in April. Verde Vaqueros has 250 members, with riders from 25 states. About 300 riders participate in the weeklong ride, which features racing and timed rodeo 16 ARIZONA ATTORNEY APRIL

4 Attorney Robert Wooten raises a dust cloud with Charity. Wooten is a member of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo and the Grand Canyon Rodeo Association. APRIL 2002 ARIZONA ATTORNEY 17

events in addition to the trail rides. The ranch serves as base camp for the week, and it hosts catered meals, camp entertainment and self-contained sleeping quarters at an elevation of 4,000 feet.

5 events in addition to the trail rides. The ranch serves as base camp for the week, and it hosts catered meals, camp entertainment and self-contained sleeping quarters at an elevation of 4,000 feet. Toone describes the ride as horse-related activities, all day long, every day, for a week. He adds, It s a release of aggression, especially for me because I am a trial lawyer and I think a lot of trial lawyers are aggressive by nature. (And his name? He admits to getting good-natured ribbing from friends about sharing a name with a Broadway legend with whom he even went to school at the University of Texas. The difference between us, says Toone, is that he doesn t have to drink a six-pack before he It s a scary thing when you re riding a 1,200-pound horse going 30 mph after a big steer. 18 ARIZONA ATTORNEY APRIL

6 thinks he can dance. ) Toone was raised on a farming ranch in west Texas and is no stranger to equine-related pastimes. He has competed in rodeo for the past 15 years, and he admits to getting a rush when facing a 500-pound steer during rodeo competitions. In team roping, one person ropes the horns, the other ropes the feet and then you turn and face up with each other, says Toone. It s a scary thing when you re riding a 1,200-pound horse going 30 mph after a big steer that is running really fast. In addition to thrill seeking, Toone enjoys the out-of-doors moments provided by riding with Verde Vaqueros. Riding and rodeoing are so opposite from what lawyers do in the office. Out there, you re just another cowboy. Another rodeo aficionado, Robert Wooten, competes in cattle roping rodeo events. Rodeo is an incredibly addictive sport, says Wooten, who is a member of the Arizona Association of Calf Roping. It s dangerous, unpredictable and there can be many risk factors involved when you compete against a wild animal. Wooten says people who look at the cowboy lifestyle from the outside might not understand the attraction. Cowboys are a different kind of breed, he says. They re free-spirited and not concerned with deadlines or being on the clock. When not tending to the horses and cattle on his ranch in north Phoenix, Wooten works as a criminal law attorney with the Glendale firm Bellah, Harrian & Pearson. He grew up in Oklahoma, where it s normal to have horses. He s been riding since he was 8 years old. I ll probably own a horse until I m done living, says Wooten. Toone adds, Some people I meet in my lawyer capacity are surprised to learn that I do rodeo. And some of my cowboy friends can t really believe that I am a lawyer. They wouldn t even recognize me in a suit. Dressing down is one feature that all cow- APRIL 2002 ARIZONA ATTORNEY 19

7 We ride through the wilderness on trails that have been in existence since long before statehood. Jim McArthur

8 boy lawyers emphasize. It s easy to warm up to someone because they re wearing Levis, eating beans and not shaving for days at a time, says Jim Nichols of the Californiabased health care litigation firm Boone, Bridges, Mueller, O Keefe & Nichols. Nichols grew up on a ranch in Prescott and is a member of the Cowboy Lawyers Association (CLA), a West Coast group founded in 1989 by a few judges and lawyers who shared a love of horses, the outdoors and the cowboy culture. When looking for members to join the association, Nichols says, We re not necessarily looking for top-notch lawyers we re looking for top-notch people who love cowboying, riding and camping. Today, the CLA has more than 100 members and sponsors four to five rides in California each year. Nichols describes the rides as time to hang out with other lawyers. It helps us get to know each other better. The network of lawyers I ve met through CLA has improved my ability to practice law with them. However, on the rides, there is an unspoken rule: no shop talk. We share information, Nichols says, but the whole purpose is not to get business done, settle cases or promote the legal profession, because we all belong to other organizations that do that. All three of the riding clubs are nonprofit organizations that raise money for charitable foundations. The Desert Caballeros supports the Desert Caballeros Museum in Wickenburg. The Verde Vaqueros raises funds for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Scottsdale, and the CLA adopted the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles as its beneficiary. Nichols says that in addition to supporting a good cause, the CLA helps to shine a positive light on the law profession in general. A lot of people are down on lawyers, but it is an honorable profession, in my opinion, he says. We represent people who believe in their cause. CLA member Marshall Lehman agrees with Nichols sentiment. Lehman, a sole practitioner with offices in Scottsdale and Safford, says, There s a concept of justice that comes along with the West. A lot of Western movies were based on conflict and the resolution of that conflict, whether it be by gunfight or going to trial. Nichols echoes that image. In their heyday, cowboys were upstanding hard workers who put in a long day for low pay, he says. Their goal was to help their fellow man. Cowboys represent a positive American culture. It is the image of John Wayne sitting up straight on his horse with a beautiful sunset in the background. Trading a chair for a saddle, these attorneys expect to combine a passion for law and cowboying for many sunsets to come. So You Wanna Ride the Range? You don t have to mosey down to the local horse auction to do your best John Wayne impersonation. All of the riding groups make trail horses available to rent for those who don t have their own. The horses are brought in from area dude ranches or from stock suppliers. The nice thing about renting a horse is they re always in shape, always gentle and always follow along like they re supposed to, says Jim McArthur, president of the Desert Caballeros. For safety, some of the rides take along a veterinarian, horseshoer and a ride doctor, because when you get 300 riders and a lot of horses, someone usually gets hurt, says Tom Toone, president of the Verde Vaqueros. Even in the wilderness, all the rides have contact with emergency services. Although the riding groups have limited membership opportunities due to nonprofit organization requirements, members can invite guests (including first-time riders) on rides. To find out how to get involved with the riding and rodeo groups or for more information, contact: Cowboy Lawyers Association Bill Daniels, president, (310) Desert Caballeros Hal Mansur, executive director, (928) Las Damas Kay Keller, president, (928) North American Calf Roping Association (623) Verde Vaqueros Tom Toone, president, (602) APRIL 2002 ARIZONA ATTORNEY 21

I I DIDN T CHOOSE RANCH LIFE; I INHERITED IT. IT S PROBABLY IN MY. Ranching

I I DIDN T CHOOSE RANCH LIFE; I INHERITED IT. IT S PROBABLY IN MY. Ranching AH16-21 Moorhouse Ranch:Layout 1 11/17/11 4:37 PM Page 16 ranch horse Ranching Moorhouse Ranch is this year s winner of the Best Remuda Award because of the quality of its horses ranch horses. Story and