For some mysterious reason, horses have always been a part of my gambling experience.
When I lived in St. Maarten, one of the casinos I played poker at was the Hollywood Casino in Simpson Bay. It had a small poker room with several tables where walls covered with murals of Hollywood actors -- James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and other legends of the Silver Screen.
I spent many happy hours absorbed in poker games against players like Jack Parker, a native of Scottsdale, AZ. who owned a popular restaurant called Peg Leg Pete's. The restaurant was known for its excellent steaks and incredible meatloaf dinners as well as the fresh seafood that Jack bought from fishermen who visited his restaurant on a daily basis.
About a mile from the casino was the Lucky Stables, owned by a charming Dutch couple who had about 30 horses for rent. The guided rides took you over the scenic cactus-studded hills of St. Maarten and ended up in the ocean where we would swim the horses through the surf.
There was one minor danger in riding on the white sand beaches. Horses like to roll in the sand. If you weren't careful, you could get your leg caught beneath your horse as it enjoyed the warmth of the sun-heated sand. It happened to me once and I was fortunate to escape injury.
One of the stable guides told me the story of the horses.
'A couple of years ago, we were threatened by a hurricane,' Allison said. 'The winds were building up and the owners decided the horses' best chance of survival would be to release them into the hills. After the hurricane hit, we would round them up.
'Well, we let the horses go and the hurricane hit. It was a pretty bad one. After all the damage and debris, we went riding into the hills to round up the horses. Although we found most of them, some were left in the hills. They became wild horses and there are still a herd of them roaming the hills of the island.
'We call them our Hurricane Horses. They are beautiful. Although they are wild, we leave salt, food and water for them at strategic locations. They come, eat and drink, and then drift back into the hills.'
I did a lot of horseback riding on St. Maarten, nicknamed 'The Friendly Island,' and often ran into part of the wild herd. The horses would stay a safe distance from me and sometimes would whinny to lure my horse to become part of the herd. It was exciting and challenging, and I had to use my reins to control my horse.
In the next couple of weeks, I will be returning to Arizona where I will play poker at Wild Hose Pass and Talking Stick Casino. Both resorts are known for having wild horses in the desert near the casinos. Sometimes they can be seen, but more often not. You need to keep your eyes open. When I do see them, I feel good.
The horses are an inspiration to the employees at Talking Stick. Many of the employees are Native Americans and horses are part of their heritage. Sometimes a dealer will shuffle the cards and inquire if any of the horses were out there. I will respond.
The dealer will smile, cut the deck and start dealing. 'I like them,' he will say. 'They are an important part of my world.'
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).
