Glen Morgan walked into Cheers of Ramona Thursday morning with his horse, Incendiary, tagging along.
The Ramona resident demanded a beer for himself and his horse.
Cheers’ co-owner, Matt Rains, seemingly caught by surprise to see a horse in the bar, told Morgan to “get out.” But Morgan refused to leave until he and Incendiary got their beers.
“Here’s your beer, now leave,” Rains told Morgan as he handed him a frosty mug.
Morgan, president of the Ramona Trails Association, said he made the 9 a.m. bar stop as a promotion for his proposal to Ramona Rodeo organizers that they add an endurance competition to the lineup.
He said he’d like to see a timed horse-riding course of 50 to 100 miles, possibly along the Coast to Crest Trail. The 49-mile trail goes from Del Mar to the crest of Volcan Mountain.
Morgan said it wouldn’t happen for this year’s 41st annual rodeo, which takes place Aug. 26-28, but he hopes the idea will catch on for next year.
Rains, who was in on the horse-in-a-bar stunt, is himself gearing up for the rodeo, which at one time was a big draw for the bar on state Route 67.
“This used to be a stopping grounds for the rodeo,” said Rains, who figures Cheers’ rodeo heyday was eight to 10 years ago. “Now the rodeo has its own entertainment and musicians so it’s not a stopping point anymore. We still get business from the rodeo, though. It’s good for the town.”
After taking a few gulps of beer, Morgan rode out of the bar, unsaddled the retired racehorse he bought in Fresno and put him in the trailer.
Rains shrugged and returned to getting the bar ready to open for business as usual.
Morgan said the inspiration for his stunt came from a decades-old photo of Ramona rodeo cowboy Casey Tibbs riding his horse into Ramona’s Turkey Inn.
Initially, Rains was against the idea.
“I asked Matt and he said ‘no,’” Morgan recalled. “I said, ‘When are you going to be there?’ and he said, ‘At 9 a.m. in the morning.’ I told him, ‘OK. I’m going to show up with my horse and you can tell me to get out.’”
There’s no such thing as bad publicity, Morgan said.
