Tony Vasquez - Legendary Horseman of the Coast
Burned out at five, expert by eight — Tony Vasquez was born to the saddle in the Palo Corona hills.
Tony Vasquez was born at the family ranch in Palo Corona hills in 1884. When he was five years old the home burned to the ground. By age eight he was an expert rider, knowing instinctively the ways of horses. He trained polo ponies, drove cattle as foreman, and worked for everyone from Del Monte Properties to the Hearst ranches. This gay cavalier was very popular with the fair sex, and with his dashing manner, dark brown eyes and soft spoken words, he won the hand of Genevieve Mearns. He was sent to Long Island, N.Y., with a shipment of ponies where he trained horses and taught polo for three months.