E-Z Ride Stirrup Inventor Bob Walz passed away May 17th, 2008

I find it very weird that the two men (Neel Glass and Bob Walz) that were behind two of EasyCare's most successful product lines, passed away in a month's time.

I’m very sorry to hear the news about Bob Walz.  Bob was a great horseman and invented several items that are still being used in the sport of endurance today.  I’ll remember Bob for many reasons. 

Bob was a Tucson resident back in the early 1980's when my family started riding endurance.  We traveled to many rides together, and often conditioned horses together.  At over 6'5" Bob had some big feet and needed a stirrup to support his clod-hoppers.  Being a great metal fabricator, Bob came up with the E-Z Ride Stirrup for his own needs and then started selling them to all his endurance friends.

Bob was also an incredible diesel mechanic.  In the mid 1980's, Bob removed the diesel engine from a large dump truck and retrofitted the engine for his ¾ ton Chevy.  He then fabricated several diesel tanks that carried over 150 gallons of diesel.  His truck and fuel tanks were the envy of every endurance rider.  The truck could not only pull any trailer, but it had an incredible range.  Most production diesel trucks are now similar to what Bob put together in his garage.

Bob got in a bit of trouble with his truck in the late 1980's. Bob would drive the truck across the border to Nogales Mexico in order to fill the 150+ gallon tanks with cheap diesel fuel.  Diesel was $.40- $.60 a gallon back then and Bob was always looking to save money. After many successful trips to Mexico, Bob was put in a Mexican jail and the truck was impounded.  Bob spent several weeks in the Mexican jail as many local Tucson friends and endurance riders rushed to get him out.  With a bunch of effort from my family and many others, Bob was released.  Bob had some wild stories after the release.  Every Tuesday night at the jail was “gringo night” and all the gringos were beat up.  After a couple of beatings, Bob made the appropriate friends.  Although Bob was released they didn’t release his truck.  Bob went back to Mexico, cut open the impound gates and drove the truck back to the USA without  stopping at the border.  Several years later my Dad purchased the truck from Bob, we still have it. 

Bob was my sponsor twice at the Tevis Cup back when I rode the Tevis as a thirteen year old.  When you ride 100 miles with someone, you really get to know them.  Bob helped to get me and my horse through the Tevis twice.   Bob was scared of riding in the dark and my horse loved ripping down the California Loop below Foresthill.  I can still remember riding down the trail in pitch black and Bob yelling, “Whoa Bruce, Whoa Bruce”.  It went on for hours.

In the mid 1990's, I approached Bob and offered to purchase his E-Z Ride Stirrup and Equine heart rate monitor business. Bob transported all the equiment down to Tucson from the Auburn area and trained the EasyCare staff.  The E-Z Ride Stirrups have been a huge success and are used by endurance riders around the globe.

Thanks for the memories and contributions!

   

Comments

[Sue Walz]

Thanks, Garrett! My dad always spoke well of you. He said the 2 Tevis's that he sponsored you on were his 2 best. He was thrilled when you started promoting barefoot! He totally embraced that concept, too. And from a man that used to do all his own shoeing!

[Steven Elliott]

Where's you find that wonderful picture of the most successful moment in Bobs and my Endurance Acheivment? Bob always knew how to pick horses.. Thats me getting the ride done for Bob's first gatied 100 mile horse Raven. I remember that moment so well. As I told Bob ( which was like a father to me) if you believe it will happen! the # 1 was a honor to place on raven it was for the previous year at Tevis for rescuing a horse that was thought dead. I look so small to him in that picture but I'm 5'11.

I will miss Bob dearly, he was a man with so much knowledge. I had kept him busy by sharing ideas how to put things together, besides all his vehicles, we had dicussed on the horse's end shoeing methods and trimming methods. before his passing I had put his 1960 Vw ghia together and had some new inventions for him to make up, Bob had to be always doing something, at age 86 he was still delivering meals on wheels to the people he called old folks.

Thanks for the post of our great friend

Steve Elliott

[Sandra Yacoby]

Hello All,

There is a Celebration of Bob Walz' Life planned for immediately after the Tevis Pre-Ride BBQ on July 16th.

While I was his roommate around the end of 2005, I had a conversation with Bob about how he wanted his death handled. My question, as blunt and crass as could be was, "Bob, burn or bury?" He said "burn, with my ashes spread on the Tevis trail or at Drew Barner. He also said he wanted to have a big party thrown in his honor with all his friends from the endurance community, with his horse Sweetie as the guest of honor. At the time we had a laugh about it, but now is the time to follow through on the old mans' wishes.

Please join in this gathering to celebrate his life and accomplishments.

Sandi Yacoby