Sanilac County Sheriff Posse founding member still riding at 91

Donald "Dwayne" Ritchie had planned to ride his horse, a black Tennesse Walker mare named Beauty Sunday morning. However the mare decided to be a bit much for the 91-year-old founding member of the Sanilac County Sheriff Posse.

Ritchie sat outside his horse trailer as other riders gathered for the posse's annual fundraiser. Dozens of trailers were lined up beside a soybean field near Carsonville.

The trail ride raises funds for new equipment for the posse, including raincoats and saddle pads. 

Ritchie's daughter, Donna, dismounted Beauty after attempting to warm her up for her father. She made her verdict: Beauty's attitude was too much for her father be able to ride that day. 

Ritchie still seemed happy to be there, despite the setback. He joked with other members of the posse from his motorized chair. 

The trail ride was Ritchie's first outing with the posse in four years. He said he was taking care of his wife, Norma, and couldn't get out to events. She died in November. 

Ritchie was invited to be a founding member of the all-volunteer posse when it was formed in August 1967. He said the posse's duties back then included search and rescue calls. He said a person on a horse can see more than someone on foot, and a horse's sense of smell and hearing is more astute.

The posse still assists with searches for missing people but is called out less often than in its early years due to cell phone technology, said the posse's commander, Jay Stull. 

Ritchie said they were also commonly called to help wrangle escaped cattle in the early days of the posse, but those calls are almost non-existent now. 

Now, the posse mostly acts as a positive ambassador for the sheriff department by marching in parades and helping to direct vehicles at the local county fair, Stull said. 

It's also a collection of 26 members united in their love for their horses and a desire to give back to their community. 

A life-long love of horses 

Ritchie said his father promised him he would buy him a horse when he turned 10, but he died before he could make the purchase. So Ritchie cut lawns and bought his first horse at the age of 12 for $100.

"From there it was history," he said.

He has had horses almost his entire life, and has lived on the same property in Sandusky for 54 years. He kept horses on that property until about 10 years ago, when they moved the horses to property in the country. He still occasionally rides. 

Ritchie's only break from horses was when he contracted polio at the age of 23. He said he was in an iron lung for 10 days. 

It was about four years before he could start working again, and about five years before he could keep horses again, Ritchie said. He recovered enough to be able to work and ride again, but he had to go at a slower pace. 

Ritchie said the enjoyment of being in the group keeps him going with the posse. His love of horses has always been with him, he said. 

"I don't know. It's just something that was in me," Ritchie said. 

"It's the same with me," Stull added. "It's something that was in me. It's an itch to scratch. When I found (horses), it was like that was me."

To join the posse, contact Stull at (810) 404-0028. Members must have access to a horse and trailer and live in Sanilac County. To donate, send a check or cash to posse treasurer Sue Bombard at 3997 Aitken Road, Croswell, Michigan 48422. 

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.