Malibuite Audrey O’Brien Griffin’s love of horses leads to an honor for her “pioneer spirit” and “trail blazing efforts.”
By Olivia Damavandi / Special to The Malibu Times
Although stalwart talent may be congenital, an athlete’s passion is what propels him or her to continue a sport for five years, 10 years or, in Audrey O’Brien Griffin’s case, for more than 70 years.
This year, the former Malibu resident’s lifelong love for and dedication to horsemanship have earned her induction to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the only museum in the world that honors women of the American West who have “displayed extraordinary courage and pioneer spirit in their trail blazing efforts.”
Griffin’s love of horses has existed for about as long as she has. “My mother told me that as soon as I could stand up in the backseat of a car when I was a year old, I would see ponies and go ballistic,” Griffin said. “My parents would have to stop the car so I could ride the ponies, and every time they did, I would say, ‘I want the fast one! I want the fast one!’
“Since I was a baby, it’s always been a passion of mine,” she continued. “If I’m away on vacation and drive by a big ranch, it gives me pangs in my heart even though I now have my own horses and stock.”
Born in 1936 in Santa Monica and raised in Mar Vista, Griffin excelled at many activities during her childhood, from tap dancing to piano playing. But at the age of 11, her father took her to the Los Angeles Ranch Stables in Culver City, an experience that would solidify the direction in which her life would progress. It was at the Ranch Stables that Griffin met then 10-year-old Sis Smith, with whom she is best friends up to this day. Though she cannot recall her very first horseback ride, Griffin said her first memorable experiences with horses were shared with Smith.
“We just had so much good, clean, wonderful fun and we were such happy youngsters,” Griffin recalled. “My father took me to the Ranch Stables the first time and we were paying guests, but Sis invited me back from that point on. It was wholesome and good and a wonderful experience for me.”
Griffin said she learned moral values and integrity from her parents, who she describes as responsible, protective and wonderful, and that hanging around the stable confirmed those lessons. Her parents were also a deciding factor in her choice to accept an offer to join the Flying Valkyries, a Roman Riding group and touring specialty act, at the age of 19.
“I didn’t think my parents would let me go on tour,” Griffin said. “I was going to Santa Monica College at the time, and we talked about how I was giving up that kind of education for another type.
“The woman who owned the act came over one night and promised my parents that they would chaperone me and take good care of me and make me go to church on Sundays,” she continued. “My dad was for it, he said, ‘let her go, she needs to spread her wings and do this.’ My mom said I had stars in my eyes. They trusted me.”
Griffin’s two years with the Flying Valkyries, during which she dazzled audiences by driving entire teams of six horses around barrels and over jumps, were ended by a severe accident during a performance in Chicago.
“I ended up with a broken nose, hurt neck, and twisted up knee,” Griffin said. “They put my leg in a cast for two months and sent me home, but there was never one moment I thought I didn’t want to do it [perform with the Flying Valkyries]. I looked forward to every performance and met so many fabulous people.”
In 1960, Griffin married Dick Campbell, with whom she raised five children but then divorced after 29 years.
“We lived in Malibu from 1963 to 1968 and we built a home right above the old Sheriff Station on Rambla Vista,” Griffin said. “I used to trail ride in Malibu. I had a friend who rode up there and we used to ride where my brother [Doug O’Brien] lives, on Busch Drive. I’d ride for eight months when I was pregnant. After the baby stopped nursing it was time for us to go riding,” she said, explaining how the baby would sit in front of her in the saddle.
While living in Malibu, Griffin rode Sharon Adamson’s (descendant of the pioneering Adamson/Rindge family) horses every week. “I rode a lot of with Sharon Adamson in the sixties and seventies. She had quite a few horses. Another Malibu resident I rode with was Barbara Lewis.”
She then married Gary Griffin, a dentist from Santa Monica, with whom she moved to the Santa Ynez Valley, but unfortunately lost him to cancer in 2000.
After her children were grown, Griffin returned to her first love and started team penning, sorting and excelling in overall horsemanship. She was nominated to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame by her painter, who one day visited her home and saw the numerous pictures and acknowledgements on the walls.
“Two days later, he came back with an application to nominate me,” Griffin said. “I didn’t think it would go anywhere. It was never my intention [to be inducted]. It was a blessed happening.”
Griffin’s brother Doug O’Brien said of his sister’s achievement: “I’m extremely proud of her. I’m extremely proud that she made it into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum, it’s quite an honor.”
(O’Brien also rode horses, caring for them when he was younger; Griffin would ride one of the horses he took care of, “and then she kept going and got better and better,” he said. He still rides with the Santa Barabara Trail Riders, hitting the trails with them four times a year.)
To the many young ropers and riders in Malibu who wish to follow in her footsteps, Griffin advocates the importance of watching and listening to knowledgeable individuals.
“Learning on your own with horses is a bad idea,” she said. “It’s really important to know the dos and don’ts of basic horsemanship. There are wonderful books out there. Be gentle and kind to your horses.”
As for her future, Griffin said she will continue to rope, enter rodeo shows and train horses.
“My life isn’t going to change, it’s just going to keep rolling,” said the grandmother of 10. “Now I have a seven-month-old Philly. I’m stronger than ever.”