The White Horse and the Gypsy Cowboy

El Caballo Blanco, enjoying a run

The Gypsy Cowboy

            I finally finished reading “Born to Run,” and I must say that I quite enjoyed it, especially the last few chapters. In Chapter 32, the final chapter, which is more of an epilogue than a full chapter, McDougal finally addressed the hazy beginnings of the mysterious man who would come to be known as El Caballo Blanco. If his tale is to be believed, Caballo was born with the name of Michael Randall Hickman, to a Marine Corps gunnery sergeant. Because of his father’s job, Michael had to switch schools repetitively and, as a pale, skinny loner, bullies generally targeted him. In response to this situation, he decided to sign up for boxing lessons. He got really good at boxing and, under the name “The Gypsy Cowboy,” turned it into a profession.

            As one may expect, Michael soon got bored of this occupation and traveled to Maui to seek out the island’s hidden shrines of Hana. It was here that he met Smitty, the man who introduced him to running. Mike stayed there for a while, and then met and married his wife Melinda. The two moved on to Colorado as a couple after Mike changed his name to Micah True. A few years passed, and Micah resumed his boxing career. After he won a fight against the fourth ranked kickboxer in the U.S., he decided to retire yet again, and turned his eyes to running. He ran marathons for a few years, until he finally met Martimano Cervantes at the Leadville 100.

            Caballo Blanco’s tale is a strange one, to say the least. As an advocate of peace and nonviolence, he chose to beat people up as a living, which I found quite ironic. He definitely lived the hard life of a loner, even in marriage, and it’s quite understandable how he ended up in the Copper Canyons. Even in death he was a loner, dying in the middle of the Gila Wilderness of a heart disease during one of his runs.