The 2010 Pony Express Event

Can you say “BRRRRR!!?”  Man, last Saturday was extremely cold.  It was overcast the entire day.  There was a stiff breeze that sent the just above freezing weather straight through your body.

Dressed as warmly as possible.

I had blue jeans and chaps to cover my legs.  I had my Posse uniform on, which consists of a long-sleeved shirt and vest.  I put my heavy winter coat on under my Posse windbreaker.  Of course, I had on gloves and warm socks.  I also wore my felt cowboy hat with stampede strings tight under my chin.   Stampede strings saved my hat from being ruined.  The wind was blowing so hard that I would have surely lost my hat on the ride.

Ladd and I trotted and loped a minimum of 1 mile at a time.  We had 3 legs to ride before the parade entrance to the fairgrounds at the end of the day.  All in all, Ladd and I rode a total of 4 1/2 miles that day.  The exercise was good for both of us.

The second leg of the day was my favorite part of the day.  Ladd and I rode the leg immediately following my sister Kyla’s leg.  I got to watch her ride up to me and I took the saddle bags from her.  Then I took off for exactly one-mile.  That mile seemed to go the fastest because Ladd was warmed up nicely.

The scariest part of the day was having to ride down the busy Highway 105 on horseback.  18-wheelers, motorcycles, and the possibility of a train sounding its horn combined to make my a little nervous.  I was very thankful that two Grimes County Sheriff Deputies drove next to me to help keep me safe.  They stopped traffic when needed.  They kept up with our pace.  They stayed right there beside Ladd and I.

When we finally made it within a mile of the Grimes County Fairgrounds, our Posse met up with the Harris County Posse.  Together we walked the rest of the way in a parade fashion.  By this time, I was a frozen Popsicle.  A Go-Texan cook-off team had prepared dinner for all of us, but my family decided not to stay.  We were all so cold.  The horses were cold.  And, we all just wanted to go home.

We had a successful Pony Express ride.  Nobody got hurt.  No trucks and/or trailers got stuck in the mud.  We were representing our Sheriff as well as the Go-Texan Committee.  I think we did a fine job being ambassadors for them.  If you are interested in being a part of the Grimes County Jr. Mounted Posse, contact the sheriff.  His office number is (936) 873-6442.