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.

I am waiting the handoff last year.

In the spirit of the Pony Express, which brought news and mail to the pioneer families out west, the Grimes County Sheriff Junior Deputy Mounted Posse will be re-creating a pony express run throughout the entire county on Saturday.  This event coincides with Go-Texan events at the Grimes County Fairgrounds.  They will have their barbeque cook-off teams preparing for the contest.  Winners will be announced Sunday.

As far as the Posse is concerned, we begin in Bedias, which is in the northern section of Grimes county.  Our president will read a proclamation to the city officials inviting them to come to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in the spirit of Go-Texan.  Then we take turns riding a mile carrying a saddlebag which contains the other proclamations for the rest of the cities of Grimes County.

In relay-style riding, we hand off the saddlebags at each leg of the race.  It is not a race to beat one another’s time; however, we are on a timetable to meet up with the Mounted Posse from Harris County.

We travel to Iola.  Then down through Carlos to Anderson.  The latter city is the county seat.  It has a beautiful historic courthouse.  It is the only one in Texas that sits in the middle of Main Street.

From Anderson, we trailer our horses to Plantersville.  Not only does this save us time, but FM 1774 is not safe to ride down.  There are not good places to ride along the road.  Deep ditches and steep hillsides follow the curves and hills of the road.

In Plantersville, we meet up with the Harris County Posse.  Now there are two groups in relay down the busy Highway 105.  Things get a little crazy when we head up Highway 6 to Navasota, the largest city in Grimes County.  It is home to the fairgrounds.

We form a joint parade with the Harris County group as we ride in formation to the fairgrounds where people are awaiting our arrival.  Some members are carrying flags.  Some are experienced riders who are about to graduate high school.  Some are young inexperienced riders who have just begun their time in the Posse.

We read our last Proclamation.  The mayor of Navasota, the county judge, the sheriff, etc all speak.  The newspaper reporter takes notes and pictures of us.  When all is said and done, we visit with the members of the Harris County Posse and eat together.   A cook-off team always prepares us delicious food.

Wish me luck on my second Pony Express ride.  I hope to have fun and be safe!