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SPORTS ZONE 1: Modern-Day Horseback Ride

In February each year, thousands of people travel hundreds of miles on horseback, accompanied by covered wagons. They camp out each night and cook dinner over an open fire. Does that sound like a description of cowboys of the Old West? It actually happens in present-day Texas.

The Trail Ride is a yearly event that has been a tradition since 1952. It was originally designed to celebrate the American cowboy by recreating the way that cowboys traveled. The timing of the Trail Ride, always in late February, was planned to coincide with the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The trail riders must be able to ride a horse competently, but are not necessarily cowboys. Most of them belong to riding clubs or groups, and several of them are children.

Fourteen different trail-riding groups are participating this year, with an estimated 6,000 riders on the trail. Each group has a different hometown starting point, but they all finish in Houston, Texas. The group that travels the longest distance is named “Los Vaqueros Rio Grande,” from the Mexican border town Reyenosa. They ride 386 miles on horseback, a trip which can take three weeks.

Over the years, trail riders have had many obstacles to overcome, including heavy rain, the occasional snow, frozen saddles, and loose horses on the interstate. If all goes as planned, the 14 groups will converge this Friday at campsites in Memorial Park in Houston. Saturday morning, the ride will conclude with the Rodeo Parade in downtown Houston. (Contributing: Houston Chronicle)

--Written by Patricia Daniels

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