A Houston Chronicle reporter and photographer are joining the Northeastern Trail Riders Association to document life on the trail during the group's 108-mile journey to the 2023 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Follow along on their journey.
Houston Chronicle reporter Sam González Kelly, talks about trail riding fashion with Cavender’s sales associate Jason Payton on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023 in Houston.Houston Chronicle reporter Sam González Kelly and photographer Elizabeth Conley are joining the Northeastern Trail Riders Association to document the highlights and challenges of life on the trail during the group's 108-mile journey to the 2023 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
“This was our fathers’ passion, our forefathers’ passion: to keep this organization going,” Bruno said. “J.J., it’s your responsibility, it’s my responsibility, it’s Brian’s responsibility… to keep this organization going.” Riders including John Pierre try to catch a quick nap with their horses during a lunch stop with the Northeastern Trail Riders in the parking lot of Sheldon Elementary School on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.Michael Durant works on the wheel for Reva Williams’ wagon at Triangle Seven Arena on day five of the Northeastern Trail Riders six-day journey from Beaumont to Houston to kick off the Houston Rodeo on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.
No matter. Less than an hour later I was riding in the lap of luxury with China Gate as we set out from Crosby for Triangle Seven. China Gate’s carriage is the pinnacle of trail riding comfort, with cushioned benches and shock absorbers. Its driver, Joe’s wife, T.T. Young, likens it to a Cadillac for a reason.There will be horses and covered wagons on Houston streets over the next 2 days. Here's where.
“I just lost my dad seems like yesterday, and I was looking for him to be out on that porch. Life does go by, but I got to see my mom, so that’s just as good, but this is a tough year,” Bruno said to the riders. Mercedes, 61, and her husband, Brian Richard, are the trail ride’s unofficial DJs and emcees. They operate the “sound truck” — a refurbished Dodge B3500 van – and assume a host of responsibilities that come with the position. Chief among them is setting the pace, and the mood, for the ride by slowly leading the caravan and curating the soundtrack for the journey.
A horse waits for water as the riders set up camp at the Crosby Fair and Rodeo grounds on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. / The sun sets at the Crosby Day Fair and Rodeo grounds after a 22-mile ride. Mercedes’ taste spans genres – country, Zydeco, soul, funk and more – but she always starts the day’s ride the same way: with gospel, followed by the aptly titled “Funky Trail Ride” by J. Paul. The tradition isn't Mercedes’ own though – she does it in honor of Brian’s father, Caston “Shorty” Richard, who co-founded the Northeastern Trail Riders Association in 1982 and operated the sound truck for 30-plus years.
Brian and Mercedes knew each other from the time they were 7, when Mercedes, who grew up in Louisiana, would visit her uncle, Brian’s neighbor in Kashmere Gardens, every summer. They grew apart, married other people and eventually both got divorced. When Mercedes’ moved in down the street from Brian’s friend, they reconnected.
Mercedes plays a Zydeco track called “Water” by J. Paul, and the van fills with the sound of their voices.I had planned on hopping around from wagon to wagon on Tuesday's ride from Raywood to Dayton, meeting new people and hearing their stories, but as it turned out I was actually needed to be of use for something, for once.
Before I assumed my responsibilities, I spent about an hour sitting on the driver's bench with Bennett, a 64-year-old who has saddled up for trail rides for more than 40 years. Her older brother, Charles Perry Sr., founded the Restoration Riders riding club in 2001 out of the Words of Restoration International Church in Rosharon, where Perry, 76, served as pastor.
"Everybody won't go to an actual church building, so as disciples you have to be willing to go any and everywhere," Perry says."You can go anywhere and teach the gospel." "My goal is to be the next generation and provide education and knowledge to the youth about what an actual trail ride is," Goines said."Not everyone had the same upbringing as me, a lot of people don't have the same knowledge that I do."
The women of the Northeastern Trail Riders Association serve in a variety of roles — rider, mule skinner, administrator. Like K.J. Hill, the association's secretary, likes to say :"We outchea!" Students at Devers Elementary School wave to the riders from their playground during day two of the Northeastern Trail Riders’s six-day journey from Beaumont to Houston on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023.That sense of security, though, has less to do with my skills on horseback than it does with the “scouts” who boldly ride into oncoming traffic to slow down passing cars, decked out in reflective vests with matching flags that they use to communicate with drivers and with each other.
“I didn’t realize how much people need to be identified or need to have recognition for whatever they do,” Bruno said. “Everybody loves to have accolades, and that’s the toughest part.” "The week after he passed, I had a question I wanted to ask him about how to handle an issue with this trail ride organization and he wasn't there. I had to just figure it out on my own," Bruno said.
“Caleb, make sure you keep it short because we have to be riding out by 9 a.m.,” says Donald Crawford, the ride’s assistant trail boss, who’s tasked with maintaining order in this crowd of around 50, to the trail chaplain. Official judges from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo take timeliness into account when deciding the year’s best rides, and Northeastern is determined to defend last year’s title as the best medium trail ride. The category includes groups with 50 to 144 participants.
Bruno, 57, choked up as he spoke about what this ride meant to his father. Crawford, ever dependable, handed him a tissue. Northeastern Trail Riders start their six-day ride from Beaumont to Houston on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023.And with that, riders mount their horses and wagon bosses load passengers into their wooden, covered wagons.
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