Riders ready horses for long journeys
Health checks for livestock are essential before hitting the trail
Cameras rolling, Lil’ Bit shied from the vet’s needle like a kid at the doctor’s office.
The 7-month-old foal jumped and flinched as Dr. Aubrey Ross and his assistant drew blood to determine whether the animal was healthy enough for its first trail ride to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March. Animal Planet crews captured it all, a small spark of drama in the long process of preparing hundreds of horses and mules to journey from the hinterlands to NRG Park.
“It was just his first time,” Ross said as the tiny horse huffed and shook it off. “It’ll be easier once he get used to getting handled.”
Ross, a co-owner of Cy-Fair Animal Hospital in Cypress and a star in Animal Planet’s “The Vet Life,” manned a free clinic Saturday to help trail riders ready their animals before the show. He steadied the horses while his assistant, Ebony Price, filled syringes to test whether the animals had a contagious disease called equine infectious anemia that could spread quickly through a herd.
Anthony Bruno, the trail boss for the Northeastern Trail Riders Association, hosted the clinic at his property on the city’s northeast side. Amusement flashed in his eyes as other riders brought their animals in for check-ups in front of the eager film crew, a new
twist on an old routine for a lifelong horseman like himself.
“It’s like second nature to me,” he said.
Bruno’s group is one of 13 that travels from across the state in the weeks before the rodeo. Each wends its way into the city with mule-drawn wagons and horseback riders, sometimes covering hundreds of miles.
The Northeastern riders start their journey in Cheek, southwest of Beaumont, and trek 109 miles to NRG. This year’s show will be their 27th. ‘It’s a passion’
For Bruno, the process of readying riders and animals takes the better part of a year. As soon as one ride is finished, he starts making camping arrangements for the following year’s show and conditions the animals in the three months beforehand.
The ride, Bruno said, is a tribute to the frontiersmen who settled in the region after long treks in search of new opportunities. His own family left rural Louisiana for Texas, where he has been caring for horses most of his life.
“It’s a passion,” he said. “I do it to maintain our history, our heritage.”
Lloyd Simon, who has a ranch in Brookshire, rolled up with two mules. Muddy and wide-eyed, they got checked for their 123-mile trip with the Southwest Trail Riders Association.
Like Bruno, Simon has spent his life around animals. His enthusiasm for the annual ride hasn’t waned since his first one in 1976.
“Inside, I get the jitters,” he said. “It’s like the first time all over again.” ‘Big family reunion’
James Cornish, who brought Lil’ Bit and four other horses from his ranch in south Houston, calmed them as Ross and his team completed their checks. Cornish said he expects to prepare as many as 30 horses for the trek, which he makes every year with the Southwest group.
“I love the happy atmosphere,” he said. “It’s like a big family reunion.”