Rodeo trails lead to Houston
Generations pass down love of the ride, rodeo as well as favorite boots
The Old Spanish Trail Ride group makes its way into Memorial Park on Friday to kick off the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. They were the first riders to arrive after a 216-mile trip.
A congregation of over 3,000 travelers rode onto the ceremonial campgrounds of Memorial Park Friday, the final rest stop of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail ride marking the beginning of rodeo season.
The ride started in 1952 as a means of preserving the Texas cattleman tradition. This year’s 13 groups ride from all directions, including Louisiana, Mexico and southwest Texas.
“Many of the groups are made up of multi-generational families riding to preserve Western heritage,” said Susan Buddeke, a longtime member of the rodeo’s Trail Ride Committee.
Spanish Trail riders were the first to arrive at the park, merging onto Memorial Drive around 1:15 p.m. to initiate the incoming parade of wagons. After filing into the park, riders joined family, friends and judges for an awards ceremony.
Spanish Trail veteran rider Joe Cantrell, marking his 40th year as trail boss, was presented with a silver belt buckle by his family. Born in San Angelo, Cantrell joined the Houston Rodeo in 1974.
“This trail ride was great,” Cantrell said. “We had real good weather this week. Our group was really small; we only had about 75 people with us. We had about 100 over the weekend.”
Cantrell’s ride is traditionally a family affair with his sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren spearheading the party each year. His 7-year-old greatgrandson Clay was thrilled to be a part of this year’s group.
“I ride all the times that I can do it, when you-know-who doesn’t keep me away from it: school,” Clay said.
A judging team from the Trail Ride
Committee, the Junior Rodeo Committee, made up of 17- to 20-year-olds, and the five judging teams that critiqued the rides on their journey were responsible for determining “Best Trail Ride” in each of the three rider divisions: large, medium and small rides.
The quality judges look for most in rides is authenticity. From riders’ sunglasses to their cowboy boots, everything must coincide with the traditional garb worn on rides past.
Spanish Trail has won “Best Trail Ride” for the small division in previous years. Cantrell is hopeful they’ll win again this year.
The Prairie View group also boasted a member celebrating a trail ride anniversary: Mary Mayfield, known as “Mrs. T.” Mayfield awaited her party’s arrival with high energy, as it was her 60th year participating in the trail ride.
“I raised my children, my great-grandchildren — my son’s 7-month-old premie is out here — and it’s just something you can do with the family and bond more,” Mayfield said. “I just love it. All the kids I put diapers on are on the wagon. They’ve got their own children now.”
Originally from Louisiana, Mayfield joined the Prairie View trail ride in 1962, five years after the group’s formation in 1957. She’s known among her family for her cowboy boots, which she has in every color. Her grandchildren now ask to borrow them for the rides.
“I just hope that they carry it on when I’m gone,” Mayfield said.
Alongside Mayfield on the Prairie View campsite was a young horseman named Brian, who wouldn’t give his last name.
Although many of the horses on the rodeo’s trail rides are rescues, Brian and his uncle take the job one step further: over the past several years, they’ve seized hundreds of abused or neglected animals from their owners alongside law enforcement, then rehabilitated the animals out of their own pocket. The horses are then put up for adoption to ranchers that are able to care for them.
“Some owners just don’t care anymore, or they don’t have the money. It’s a lot of things. We’ve had so many different incidents: one case, we had a guy that was traveling 10 miles every day to take care of his horse. It just got too expensive, with gas. So he’d go maybe twice a month instead.”
They adopted one of their rescues, a Fox Trotter show horse named DJ. Brian’s uncle gave her a grooming as another ride came through the park.
“I could put a child on that horse, unhook her and walk off,” Brian said. “She wouldn’t leave that tree.”