The Pony Categorical is entrenched within the lore of the American West, but it solely existed for 18 months between 1860-1861. The horses and riders who travelled the mail route from Missouri to California – some 1,800 miles in ten days or much less – stay the stuff of legends. However the Pony Categorical was lower quick by the arrival of the telegram machine which linked the states extra effectively with the intention to unfold information, particularly through the Civil Warfare period.
As we speak, there’s a group of passionate horsemen and ladies, referred to as re-riders, who mount up and reenact the identical route by the unique eight states – Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California taken all these years in the past.
The Nationwide Pony Categorical Affiliation (NPEA), based in 1978, organizes this annual tribute trip. The route is a part of an official path system referred to as the Pony Categorical Nationwide Historic Path that was established in 1992 by an act of the USA Congress.
This yr’s re-ride began on June 17 in St. Joseph, MO and can wrap up in Sacramento, CA on June 27. You’ll be able to observe the re-riders and their horses, and browse updates and stories, on the NPEA website right here. Great images and movies of the journey are posted on the teams’ Fb web page right here.