THE TWENTY-ELEVEN PONY EXPRESS
2,040 MILES IN FORTY DAYS STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN CHATON
ride:
“The Pony Express is one of the most cel- ebrated and enduring chapters in the his- tory of the US and has become an American legend. It is a story of the all-American traits of bravery, bravado and entrepreneurial spirit that are part of the very fabric of the Old West. No image of the American West in the mid-1800s is more revered, more familiar, more beloved or more powerful than that of the lone rider galloping the mail across hostile Indian territory. The Pony Express mail service lasted less than two years and ran through parts of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyo- ming, Utah, Nevada and California. Its lore lives on in a trail blazed across the West. It is not surprising that it captured the essence of much of our national pioneer history nor that it fi red the nation’s imagination.”—From the book “Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express,” by Christopher Corbett, available on
www.amazon.com
Last May, some 68 adventurous riders and 145 horses began an epic journey retracing
the hoof prints of the original Pony Express riders. At the end, only one woman, and her two Arab horses Chief and Bo, would fi nish all 40 days, riding 50 or more miles each day. T e fi rst of her three reports begins right here….
continued next page
Meet the XP Horses
» Name and nickname: Pro Bono D (Bo)
» Breed: Arabian
» Color & Markings: Bay
» Age: 13 » Height: 15.1 » Weight: 970 lb
» Most endearing feature: Bo could also be called Dennis the Menace, as he is a busy horse that loves to play with everything in his living area and oſt en likes to rearrange things like stall mats, 75-gallon water tanks and anything else he decides needs to be in a diff erent spot! Most enduring feature: What a great at itude this horse always has; Bo is always eager to see what is around the next turn. If he had his way he would get there a lot faster, too!
» Total AERC miles: 4,670
» Name and nickname: TBR Granite Chief+/ (Chief or Cheefy)
» Breed: Arabian
» Color & Markings: Fleabit en grey » Age: 16 » Height: 15.0 » Weight: 940 lb
» Most endearing feature: Chief absolutely loves going down the trail. Of every horse I have ever owned, Chief is by far the one most at ached to me. If he doesn’t come trot ing when I call him, he comes running and will eagerly push his nose into the halter. I never have to “catch” him.
» Most enduring feature: Chief’s conformation has had a lot to do with how well he has held together for so many miles. Combine that with his desire to go down the trail with such a happy at itude and it sure makes for miles of smiles!
» Total AERC miles: 12,015
WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US • December 2011 | 69
I couldn’t resist taking this photo. How oſt en do you get to ride a horse named Chief in Kansas, anyway? T is is the local newspaper offi ce, in Troy, Kansas.
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