The Spanish Trail Riders, with 12 wagons and about 100 riders, started toward the Houston Rodeo from Shepherd, Texas last weekend, February 20. On Thursday afternoon they arrived at their sixth stop of the ride, the parking lot of Greenspoint Mall.
Trail Boss Joe Cantrell told the Northeast News that this group is celebrating their 50th year of riding to the Rodeo. He personally has led the group for 32 years, and it is now a family affair, with his son Larry as the Assistant Trail Boss, and other family members participating, also.
The riders start in Shepherd, a community about 126 miles up US59 from Houston, and continue for a week, covering about 15 to 20 miles each day. Their goal by Friday is Memorial Park in Houston, where they will join 12 other trail ride groups, bed down for the night in preparation to ride in the Rodeo Parade through downtown Houston on Saturday, Feb. 27th. This is the traditional start of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, which runs this year from March 2 through 21.
In appreciation for their hospitality at the Greenspoint Mall, Trail Boss Joe Cantrell presented a plaque to Mall Manager Ray Bejarano and Assistant Manager Petra Owens on behalf of the Spanish Trail Ride.