SAN ANTONIO – Drivers cruising up and down I-35 between Devine and Pearsall might have done a double take as members of the Laredo Trial Ride made their way to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
The 54th annual ride started last Friday at the Moreno Ranch just outside Laredo with about 25 horseback cowboys and cowgirls.
"It is a beautiful feeling to be able to touch the past in a small way," said Oscar Moreno, who started riding on the trail when he was 15.
For most of the riders, it's all about getting in touch with the past and all the friends that become family along the way.
"We're a family now. We grew up on this ride. We have generations, myself our kids, people that I grew up with, their kids are on the ride," Trail Boss Missy Sultenfuss said.
"You get to know everybody," Moreno said. "It's also about riding your horse and getting to know him and developing a relationship between you and your animal."
They even have "family members" not from around here. The Guillot family of Louisiana read an article about the trail ride 17 years ago.
"We came over here, didn't know anyone, got in about 10 o'clock that night. We just started meeting people and just grew," Gary Guillot said.
Those people they met 17 years ago are the reason they keep coming back.
"(It's) like a big family reunion," Guillot said.
"Nothing better than sitting across a horse, visiting with people and just enjoying the day," Sultenfuss said.
The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo begins Thursday.