The Riderless Horse Legend

The Riderless Horse is a traditional ceremony that dates back to days when armies relied on four-legged power rather than mechanized transportation. Our ceremony honors the memory of the men and women of the rodeo.

There is a special bond between horse and rider. This relationship cannot be duplicated with mechanical equipment. Over the years, the horse and rider, learning each others’ movements, body language, moods and clues, strengthen this bond. When that bond is broken, the horse must adjust to life without its familiar partner. Inverted boots placed in stirrups show that the rider has passed on, and no other boots can fill the same stirrups.

This honor is typically reserved for someone who has worked in our community, in the fight against AIDS, or for the rodeo itself. They symbolize the fact life goes on – new people taking up the fight for their fallen comrades.

We have lost many good people over the years whose memories live on through us.