Salt Grass Trail Riders Parade into Houston: Kicking off Rodeo Season with Style and Spirit

Neither bitter cold nor scorching heat has ever stopped the Salt Grass Trail riders from merriment – and this year is no exception. 

Although freezing temperatures meant a warm-up trail ride wasn’t in the cards last Saturday, riders bundled up with coats and blankets and drank whiskey by the fire. On Sunday, they donned western hats and hit the trail, embarking on a week-long adventure. 

Between swigs of beer, camp songs, and playful banter, riders on horseback and in covered wagons trekked 12.1 miles from the rural Cat Spring campsite to the Austin County Fairgrounds in Bellville. There, they set up camp, prepped dinner and drinks, and exchanged stories by the campfire before turning in for the night. They’d maybe catch a few hours of sleep before waking at 6 a.m. to the sound of a cattle call song emanating over a loudspeaker, signaling it was time to do it all over again.

The Salt Grass Trail Ride dates back to 1952 when four men decided to travel on horseback from Brenham to Houston to promote what was then called the Houston Fat Stock Show and is today the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Over the years, participation swelled, and other trail rides popped up. Salt Grass, which bills itself as “the granddaddy of ‘em all,” includes more than 1,000 people and 22 wagons and is thought to be the oldest and largest Texas Trail Ride. The ride concludes in Memorial Park on Friday, where many riders spend the night before converging with 10 other trail rides at the Downtown Rodeo Parade the following day. 

Rene Bennett, Dick DeGuerin, and Michele DeGuerin Luke. (Photo: Eli Luke)

“You kind of run on exhaustion, but it’s a fabulous exhaustion,” longtime trail rider Rene Bennett shared on day four of the nearly 100-mile journey to Houston. “You’re just so excited to be with each other all day long and can’t wait till the next day.” 

For some trail riders, participating in this annual tradition helps them honor Texas history and remember the generations of Texans who came before them. 

The 22 wagons in Salt Grass each have different owners, membership structures, and personalities. Take the Desperados, a wagon co-owned by River Oaks resident Rene, a Memorial High School graduate, and three of her cousins. They purchased the wagon after Rene’s mother, Beverly Wilson Bennett Smith, passed away in 2022. Beverly was the first female “wagon boss,” in the entire Salt Grass Trail Ride, and her children and grandchildren continue to honor her legacy. 

Cousins Maren Flood and Cecilia Herdeg.(Photo: Eli Luke)

“She loved this more than anything in the world,” Rene’s daughter Maren Flood said of her grandmother. “I feel closest to her when I’m out here.” 

Maren decided to ride with the Desperados after her grandmother passed away and has continued each year since. She takes a week off from work at a Houston law firm to be present for all the festivities. 

“I tell people, ‘Please don’t call me. I’m on a horse,’” Maren joked.  

Some days on the trail are miserable, and yet the pain is worth it, riders say. Perhaps a horse creates a ruckus, the sun beats down too fiercely, or sore legs make it difficult to move. Through all the discomforts, people return year after year. 

The "Desperado Divas" camp together in a large RV (hence the "Diva" nickname). Pictured (from left) are Cecilia Herdeg, Rene Bennett, Michele DeGuerin Luke, Rachael Bennett Marshall, Maren Flood, and Liz Pepi. (Photo: Eli Luke) 

“You just do it because you’re doing it,” said Michele DeGuerin Luke, who rode in the trail ride as a teenager and returned this year after moving back to Texas from Utah. Michele camps in a large RV with Rene and family, aka the “Desperado Divas.” 

Meanwhile Michele’s son Eli Luke and father Dick DeGuerin camped together in an Airstream travel trailer. Dick has long been a member of The Magnificent 7, a wagon group whose core values include family, friendship, and fellowship. 

“You get to play like you’re a cowboy and ride a horse and be with other people who enjoy the same kind of thing,” said Dick, a Houston criminal defense attorney who recalled bringing friends and even celebrities like Kay Bailey Hutchison to the ride in previous years. 

Eli Luke (on right) values the quality time spent with grandfather Dick DeGuerin (on left). 

Friendly competition between each wagon makes for evening fun, with wagon owners hosting parties and trying to one-up each other, said Eli, whose favorite part of the festivities has been the time he’s spent with his grandpa.

“It’s cool for me to see him around all of his old cowboy friends,” said Eli, a graduate student studying finance at The University of Texas at Austin. “I tend to just shut up and let them talk. They have better stories than all of us.” 

One such story comes from John Burns, wagon boss for The Magnificent 7. John has been riding for decades and recalled 30 years ago when his son Shaun opted to camp outside in the 20 degree weather. 

"I stayed in the motel that night," John said. But Shaun was insistent. Despite the ice on the ground, he wanted to brave the elements. John set up a back up plan. If Shaun got cold, he'd hop into another trail rider's camper trailer. But Shaun loves the cold and stuck it out, waking up the next morning ready to ride. Thirty years later, Shaun and dad John recall the story with fondness. 

John summed it up: "The camraderie, the closeness, the bonds that this creates – those are the fondest memories I have." 

Editor’s note: Interested viewers can watch trail riders arrive in Memorial Park between noon and three on Friday afternoon. For more information, follow the Salt Grass Trail Ride Association on Facebook.