Teams are already preparing for next years ride of the Pony Express. All across the West, hundreds…perhaps thousands of people took park in the “Re-Ride,” tracing the original path of the Pony Express in 2023.

The actual Pony Express began in April, 1860. Riders raced across 1,966 miles in ten days or less. However, the arrival of the telegraph made Pony Express obsolete, lasting 19 months.  But the spirt of the ride lives on around the world. The imagery of the ride has won a permanent place in the legend of the west.

Now, volunteers recreate the ride across eight states. Even today it’s a daunting journey coordinated by the National Pony Express Association.

The late spring rains and snows that hit the West this year prompted some detours — but like the original riders — the new riders pushed on — in daylight and darkness — to deliver the mail.

The 2023 re-ride began June 7th in Sacramento with a brief ceremony, and ended June 17th in St. Joseph, Missouri. About a thousand actual letters in four different pockets, were locked in the Mochila by the postmaster, and sent on their way. They won’t be unlocked until the last riders delivers the Mochila in St. Joseph.