Riders sought for annual Fourth of July Pony Express Ride

WORLAND (WNE) —  Planning is underway for the annual July Fourth Pony Express event organized by the Ten Sleep – Hyattville Lions Club. 

People who have ridden in the relay in recent years have been contacted by email to ask if they are interested in riding again, according to organizers Lyle and Shelley Spence. 

Anyone who would like to be a first-time participant in the relay is invited to contact the Spences at 307-272-2477 as soon as possible. 

Pony Express relay riders carry a bag full of letters on horseback over a 17.5- mile route from Hyattville to Ten Sleep through the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, leaving Hyattville early on the morning of July Fourth and arriving in Ten Sleep in time to join in the parade. 

Depending upon the number of riders, each horse and rider will lope part or all of a one-mile section of the route. 

This is not an event for novice riders or horses without a good deal of experience. Part of the route presents challenging terrain, there will be distractions from traffic and spectators, and part of the route and the parade are on paved surfaces. 

Riders are encouraged to devote some time between now and July 4 to train their horses to accept these challenges. 

Riders will need to have a driver who can shuttle their horses and truck/trailer to the assigned locations. 

Commemorative Lions Club Pony Express envelopes will go on sale to the public around mid-June at various locations in Worland, Ten Sleep and Hyattville. 

This story was published on May 29, 2025.