Came for a Good time, not a Long time: Black Trail-Riding Clubs more than just a Party?

—-Good times, good food, and good entertainment are all the right ingredients to set the scene for an organized three-day, annual “campout and trail ride event.”

Large crowds gather from all over for heighted anticipated fun consisting of
horse riding, party wagons, four wheelers, ATV’s, music, line dancing, and live entertainment.

Food vendors are parked neatly adjacent, airing the most savoring appetite
clinching aromas. Lawn chairs and beer filled coolers align the dance floor orderly.

Spectators would describe it as huge parties in dusty fields. But is that all?
One glaring piece of the puzzle, not yet spoken, lies in the seemingly planned and organized clothing décor. The event is filled with groups dressed in unison custom shirts with affiliate logos coupled with fashionable assortments of denim and boots.

In solidarity they chant, step and dance. The lifeline of the Trail ride community are its’ organizations. Every organization is operated and ran by managing members. Roles and responsibilities are individually delegated and ascribed.

If you are there only to attend the weekend parties’, then reality is, you’ve only experienced a very minuscule piece of the culture. In comparison to nightclub atmospheres, the party, food, entertainment scene is inside of an actual venue where you are just another face in the crowd.

At Trail Rides you are with your group that has developed more into an
extended family. Originally, Trail Rides were smaller and intimate. Families
and close friends would get together, ride horses on back roads for hours at a time only to return for more hours of fellowship and good food. The simple days.

Today, as Trail Rides appear to become increasingly popular, much
controversy surrounds how much of its’ original simple days are still retained.

Or have we awakened a new era of Trail Riding, that is simply just about the good times?

Well sure, if you’re on the outside looking in. It’s a bigger picture than what meets the eye. A picture built on -fellowship, family, and servitude.

Unbeknownst to most, there are many Trail ride organizations that are true
beacons of the community. Offering scholarships for the youth, donating time and resources to students and school organizations, and even setting up on parking lots Sunday mornings as a group to cook hot meals for the homeless.

Local organizations such as Showstoppas of Dallas, Texas; 84 Riderz of
Mexia, Texas; Ghetto Boys of Mexia, Texas; and All Star Riderz of Waco,
Texas have kept quite busy throughout the years in their many acts of
servitude. Good deeds are left off the weekend campout flyer but are
permanently pressed on the hearts of the community.

So, is it still just about a good time?

Well, yes… and no! Trail Ride organizations are always here for the good
times, but not long. There’s still a canvas to paint. One built on fellowship,
family, and servitude.

“Here for a Good time not a Long Time”