LA MARQUE, TEXAS -More than 150 trail riders with Texas Independence Trail Ride Association will participate in a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Warm Up this
weekend, camping at Mac McGaffey Highland Bayou Park and riding around the City of La Marque Saturday and Sunday.
The trail riders will travel 14 miles on Saturday, passing by La Marque City Hall around 9:30 a.m. Citizens interested in viewing the trail ride are invited to park at City
Hall or La Marque Public Library Saturday morning. Complete routes, along with maps, are attached.
The group will be back to Mac McGaffey Highland Bayou Park in February as they participate in the statewide trail ride to Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The
Texas Independence Trail Ride was formed in 1961. The group encourages families to ride together and are known on the trail as the “family ride”. Generations of families
ride together every year and the annual event has become a family reunion of sorts. Texas Independence is a nonprofit organization that strives to stimulate, promote and
encourage the love of horses, riding and good fellowship. Preserving Cowboy
Heritage is a tradition of their ride, as well as encouraging participation in
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. For information, find them on Facebook
or email txindependencetr@gmail.com.
According to www.rodeohouston.com, the Houston Livestock Show and
Rodeo Trail Ride started in 1952, when four men traveled on horseback from
Brenham, Texas. Today, more than 3,000 trail riders partake in the tradition
each year. Riders hit the trail in an attempt to recreate the Old West, and in
doing so, find a common ground that links us all to the Rodeo.
Courtesy of: www.ci.la-marque.tx.us
About Mac McGaffey Highland Bayou Park: Highland Bayou Park is a
230-acre nature park in La Marque, Texas. It is home of La Marque’s annual
family-friendly music festival, Bayou Fest. Beginning in 2019, the park will be
the first stop on Texas Independence Trail Ride Association’s ride to Houston
Livestock Show and Rodeo. The park features playgrounds, canoeing, hiking,
nature trail, bird sanctuary with bird watching, observation deck, tennis
court, basketball court, horseshoe pit, shade shelters and bar-b-que facilities.
Highland Bayou Park features a large parking area and public rental of
the pavilion. The park is open from dawn to dusk, unless the city is hosting a
special event. For information, visit parks.cityoflamarque.org.
