Pantyhose and Easyboots — Two Necessities for the Pony Express Race

Somewhere out West, 1976 - On August 22, after Neel Glass had placed third in the 1,905-mile Pony Express Race, he must have been tired, sore, and elated. While his horse, Stanley, was the only one who started the race in Easyboots, by the time seven men and four women finished 39 grueling days, every horse was wearing them to prevent soreness and bruising over the varied terrain.

Back then, high-tech riding pants were unheard of, so these rugged riders wore--you guessed it--pantyhose to avoid saddle sores. These tough guys (and gals) weren't using soft merino wool covers on their saddles, there was no such thing as no-bounce packs and Bob Walz hadn't yet invented cushioned EZ Ride Stirrups.
The race started in St. Joseph, Missouri and ended in Sacramento, California. It was sponsored by the British Post Office in honor of Sir Rowland Hill, the inventor of the first adhesive postage stamp that made pre-paid postage possible. Before that, the recipient had to pay for all mail deliveries. Without it, the original Pony Express riders may have started with a letter in St. Joe and rode hell-bent for Sac, only to discover that the person on the other end of the line couldn't pay for it. (Then, what do you do..send it back?)

So, why on earth, as a modern-day rider, would you choose to ride such a long way just to commemorate the invention of the postage stamp? There's no pay, the route runs through two-thirds of the United States that is prime Desolatesville, and creature comforts are sketchy, at best. Plus, I don't care how much you ride or how fit you are, after an average of 48 miles a day, day in and day out, your backside has GOT to hurt. The answer is that these riders wanted the challenge of it, and a desire to permanently mark and preserve an important part of history. (For the history of the Pony Express, click here.) All the riders that participated were committed to preserving historic trails for future generations. As veterinarian and official trail boss, Dave Nicholson, so eloquently put in, "We beat up our posteriors for posterity."

For Neel, the 1976 Race was satisfying, not only because he completed the challenge, but that his Easyboot invention was used to keep every mount on the journey sound.