The 26th Cowboy Capital MS Trail Ride is set for Saturday, May 6 at Blue Stem ranch in Morgan Mill.
The Cowboy Capital MS Trail Ride is a beautiful, scenic ride on 2,000 acre Blue Stem Ranch, about 2.5 miles west of Morgan Mill. The ranch provides the perfect place for the trail ride with its varied terrain and ample parking at the camp site for your vehicles and trailers.
This year’s event is dedicated to a friend and integral part of the ride’s success-Diane Tidwell.
“She rode in the trail ride every year until last year,” said organizer Mary Howard, who reported that Tidwell was co-chair of the event for many years before her death in 2022.
Howard has been with the event since its foundation when the local Multiple Sclerosis support group was approached by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society about starting a ‘walk fundraiser.’
Mary remembers the group telling the representative, ‘This is cowboy country. We’re going to ride.’
The concept was new to the MS Society, but they agreed and the Cowboy Capital Trail Ride became the first such event for the organization.
Since then, it has also adopted a fun run/walk for participants who prefer two legs to four.
Tidwell was an avid rider and co-founder of the Erath County Sheriff’s Posse when she first joined the event. Tidwell had a friend who suffered from MS so when she realized the group’s cause, she wanted to get more involved.
Howard said Tidwell quickly started helping in ways like cooking breakfast burritos and doing things behind the scenes.
“Without her, I couldn’t have kept going,” Howard offered.
The goal of the trail ride is as dear to Howard as it was to Tidwell. Mary has seen the effects of MS first hand as her husband has it.
Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms may be mild such as numbness in the limbs or severe - paralysis or loss of vision. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50 but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can be lifelong.
Currently MS affects 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.5 million worldwide. There is no cure but advancements in treatment give hope to those affected and their loved ones.
Funds received through the MS Trail Ride support research, education, advocacy and local programs that enhance the quality of life for people with MS and their families.
Cost for the ride a minimum $50 donation for adults and $30 for children 12 and under. Riders may enter as individuals or a team of three.
Runners/walkers can enter the fun run for a $25 donation.
from First Methodist Church for construction of a sign because it did not adhere to guidelines interpreted by the Texas Economic Development Council.
The board approved a Community Improvement Grant request from Belen Rameriz for $2,160 for cleanup of a lot at 418 S. Patrick which is expected to become the site of a restaurant.
Executive Director Penny Corona was given discretion to decide what furnishings to relocate to the new EDC office in Blackjack Office Center, and how to dispose of unneeded furniture.