Annual Pony Express ride coming back to the Valley

The 3rd annual Roots N’ Boots Queen Creek Pony Express Ride will take place on Saturday, March 21, 2026. This event is a horseback relay that transports mail from Kearny, Arizona, to Queen Creek, Arizona.

The ride will start at the Kearny Post Office in Kearny at 7:30 a.m. that Saturday. Then, a mail exchange will occur at the Florence Post Office, where additional mail collected will be added to the mailbags.

A team of riders will enter Horseshoe Park & Equestrian Center at approximately 4:30 p.m., then a team of riders will open the Saturday evening preshow at 7 p.m. on the arena floor. You can send a postcard too!

Take a postcard, write your message, and return the card to the drop box with $5 for each postcard before March 14, 2026. This price is the same as it was in 1860 on the original Pony Express ride.

Phil Fedor of Roots N’ Boots Queen Creek Pony Express and Dakota Baden of Rodeo Queen joined “Arizona Horizon” to talk more about the annual pony ride.

“…it’s a small facet of many events that happen during rodeo week,” Fedor said, “…Roots N’ Boots Queen is the anchor of many different community events that happen.”

There are a total of 27 riders who will carry the mail about two miles each, breaking up the 75-mile-long journey. According to Fedor, the entire journey from start to finish should take roughly 8 hours to complete.

“…everybody has an assignment, they have to go from point A to point B,” Fedor discussed, “…we relay, hand-to-hand on horseback the mail bags, and make our way through to Florence, and then ultimately in Queen Creek.”

Baden emphasized how crucial it is to keep the rodeo western heritage alive, especially for Queen Creek, and the East Valley, as it continues to grow.

“It’s important to keep our western roots present, and available for people to enjoy and to celebrate,” Baden said, “…and the Pony Express is a great way to do that.”