Black/African American trail rides, or Black trail rides, are rural parade-like celebrations that commemorate the traditions of Black cowboys and formerly enslaved Black Americans with their lineage to Freedmen who were skilled in caring for and training livestock. [1] The tradition is found in the Black American communities of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama founded by Freedmen.
Creole trail rides in Louisiana and Texas typically feature a "procession, zydeco music, dancing and feasting." [2] The annual Step-N-Strut trail ride in St. Landry Parish has been described as "the Creole Woodstock." [2] Trail rides are increasingly popular in Mississippi. [3]
