The Annual Re-Ride of the historic Pony Express mail service will be conducted from June 11 - 21, 2025, by the National Pony Express Association (NPEA). The event, celebrating the 165th year anniversary of “the Pony”, will start in Sacramento, CA and end in St. Joseph, MO, traveling west to east this year.
Personal letters and Commemorative letters will be carried in a mochila (a leather square that is placed over the saddle, with four locked cantinas to hold the mail) by horse and rider relays from the Sacramento River to the Missouri River. The first rider will depart Old Sacramento, California on Wednesday, June 11, at 2:00 PM PDT, and the last rider is scheduled to arrive at the Patee House in St. Joseph, Missouri, on Saturday, June 21, at 7:30 PM CDT.
The route will follow the Pony Express National Historic Trail, a component of the National Trails System. The mail will travel 1966 miles across California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas, to Missouri.
Approximately 600 member riders from NPEA’s eight State Divisions will ride relay-style, 24 hours a day, until the mochila is delivered in St. Joseph, Missouri. Each rider will take the Pony Express Oath prior to riding with the mochila, just as the riders did in 1860.
History: The annual Re-Ride is a 10-day, 24 hours-a-day event honoring the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. The Company carried letters and telegrams from April 1860, to November 1861, between St. Joseph and Sacramento, proving the Central Route through Salt Lake City was passable year round. Their intent was to win a federal mail contract, which, unfortunately, never materialized.
Riders Wanted: Are you interested in participating in the annual Re-Ride? Get your mount legged up to ride a leg in the annual Re-Ride. Reach out to a State President near you and find out about riding in this year's Re-Ride. Several states have ride sections available; come experience the thrill of being a Pony Express rider! State Officer Directory: Https://nationalponyexpress.org/about/national-directory/
Send A Letter: The Commemorative letters carried this year will be a vignette of Pony Express history in Nevada. The letters can be purchased by the public for the 1860 price of $5 each. Personal letters are also available for $10 each. All letters will be carried on horseback from Sacramento, California to St. Joseph, Missouri. They will be stamped as having been officially carried by Pony Express and then delivered via USPS. The letter application form can be obtained by downloading it from the NPEA website at https://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/send-a-letter/.
Re-Ride: During the Re-Ride, updates and information about the progress across the Pony Express trail can be found at https://www.facebook.com/expressrider/. A GPS Device will be carried in the mochila, that transmits real-time location of the mail. The National Parks Service (NPS) will have an interactive map to follow the transmissions at https://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/follow-the-ride/. Status updates will also be posted on the website and photos & videos on the NPEA Facebook page.