On July 28, 2018 during the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo (the largest outdoor rodeo in the world), my brother Kenny along with other members of the Frontier Days Committee that passed away last year were honored. As the announcer read their names, a riderless horse for each cowboy, with the boots reversed in the stirrups is lead around the arena.
I did some research and the custom of a riderless horse to honor a fallen warrior is believed to date back to the time of Genghis Khan. In the United States, the riderless horse is part of military honors, and this includes the President, by virtue of having been the country’s commander in chief. Abraham Lincoln was the first president of the United States to be officially honored by the inclusion of the riderless horse in his funeral cortege, with the boots and spurs of its former rider reversed in the stirrups.
As I watched the video of this tribute for my brother I cried and smiled. Seeing Kenny’s boots backwards in the stirrups reminded me of how much I miss him. I smiled because his children and those who love him were reminded in a very fitting way how much he is loved and appreciated. I’m thankful for cowboys. They also know how to say goodbye and honor those who have passed on.
