This Fort Worth riding club keeps legacy, culture of Black cowboys alive
In east Fort Worth, about a dozen horses pound their hooves into the ground, kicking dirt and grass into the air as a drill captain yells directions to their riders.
The scene takes place in a practice area between homes and woods that border Lake Arlington. Horses graze on nearby land as the smell of manure hangs in the air. Construction cones and fences surround the neighborhood.
Lois Scott, 16, who inherited her passion for horses from her father, is the youngest member of the riding team.
While her friends are asleep on summer mornings, she wakes up at 6 a.m. to feed and clean her six horses and their stalls. Dirt covers her after practice, which might make some grimmace, but that is what showers are for, Scott says.
She describes one of her horses, Charlie Boy, as her best friend and a therapist who brings her peace. She used to perform in barrel racing and wanted to be part of the rodeo since she was young. She plans to go to college to study veterinarian science and become an equine veterinarian. She dreams of having her own ranch and a veterinarian clinic.
“It keeps me out of trouble, and I’d rather do this for the rest of my life,” Scott said.
She is one of about a dozen riders for the drill team of Circle L 5, which members say has roots as the oldest Black riding club in Texas. The team participates in competitions, such as the 36th Texas Black Invitational Rodeo, which was July 26 at Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas.
Circle L 5 works to maintain the legacy and representation of Black Cowboys and an extended community for Black people who have embraced cowboy culture.
Morrell Bell watched a recent practice. At 81, he is the oldest member of Circle L 5. He first saw the group in a parade in 1969 in Alvarado. Bell, impressed by their wardrobe of white shirts, Black chaps, and the Circle L 5 emblem on their saddles, wanted to be a part of the group. He bought a horse before he joined the the group in 1975 and has watched as his son and grandson learned to ride and care for horses.
He says he finds peace in riding — it relaxes his mind and reflects a life he’s always wanted. For Bell, a cowboy is not what you wear or say but where your heart carries you.
“It’s what you want to be,” Bell said. “That’s the life you want to live.”
Ed “Pop” Landers, along with four other Black equestrians, first created the Silver Saddles in 1949, named after the ornate silver work on their saddles. They wanted to participate in parades and rodeos with their white peers. The Fort Worth Stock Show did not allow Black cowboys to compete in the rodeo until 1956.
Circle L 5 is founded
After a few years, the small group switched its look, as the cost of adding silver to saddles became too burdensome. In 1951, Landers, while talking with four others about creating a new riding club, used a stick and carved a circle in the dirt. Someone suggested adding “L” to honor Landers and the Circle L 5 was founded.
Today, Circle L 5 is more than a riding club — it’s an extended family for many. There are over 90 members — 50 are active and the rest are lifetime members or have been in the club for over 20 years and still pay dues. Circle L 5 is a nonprofit organization that participates in parades and competes in events, while giving back to the community through fundraisers or small community events.
Some members aren’t riders but support the group through its nonprofit work or just participate in the parades.
Minnie Strawther, 91, has owned the land where Circle L 5 members practice since the early ‘70s. It’s off of Wilbarger Street between east Loop 820 and just west of Lake Arlington. Strawther and her late husband Willie moved to Fort Worth in 1951 in Stop 6, where they found other Black riders and eventually joined the riding club.
Circle L 5 had stalls in the Stop 6 neighborhood but had to move when the property owners sold then land. Strawther and her husband had bought their current location and invited Circle L 5 to move their horses to the property.
Strawther hasn’t ridden a horse since she was a young girl but still is a social member of the club. Before her husband died a few years ago, he asked Circle L 5 members to take care of his wife when he was gone, and that’s what they have done since, Strawther said.
“I don’t have family members that did any more for me than Circle L 5,” Stawther said.
Jarred Howard II is one of the newest members of the club. The 25-year-old has been fascinated with horses since he was a teenager and learned about Circle L 5 when he started trail riding. He officially joined the club this year.
In 2022, he started his own equestrian company called 2 R Equine, which provides trail rides, horse riding lessons, photo shoots, and more.
No Black cowboys? Think again
When people think of cowboys, it’s usually someone with blue eyes and blonde hair as is often depicted by Hollywood, Howard said, but Black cowboys have always existed.
“A lot of people have no idea that there are Black cowboys,” Howard said. “So I think it’s important to maintain that image, because it’s important to know your history and operate and live in your history.”
When Lesa Ellinger first started riding , other women asked why she rode horses. She notes that African Americans have been ranchers and cowboys since emancipation and helped create the same competitions Circle L 5 and other riding groups participate in today. She wants to help carry on that tradition.
“We’re here for our community,” Ellinger said. “We’re here to educate children as well as people just the same. Anybody can join the club, anybody can learn to ride, anybody can join the drill team. Create whatever you want to do. We just like to keep the legacy going.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 10:57 AM.
