Boldridge family legacy: Inspiring the next generation of horse riders

Every day starts the same for the Boldridge family: grooming, cleaning and taking care of their horses.

“Our family has been involved with horses since 1870,” said Patty Boldridge, an equestrian rider in Atchison. “Our history goes back to slavery times; our family has always been horse trainers.”

While their history of horse training and riding roots back to over a century, the family got started in the Four-state area with James Boldridge who trained horses with the legendary Tom Bass.

James Boldridge eventually made his way to Independence, Missouri, and went on to be recognized as one of the best black horse trainers in a four-state area.

The Boldridge family’s ties to Atchison, Kansas, started with Walter Boldridge Sr., the father of the well-known Walter Boldridge Jr., who trained each of his children, Richard Boldridge, Teresa Boldridge, Sonya Boldridge, and Patricia Boldridge, to ride and train horses.

Black cowboys are a key part of American and black history, and Walter Boldridge Jr. was one of the best horse trainers and riders in the community of Atchison and surrounding towns.

“Our father had a lot of the horses he trained that went to Texas and competed,” Boldridge said. “When he got done with them people would always know it was Walter Boldridge’s horses because when he was done with them, they were broken and trained in a way that anyone could get on it.”

However, many black cowboys didn’t get the recognition they deserved because Black Cowboys, including Boldridge Jr., couldn’t compete until after the audience left.

“We would start getting our horses ready at 6:00 in the morning, and we would be sitting there by 10:00,” Boldridge said. “We didn’t care if they said the competition started at 7:00 at night. Our mother would have a bunch of food cooked for us and that’s just what we did to compete, and we did that for a very long time.”

Things got tough for the family after Boldridge Jr. passed away, but now they’re trying to continue the Boldridge family legacy by inspiring the next generation of riders.

Many of the horses the family owned and used to train family on have died out due to old age, but one horse in particular, 15-year-old ‘Cowboy’, is still around and had the advantage of being trained by Boldridge Jr.

“Right before dad died, dad made me promise that I would finish him out,” said Boldridge. “Anyone that says an animal doesn’t grieve doesn’t understand because even to this day, he will look for dad.”

The Boldridge’s were able to get Cowboy to stop running away after Walter Boldridge Jr. passed by, placing an old piece of his clothing in his stall.

“Every night I woke up to check on him, there he was,” Boldridge said.

The Boldridge’s are ensuring that the family legacy of horse-riding and training continues by participating in reenactments and western modeling.

“We’re hoping to pass it on to the next generation,” Boldridge said. “My nieces are the next generation and have been doing reenactments with me. Each of them started out at a very early age and I want them to understand their heritage and keep it going just as our father did for us.”

One way the Boldridge’s ensure the horse-riding legacy continues is by keeping healthy and trained horses in the family lineage.

“Many horse owners will tell you their horses live better than they do,” Boldridge said. “That’s how we are; we don’t play about our horses and if they’re not doing well, their diet changes instantly. We try to make sure that our animals have everything they need and proper nutrition.”

In addition to re-enactments, the Boldridge family continues to display its heritage year-round by participating in many cultural events, such as Juneteenth parades and local festivals.