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Western Week

The 65th Annual Hashknife Pony Express arrived in Scottsdale on Friday

Posted 2/6/23

Hundreds of people gathered outside of Old Town Scottsdale’s Museum of the West to welcome the riders of the 65th Annual Hashknife Pony Express who delivered 20,000 pieces of U.S. mail and the …

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Western Week

The 65th Annual Hashknife Pony Express arrived in Scottsdale on Friday

Posted

Hundreds of people gathered outside of Old Town Scottsdale’s Museum of the West to welcome the riders of the 65th Annual Hashknife Pony Express who delivered 20,000 pieces of U.S. mail and the official Super Bowl LVII football to officials.

The historic horseback mail route culminated at high noon during the peak of Western Week. It is the oldest officially-sanctioned Pony Express in the world.

“Once a year, the Hashknife riders bring to Holbrook, Payson and Scottsdale an opportunity to momentarily step back into time and experience a touch of yesteryear,” said Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega.

This year’s Hashknife Pony Express coincided with Arizona’s hosting of Super Bowl LVII. After they dismounted the Pony Express riders presented the game ball to Jay Parry, president and CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee.

“It is a special day for us. We’re thinking of this as the kickoff to Super Bowl festivities leading up to game day on Feb. 12,” said Parry before receiving the handoff.

Beginning in Holbrook, Arizona, the Hashknife Pony Express covered 200 miles over the course of three days before arriving in Scottsdale. The riders braved frigid temperatures as they began their ride Wednesday morning, but by the time they got to Scottsdale they had nothing but warm remarks about the ride.

“It’s amazing,” said first-year rider Jason Hendricks. “It’s been a really great experience. I’ve actually been able to have my son and another son on the ride with us, you know, trading stories and saddle sores.”

Riders said the sense of family and camaraderie is what makes this ride successful year after year.

A total of 27 riders participated in this year’s Hashknife.

“It’s a one-mile relay. Once we start from Holbrook, the mail does not stop until we get to Payson,” said Hashknife Captain Mark Reynolds.

Once a rider has completed their turn carrying the mail, they trailer their horse and head to their next designated jump off point. This year was a significant year for the Hashknife Pony Express, not only because it was the 65th year of the ride, and delivered the Super Bowl game ball, but this year was also the fastest Hashknife ever.

“Yesterday (Thursday) was the fastest ride we ever made from Payson to Scottsdale,” said Reynolds.

The 77-mile trip took them just over four hours, at a pace of 3 minutes 26 seconds per mile.

A dedicated team supported the riders along the journey. The mail crew stamped and prepared the delivery. Cooks provided breakfast, lunch and dinner. For protection and traffic coordination, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office was with the riders the entire ride. The riders were riding American Quarter horses, also known as “the quintessential cowboy horse.”

Friday’s crowd took part in Scottsdale’s annual “Western Week” festivities that are emblematic of the city’s historic western traditions. Just before the mail arrived, everyone joined in singing the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

“I thought it was very impressive to see,” said spectator Deb Hansen about Hashknife’s arrival.

Editor’s Note: Peter Cirocco is a student reporter at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications.