Q & A section
During the Ride I answered a number of questions and it was suggested to me that we have a Q & A section so these sort of questions can be found along with the answer. We have never had the type of question that warranted a section such as this but I discussed it with a couple of Admins and we decided to add it this year. More will be added over time.

Christina Hyke:
Are there horse/rider teams that have done the entire ride start to finish, or is this more of a relay picking up riders in each new day
Gloria Hazell Derby:
The horses do get 'swapped out' every so many miles. I don't think we have ever had any that do the whole 330 miles. Yes more riders and horses do join in along the way especially at Flandreau and Morton areas. By the time they go through Mankato for the Ceremonies you will notice there are a lot of horses and riders. Also the runners from Fort Snelling join the Riders there.

Curtis Griesel:
How many people participate in the ride each day?
Gloria Hazell Derby:
Curtis Griesel, It depends. What you don't see is the caravan of support people who drive the horses and riders around when they are not actually riding. Every year is different. The ones you see are usually Keith, (this year Todd) and Josette who run the Chuck wagon and deal with all sorts of things that happen along the route, they are joined by various people each day every year who assist them.

The riders change every few miles and have a rest as do the horses, More will be joining the Ride from Flandreau until Mankato so the numbers change again. In the towns they go to, the townsfolk work on getting the food together for the People and making sure the horses are bedded down properly. They are all volunteers, as are we working on this group, there are 10 of us this year, all doing our own job to keep the group working, Then there are the photographers who keep the Ride alive in photos and videos. I think we get about 100 different people sending them in each year, then there is Ron making up the collages of photos each day for you all to enjoy. If I have forgotten anyone please forgive me...

Curtis Griesel:
Gloria Hazell Derby thank you. Do you know if there is a public event planned on the 26th when the group arrives in Mankato?
Gloria Hazell Derby:
They all meet up at Reconciliation Park (The Hanging Site) in Mankato, the riders and the runners from Fort Snelling, and then Ceremonies are done there.

A lunch is at 1 pm for them, this year (2021) it will be at the Americainn. Shelley will be organizing the food.

Juliette Wica Ke Sa:
Where are they heading now??
I seen a post where I thought they was coming to Wounded Knee? Maybe I read it wrong.. OK. Thanks for the info.
Gloria Hazell Derby:
They will go to Pipestone in Minnesota tomorrow. No that is the Big Foot Ride that is going on in SD at the same time as ours. The Big Foot Ride goes west, ours goes east. You're welcome!
You can check on each day's web site page for their route, and where they will be staying each day.

A few people asked this question:

When the Ride goes past me what should I do?

Gloria Hazell Derby:
The most important thing to do is be Respectful. Wait and see if the Riders acknowledge you, they may be praying quietly at the moment they pass you, and so won't probably even know that you are there. So just bow your head. Don't take it as an insult. To most of the Riders, prayer is very special, and they actually carry a pouch with names of people in it that people want prayers said for. These can be for various reasons. Only the Rider knows when he or she is going to pray.

Again this question is asked a lot:

What time does the World wide prayer session start?

Gloria Hazell Derby:
It starts at 4 pm Central time, that would equate to 10 pm Grenwich mean Time. You can stay in the prayer time for a few minutes or longer if you wish to. I am sure people come to it later, and so if you stay then you will be joining up with more as some leave and others join you. You can pray in whichever way you want to, regular prayer, meditation, thought, Pipe, nothing is wrong as long as it is respectful

This is a big one...

What time do the ceremonies start at Reconciliation Park?
Gloria Hazell Derby:
Well the time of the hangings was 10 am, and so the Riders like to be there for then. Sometimes the runners from Fort Snelling arrive late, and so as a mark of respect to the runners, (who have run from Fort Snelling during the night), the Ceremonies are held off until everyone is there. But get there for 10 am.

Again this has been asked by a number of people

What is the Riderless horse all about?
Gloria Hazell Derby:
The horse that is usually in the front, being led by the Front rider, is known as the Spirit Horse. It is riderless because it is offering the saddle to the Spirits. We have been told by a Spiritual Leader in the early days of the Ride that both Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull rode along with the Ride in South Dakota using the Spirit Horse. It often carries Tobacco ties, the Prayer Pouch and anything else that is deemed Spiritual. It is not always the same horse, they take it in turns. The horse at the time of doing this role is very sacred, prayers should always be said around it, and it should always be respected. It is an honor to lead the Spirit Horse.

We were asked why only 2 Horses and Riders sometimes.
This is because often only a couple of Rider's go out, especially in bad weather, between stopping points, which are around a couple of miles between each stop. It is not good for the horse to travel too far in the bad weather and certainly the Rider has to be experienced and weather worn to do it as well.

At each stopping point the horses can be switched out so another one can have a go, and often the Rider is switched as well. The past few years the weather has not been too bad and so that is why people are used to seeing a lot of Riders going out. This year so far it has been fridgid and windy, Wilfred, as the leader and staff carrier, would not let inexperienced horses or riders go out in such bad weather. They always have an escort vehicle driving next to them for safety reasons.

Do send in any other questions you may have via messenger. Thanks