‘Trail Ride’ leads the 112th Northern Navajo Fair at sunrise
By Nolan Bruno
Special to the Times
SHIPROCK
The quiet morning air of Shiprock will soon be filled with the sounds of hooves along the trails and roads.
With the 112th Annual Northern Navajo Fair started today, Oct. 2, the scenic “Trail Ride” is scheduled to step off at 8 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 3, for riders of all experience levels. Organizers say the trail ride will give riders and visitors a chance to connect with Diné culture and community kinship.
In an interview with the Navajo Times, Rennita Henderson, the coordinator of the trail ride, said, “This trail ride is not just another fun trail ride. There are many significant cultural aspects to the ride,” she said.
With the fair’s theme of “Families Are Our Strength,” the trail ride will serve as an embodiment of kinship as riders gather to honor and traverse ancestral paths of the Navajo Nation.
Henderson shared details about the dedication of the participating riders. Riders from the south side of the trail began on Sunday, Sept. 28, from Window Rock and were approaching Twin Lakes, New Mexico, earlier this week.
The trail ride is divided into five directions – East, South, West A, West B, and North. Riders will come from each direction and congregate at noon at the Yé’ii Bicheii Grounds, each group featuring one of four colors. The colors include white, turquoise, yellow, and black. The colors represent the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” biblical figures from the Book of Revelation. The number four also holds significance with its representation of the Four Sacred Mountains, according to Henderson.
To read the full article, please see the Oct. 2, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow