The Cowboy Way

Yes, that's a horse blocking traffic: Trail rides roll in and the Rodeo camplife fires up

The Southwestern Trail Ride made a 102-mile trip from Angelton.
Photo by Whitney Radley
The Mission Trail Ride, winners of the Division III award, made a 210-mile ridefrom San Antonio.
Photo by Whitney Radley
The Spanish Trail Ride arrived first.
Photo by Whitney Radley
A fajita lunch for Trail Ride Committee members was cooked up on a giganticskillet.
Photo by Whitney Radley
Horse trailers and recreational vehicles are lined up as far as the eye can see.
Photo by Whitney Radley
Each trail ride claims its own section of the makeshift campground at MemorialPark.
Photo by Whitney Radley

The traffic hold-ups all around the city and its suburbs over the past week have been for good cause: Today, the 12 trail rider groups have arrived at Memorial Park.

Over thousands of miles and sometimes up to three weeks, these trail riders have promoted the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and served as reminders of Texas' rich Western heritage.

"This originated in the 50s, when trail rides were better for getting the word out than advertising," explained Trail Ride Committee chairman Philip Martin, who appeared surprisingly collected in spite of the impending arrival of 4,000 rowdy riders and their livestock.

The idea of herding in so many trail riders may seem like an overwhelming one, but the structure of the operation assures that everything runs like clockwork.

Each year, the Trail Ride Committee helps to facilitate riders' treks from respective starting points, prepares the park for the temporary takeover of the riders and cleans up once the trail riders leave again.

"This originated in the 50s, when trail rides were better for getting the word out than advertising," Philip Martin said.

A subcommittee makes sure that all of the committee's 125 members are well-fed — and with an elaborate Southern dinner on Thursday, a breakfast feast and a delicious fajita lunch on Friday, it's difficult to imagine that they're anything but.

"The rule of thumb is, don't run out," Herbie Lapetina told CultureMap. Lapetina, vice chairman of the rodeo committee cook team, has prepared meals for the Trail Ride Committee for 15 years.

On Friday, the trail riders began to file in around noon. First was the Spanish Trail Ride, which made the 109-mile trip from Shepherd; the group signaled its arrival with loud music, prancing horses and lots of hollers.

Near the entrance of the makeshift campground at Memorial Park, Junior Rodeo Committee members stood by with clip boards and score sheets, counting points to determine the best trail rides.

Erin Okeson, a psychology student at Texas A&M University, has volunteered with RodeoHouston in different capacities over the past four years, and this year was her first as a judge.

Each rider must be rated on dress and spirit, and the full cavalcade on overall presentation, Okeson explained, and all infractions of the rules must be tallied. "I guess you have to be very observant," she laughed.

At a ceremony held on Friday evening, the trail rides who fit the bill were recognized. Spirit awards were given to to the Sam Houston Trail Ride and the Sam Houston Wagon Three.

Salt Grass Trail Ride, the longest-running group, took first for Best Trail Ride in Division I (awarded to a group with 145 or more participants). Prairie View Trail Ride took the title for Division II (50 to 144 participants) and the Mission Trail Ride won in Division III (49 or fewer participants).

The trail riders will file out of the park again on Saturday morning, riding along Memorial Drive and through the streets of downtown for the annual Downtown Rodeo Parade.

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Stretching the budget

A $100,000 salary in 2026 goes further in Houston than it did last year

Photo by Leo Yao on Unsplash

$100,000 stretches a little further in 2026.

A 2026 income study has good news for big earners in Houston: A six-figure salary goes further than it did last year.

A Houston resident's $100,000 salary is worth $84,840 after taxes and adjusted for the local cost of living, according to the new financial analysis from SmartAsset. That's about $1,500 more than Houstonians were bringing home last year.

The 2026 take-home pay is about eight percent higher than it was in 2024, when the same salary had an adjusted value of $78,089.

SmartAsset used its paycheck calculator to apply federal, state and local taxes to an annual salary of $100,000 in 69 of the largest American cities. The figure was then adjusted for the local cost of living (which included average costs for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services). Cities were then ranked based on where a six-figure salary is worth the least after applicable taxes and cost of living adjustments.

Houston ranked No. 60 in the overall ranking of U.S. cities where $100,000 is worth the least. If the rankings were flipped and the cities were ranked based on where $100,000 goes the furthest, that places Houston in the No. 10 spot nationwide.

Manhattan, New York remains the No. 1 city where a six-figure salary is worth the least. A Manhattan resident's take-home pay is only worth $29,420 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living, which is 3.10 percent lower than it was in 2025.

SmartAsset determined Manhattan has a 29.7 percent effective tax rate on six-figure salaries. Meanwhile, the effective tax rate on a $100,000 salary in Texas (based on the eight cities examined in the report) is 21.1 percent. It's worth highlighting that New York implements a statewide graduated-rate income tax from 4-10.90 percent, whereas Texas is one of only eight states that don't tax residents' income.

Oklahoma City, No. 69, is the U.S. city in the report where a $100,000 salary stretches the furthest. A six-figure salary is worth $91,868 in 2026, up from $89,989 last year.

This is the post-tax value of a $100,000 salary in other Texas cities, and their ranking in the report:

Plano (No. 27): $72,653
Dallas (No. 47): $80,103
Austin (No. 53): $82,446
Lubbock (No. 59): $84,567
San Antonio (No. 62): $86,419
El Paso (No. 67): $90,276
Corpus Christi (No. 68): $91,110

According to the report, getting some "financial breathing room" by making six-figures really depends on where someone lives and what their lifestyle is. For residents living in the 42 states that levy some amount of income tax, their take-home pay dwindles further.

"And depending on how taxes are filed, reaching a $100,000 income may push a household from the 22 percent to 24 percent marginal tax bracket," the report's author wrote. "Meanwhile, locations with high costs across housing and everyday essentials may be less forgiving to a $100,000 income."

smartasset income finance six figures

The Cowboy Way

Yes, that's a horse blocking traffic: Trail rides roll in and the Rodeo camplife fires up

Western-inspired, family-friendly restaurant now open near the Heights

Houston wine bar pioneer now pouring and teaching at Heights cafe

Houston suburb surprises as a booming millennial hotspot in 2026

Stretching the budget

A $100,000 salary in 2026 goes further in Houston than it did last year