For a couple hours on an otherwise typical weeknight in Powell, drivers slowed down, pedestrians stopped to stare, and people pulled out their phones to snap photos of a scene that looked straight out of a spaghetti western.
The funny part, said 26-year-old Nick Mundy, is that none of it was supposed to attract attention — especially on Wyoming.
"We didn't think anybody would notice," he said.
Mundy and his friend, Casey Carry, rode their horses into Powell around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday last week with a practical goal in mind.
The pair were preparing for a weekend parade and wanted to expose their horses to the kinds of things they don't encounter out on the pasture — pavement, headlights, traffic, and bright lights.
"We thought it'd be fun to go ride around town," Mundy said.
The riders intentionally picked a weeknight, figuring downtown would be relatively quiet.
"It was basically uneventful," Mundy said. "If we'd done it on a Saturday night, it would've drawn a hell of a lot more of a crowd."
Instead, the they tied up their horses outside the K Bar Saloon and headed in, essentially parking the animals as cowboys would have a century or more earlier in Powell.
Across The Street
The scene caught the attention of Kayla Peterson, who works at Millstone Pizza & Brewery directly across the street from the K Bar.
"The first thought that came to my mind when I saw the horses tied up was, 'How fitting — right outside a bar in our perfect Wyoming state,’” she said.
Peterson first noticed the horses around 8:45 p.m. She said they were still tied outside when she left work about an hour later.
She watched drivers slow down as they passed and saw people stopping to take photos of an unexpected Old West scene on a modern street.
People riding horses into town isn’t all that unusual. It’s tying them up outside a business that isn’t.
"This is common for Powell, although in my almost four years of working at Millstone, I'm not sure I recall seeing horses parked outside of the K Saloon," she said.
"It definitely feels right" added the 19-year-old.
Bartender Elizabeth Zitting said she was also surprised to look out the window and see the horses quietly waiting for their riders to come out.
"Even in Wyoming, riding a horse to the K Bar is not something you see every day" she said.
Five Beers Worth
Mundy rode into town on Mac, his 9-year-old gray horse. He admitted he couldn't remember the name of the other mount.
"He's old," Mundy joked of Carry. "Maybe 47 or something."
The easygoing attitude carried throughout the conversation.
Mundy reckons the horses enjoy getting out and going to new places as much as anyone else.
"Everybody always wants to pet them," he said.
That's one reason he likes bringing horses into public spaces. The interaction helps acclimate the animals to strangers, noises and distractions they'll likely encounter at events and parades.
When asked whether the horses enjoyed their night downtown, Mundy didn't hesitate.
"Yeah, I imagine," he said. "They like to get out and do dumb stuff, too."
At one point, Mundy jokingly asked the bartender whether Mac could come inside the bar, but she said, "No."
So the horses stayed outside.
The cowboys stayed inside for what Mundy estimated was "about five beers worth."
Red Zone
After leaving the K Bar, Mundy and Carry climbed back into their saddles and rode to the Red Zone Sports Bar, where they played pool before eventually heading home.
"Powell is a pretty relaxed town," Mundy said. "The people are decent."
At one point during the evening, he said the riders passed a police officer, who simply waved at them.
"He didn't say anything," Mundy said. "That kind of surprised me."
The evening's attention was a far cry from the reception local teamster Allen Hatch received earlier this year after driving his draft horses, Coal and Onyx, through a Powell McDonald's drive-thru.
Hatch later said he was effectively banned from bringing horses through the restaurant's drive-thru lane, a story that drew attention well beyond Wyoming.
K Bar owner Amy Cozzens heard about that incident and responded with an open invitation — and he can bring his horses.
If Hatch wants a beer, she said he is welcome at her establishment anytime, she told Cowboy State Daily.
Cozzens missed Mundy and Carry's visit, but said she might be willing to make an exception if the horses return.
The riders weren't allowed to bring the animals inside this time, but Cozzens said she'd consider letting the hoofed commuters through the door "at least once."
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
