A galloping horse and rider that’s been an iconic piece of downtown Cheyenne folk art hasn’t galloped for many years, but it will Friday — just in time to welcome its local fans and Cheyenne Frontier Days’ visitors.
The pony and rider have been featured outside The Wrangler’s western-wear store at Capitol Avenue and 16th Street since the late 1950s or early 1960s. It’s now owned by Boot Barn. No one knows precisely when the sign made its first appearance, and there’s no record of its creator.
But there will be no doubt about the identity of the local family that refurbished the pony and rider, which stands 8 feet tall and about 9 feet long.
Brothers Patrick and Dennis Graham and Dennis’ son Brandon said they have each spent about 90 hours working on the project since the original sign was taken down May 20.
A first move when they brought it to Patrick’s house was to sign their work on the interior, out of sight but available for any future historian who wants to know who was responsible for the galloping horse 2.0.
Other Fixes Failed
Other attempts have been made to fix the sign, but City Councilman Pete Laybourn said they didn’t pan out.
“The horse has been the icon of downtown Cheyenne for a long time, and it deteriorated,” Laybourn said. “It quit running and looked raggedy-ass, so about four years ago in cooperation with Visit Cheyenne we took the horse down and repainted it, worked on the motor and put it back up.”
The horse briefly galloped before the internal gearing gave out.
“That was a big disappointment,” Laybourn recalled. “We believed it was very important for the downtown people to step up and help. We tried to fix it twice and were very frustrated that it wouldn’t stay fixed.”
When the councilman visited Patrick Graham at his real estate office last year, across the street from the Boot Barn, he asked what he wanted to see improved in the area.
“I just wish the horse would ride again,” Patrick said.
Said Laybourn: “Patrick and I went over and tried to fix it without taking it down, and it ran very briefly again.”
They contacted the store’s manager, and he agreed they should work together to rehabilitate the sign. The Boot Barn relied on the expertise of the Graham family, which volunteered to do the work, and the store agreed to pay for the parts.
The Grahams and Laybourn took down the sign, took it apart and re-created it. The original was made of plywood, and they replaced it with Marine plywood, which is specifically designed to withstand moisture and resist water damage. It also resists rot and fungal growth.
“It’s going to last for a long time,” Laybourn said.
Patrick told his brother it shouldn’t be a complicated job or take much time; Dennis responded that he was crazy. But Patrick knew that Dennis and Brandon, who own Grahamland Welding, had precisely the mechanical know-how and fabrication skills to pull it off.
“I also knew there was no way that they wouldn’t do it,” Patrick said with a grin. “When replacement parts don’t exist, they just make their own.”
In addition to the horse and rider, Dennis' backyard had three tractors in various states of repair Saturday morning. Describing their father as a master mechanic, Dennis said he was always fixing something.
“I guess it’s in our genes,” he explained.
The family also shares an infectious sense of humor. A celebratory video posted on social media Sunday had them toasting and clinking their glasses and watching the horse “gallop” while Toby Keith and Willie Nelson sang, “We’ll raise up our glasses against evil forces singing ‘whiskey for my men, beer for my horses'.”
Patrick said his first Facebook post about the project had 41,000 views, “so we immediately knew it was a popular idea that people wanted to see.”
Patrick said his brother was the mastermind behind the mechanics.
“There’s a 1,140-rpm motor driving two pulley reduction shafts, and there’s a bell crank on the last shaft with links to the axles holding the legs; the bell crank system just drags them back and forth,” Dennis explained.
The hardest part of the job, all three Grahams agreed, was wrapping tin around the profiles of the head of both the animal and rider to protect them on their journey across town.
This is what the iconic sign outside the Wrangler Boot Barn looked like before it was recreated. The new one will be unveiled at a ceremony at the store Friday evening. (Alamy) 
This is what the iconic sign outside the Wrangler Boot Barn looked like before it was recreated. The new one will be unveiled at a ceremony at the store Friday evening. (Alamy)
Artist Jordan Dean Takes Over
Now that the Grahams’ work is completed, it’s up to Cheyenne artist Jordan Dean to take the final step in the creative process and paint it.
“We asked him to use the original colors, though of course adding Jordan’s unique touch,” Patrick said.
If you’re out and about in north Cheyenne, you can’t miss the monumental 88-foot-tall Water Tank Mural that Dean designed and painted north of Storey Boulevard, which features a
360-degree view of six horses running across the plains. It won the 2025 People’s Choice award in Tnemec’s “Tank of the Year” competition.
Dean’s involvement in the horse-and-rider project at Wrangler Boot Barn also adds to his string of distinctive work in downtown Cheyenne, where he’s created several murals, including the popular "Bison Strumming Guitar” painting behind the Paramount Cafe. It also depicts a banjo-playing eagle.
“He’s a good friend and a talented artist,” Patrick said. “I knew he would volunteer his time and do a great job.”
Said Dean: “It’s kind of a fun thing. I moved to Cheyenne and that horse was up there. So it’s been a part of my daily visuals for the last 20 years or so. I remember a point where it wasn’t working.
“Mr. Graham is doing this for generations to come. It’s going to be solid. It’s an iconic piece of art downtown that you pass by and you knew somebody painted it at some point, but you really don’t think about it. It’ll be fun to walk by and say, ‘I painted that'.”
Dean said the last paint job was pretty simple.
“I look forward to giving it a bit of an upgrade,” he said. “I don’t want it to be unrealistic or too stylized. I want it to fit, but some of the details I’m excited to dress up a bit.
“I hope to see it in photographs for many years to come,” he said. “It’s one of those pieces that’s been photographed forever, and it’s an honor to help out with the painting.”
Laybourn said the re-creation will be unveiled this week during the Friday at the Plaza concert across the street. The time is still to be determined, but he expects it to draw quite a crowd
“It was just a brilliant, articulated sign, and bringing it back is part of bringing back the atmosphere of the whole downtown,” Laybourn said. “It’s the heart of Cheyenne.”
Will Dean sign his work, unlike the original painter?
“Of all the public art I’ve done I’ve probably signed less than half of them,” he said. “To me I don’t worry too much about signing where people can see it because I’ll have painted all over it. I might sign it where only I know where it is.”
Kerry Drake can be reached at: Kerry@CowboyStateDaily.com
