Black History Month: Outlaws Horse Club keeps cowboy legacy alive in Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- As Black History Month continues, heritage, horsepower, and hometown pride are taking center stage in Fayetteville. From the thousands of Black cowboys who helped shape the American West to Fayetteville's only horse social club, this legacy is alive and well today.

Jody Lindsey, CEO and founder of Outlaws Horse Club, said he believes that riding horses is a way to honor tradition and build community.

"When you're riding a horse, the whole world stops," Lindsey said.

Long before today's riders took the reins, Black cowboys were blazing trails across the American West. After the Civil War, thousands of newly freed Black men headed west, becoming powerful forces in the cattle industry as ropers, trail cooks, and wranglers. Historians estimate one out of every four cowboys after the Civil War was Black, though much of their history was erased from textbooks and Western movies.

For Lindsey, the story is personal.

"My grandfather, Andrew, used to have a mule, and I was in love with the mule. As I got older, I started looking at horses, and I liked horses better than mules. So that pushed me to learn about horses."

Whenever the Outlaws Horse Club rides through downtown Fayetteville in parades, they are visible reminders of a legacy that's still riding strong. Lindsey, who founded the club more than 25 years ago, says seeing Black people riding horses today sparks curiosity and pride.

"It makes the ones that don't know the history want to go look it up, and then it also shows the younger kids that we can make history now by doing the same thing," he said.

Lindsey's son, Jayvin, is following in his father's footsteps.

"I've been around it my whole life, but when I got my first horse, I was 11," Jayvin said.

Now a trainer with the club, he teaches young riders, some as young as 6, how to saddle, ride, and care for horses.

"They help me do a lot. I care about horses. I think about myself a little bit, make sure they good," he said.

Through outreach programs, the Outlaws Horse Club gives families a chance to experience horseback riding, regardless of income.

"A lot of people can't afford to deal with horses or take their kids to farms to ride," Lindsey said. "So the outreach programs that we do allow people from all over to bring their kids, our family, and enjoy it for free."

For the Lindsey family and their club, the lessons go beyond the reins. They are ensuring the next generation knows the truth, that they are included in the cowboy story.

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