If you were driving southbound off the Provo University exit on September 20, there’s a good chance you saw a scene you’ve never experienced before: riders on horseback holding American Flags.
Perhaps this scene made you stop and think. Maybe it gave you a sense of pride or of solemn resolve to do better and be a little bit kinder. If it did any of those things, that’s exactly what Shilo Bailey of Goshen was hoping to accomplish.
On the morning of September 20, Bailey of Goshen, along with 27 local riders rode between Springville and Provo in memory of American political activist Charlie Kirk who was assassinated on September 10 while addressing an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University. Bailey said that when she heard the news of Kirk’s death, it ignited something in her, and she knew she had to do something about it.
“With everything that happened in regards to the Charlie Kirk incident, that was what really lit the fire,” Bailey said. “My heart was so heavy from all of that.”
Bailey said that growing up and now working in the equestrian world, she knew just the way to show her support for Kirk, his family and for her country.
“I am really into the equestrian world, and growing up, that was my way of showing patriotism,” she said. “We do parades and things like that, but I didn’t want this to be like that. I wanted this to be its own thing and I just felt like it was a good way to get people together who were also feeling the same way as I was … and wanted to just ride with intention in regards to what happened because (Charlie’s) life mattered and it wasn’t right what happened.”
One of those people who joined in the ride was Sarah Collier, who said that she learned of the Freedom Ride from a Facebook post. Collier said that she was feeling very similarly to Bailey and knew right away that she wanted to be a part of it.
“I wanted to share my support for Charlie and show patriotism,” Collier said. “We had a National Anthem and some speeches, and then some left and then some people stayed. I think I stayed there for probably an hour and a half after the ride just sitting out there with my flag by the freeway.”
Both Bailey and Collier said that the response was overwhelmingly positive, and they felt as if their message was well received. Both said that this event allowed them to show pride in their country when at times, it has felt like they aren’t allowed to do that.
“Honestly, it was really touching because I feel like the world was really affected by what happened, even if you didn’t know Charlie,” Collier said. “Being able to stand out there, give a little reminder that we’re all still here together and we’ll get through it together and we’re still patriotic and we still love our country, is so important. Being able to sit out there with the flag and seeing people drive by who were moved by that, was just awesome.”
“I did it to show that we’re stronger together than what divide is occurring in this world right now,” Bailey said. “The week before I did the ride, I was getting my horse ready, and I would go out on rides and I would carry my flag. I had a gentleman stop me and he asked, ‘Why are you doing this?’ A lot of people were giving me such confused looks, and I think that we’ve really stepped away from showing how proud we are to be Americans. That’s a shame because I think that it shouldn’t be a surprise when you see someone standing up proud for their country.”
This first Freedom Ride ignited something in Bailey, and she said that she wants to hold more events like these. She has since created a group called Utah Freedom Trail Riders with the goal of gathering equestrians together to ride for freedom.
“Seeing people roll in and park their trailers and get their horses out, was honestly surreal,” Bailey said. “I’m really proud of people who were willing to sacrifice their day to come out and do it like it meant something to them just like it meant something to me. I respect our country, I respect our servicemen and women. I grew up on those foundational values to respect everyone and everything.
“I don’t want this to be a one and done thing,” she continued. “I’ve had people reach out saying that they want to do it again or they couldn’t come and they want to be involved. I think this is something that we want to carry on doing so that we can show people that it’s OK to be proud of your country and it’s OK to stand for traditions.”
