ST. LANDRY PARISH (OPELOUSAS) — The future of trail rides in St. Landry Parish is uncertain after two shootings disrupted a three-day trail ride and rodeo event over the weekend, prompting local leaders to consider stricter security measures.
Parish President Jessie Bellard said the violence threatens a long-standing tradition deeply rooted in the parish’s culture and economy.
“We’ve always had it in our parish as a tradition that goes back way, way longer than us,” Bellard said. “But unfortunately, yesterday was just a disaster for us.”
The shootings happened Sunday during an event held at the Yambilee Ag Arena grounds in Opelousas. According to Bellard, tensions between groups from neighboring parishes may have contributed to the violence.
“There was some kind of feud going on between people from Lafayette Parish and St. Martin Parish, and they brought it to Opelousas, St. Landry Parish,” he said.
The second shooting occurred around 6 p.m., and one person was detained by security officials.
“Even when you have enough security and enough police officers present, they still start shooting,” Bellard said.
We reached out to the Rainbow Trail Rides Association, but they declined to comment. Association president Neil Bob posted this statement via Facebook:
"AS PRESIDENT OF THE TRAIL RIDES ITS NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR OUR CULTURE AT THIS TIME THTS REALLY NOT KOOL I GREW UP LOVING THIS CULTURE AN FOR MY KIDS AN YALL KIDS AS WELL TO GO AN HAVE FUN WITH LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AN HORSE RIDING AN MEETING NEW PEOPLE ITS OUT MY HANDS NOW. SO MANY CALLS THIS MORNING FROM HIGH UP PEOPLE THINGS THT GOES ON AT RIDE THT WE AS AN ORGANIZATION DONT HAVE NO CONTROL OF THTS MY THOUGHT OF IT I LOVE MY CULTURE."
In the aftermath, Bellard said the future of trail rides in the parish will depend on stronger cooperation from attendees and organizers. He emphasized the importance of preserving the tradition for younger generations while addressing ongoing safety concerns.
“You want to have the younger ones coming into the trail ride, the ones that want to learn the right way,” Bellard said. “But the ones that were there this weekend making trouble ...”
Bellard also pointed to the broader economic and cultural significance of trail rides in St. Landry Parish, saying the events extend beyond recreational gatherings.
“These trail rides are not just the trail ride organizations that put them on,” he said. “The Mardi Gras parades that we have in our parish that have horses—that’s considered a trail ride. The beef cook-off—that’s a trail ride.”
While some may call for an outright ban following the shootings, Bellard said he does not believe ending the events is the solution.
“The easy answer would be no more—that’d be a done deal,” he said. “That’s not the answer. That’s just giving up.”
Instead, Bellard said parish leaders are considering stricter security protocols for future events, including mandatory vehicle searches upon entry.
“About the only way that we could let another trail ride happen would be as soon as the vehicle gets on the grounds and gets searched,” he said. "We search everybody that before they walk in on any event—but whenever they leave, that's where the trouble starts. They go outside, that's where the guns are inside their vehicles. So, I'm thinking maybe we need to do that part; maybe we need to put down no guns on the property—period."
