Chad Dismukes

The Salt Grass Trail Ride Safety Boss position originated in 2002 and is an appointed position by the Trail Boss. The Salt Grass Trail Ride thrives on the Safety of all its members and spectators. Chad Dismukes gladly took the Safety Boss position in 2017, seceding Curtis Pietrowski and Glenn Honeycutt.

Initially, the Safety Boss position was intended to record any incident or accident information and communicate such records to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ Trail Ride Committee in order for committee members to field questions from officials of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ and the news media.

Since the Safety Boss position has been in place the Salt Grass Trail Ride has had few safety incidents and thankfully no one has been seriously injured. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ has been pleased with the program and subsequently requested each trail ride, under the auspices of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Trail Ride™ Committee, to designate a Safety Boss for their ride. An accident/incident reporting form has been designed for use by the Salt Grass Trail Ride and this form is used by all rides as a guideline for collecting information from an accident/incident that requires medical attention or involves property damage.

The Safety Boss position continues to evolve, and accident prevention has become one of the Salt Grass Trail Ride key responsibilities. For these duties, the Safety Boss relies on people he considers “the real experts” on the Salt Grass Trail Ride: The Wagon Bosses, Assistant Wagon Bosses, and Scouts, who are alert to any situation that could potentially cause an accident or injury to a Salt Grass Trail Ride member, guest or spectators.

Chad began riding the Salt Grass Trail Ride at an early age in the 1980s with his family Poncho, Julie and Cole Dismukes. He served as the Wagon Boss for the Long Neck Riders from 2006-2016. Chad is a 20+ year veteran of the fire service and is the Assistant Fire Chief of Operations for the City of Katy Fire/EMS Department. His strongest family support comes from his wife Amanda who is a Teacher and Instructional Coach at Brenham High, they have 2 daughters Audrey 10 and Callie 7 who participate in the ride each year. Chad looks forward to another Safe and successful ride for 2023.

Safety Team

Under the direction of Chad Dismukes and the Trail Boss, our Safety Team responds to accidents along the trail with compassion and expertise.  Our Safety Team is made up of a select group of individuals who possess special skills, training, and certifications to assist in any accident/incident should the need arise. Their presence and willingness to assist is a comfort to all riders.

Chad Dismukes, Safety Boss    Wagon 16

Shonda Welsh, Wagon 18
Travie Ivie, Wagon 8
William Money, Wagon 13
Joe Diez, Wagon 14
Rebecca Langley, Wagon 14
Joe Bergstrom, Wagon 18