Riders retracing the route of the Pony Express galloped through the Nebraska Panhandle.

Riders who took part in the 33rd annual ride left the Scotts Bluff National Monument Thursday and headed toward the Nebraska-Wyoming state line at Henry.

The riders planned to end their day at Guernsey, Wyo., on Thursday evening.

The nonprofit National Pony Express Association organizes the 10-day, nearly 2,000 mile trip each year. About 700 riders started this year from St. Joseph, Mo., and planned to end in Sacramento, Calif.,

The original Pony Express operated for only 18 months, ending in 1861 as even the fastest riders couldn’t compete with the telegraph.