By Danni

Lou (Louise) McCloud, I guess you could say, is a "Young Rider" with a difference ! The only female rider (a remarkable feat in itself, considering the pony express only hired males !), it's hard to believe that this attractive young woman could pass as a young man. A petite figure, standing not much over 5 feet tall, with wide brown eyes and short dark brown hair which shone auburn in the sunlight, was described by Teaspoon as, "Puny, but spry !".

As you probably already know (if you have ever seen an episode of "The Young Riders" or have read the other bio's), each character had their share of hardships and flaws, making them all the more believeable and identifiable to viewers.

Lou was no exception to this.

Sent to live in an orphanage, after her mother died, Lou was determined to make a life for herself and her younger brother and sister (Jeremiah and Teresa). She soon left the orphanage (leaving her brother and sister behind) in search of somewhere to make a better life for them all.

She found herself working in a brothel doing laundry (although at the time she didn't know what kind of establishment it was !). During this time, Lou became friends with a prostitute, Charlotte, the only person to offer her any kindness or friendship. After Lou was attacked by the owner of the brothel, a fellow named Wicks, Charlotte helped her escape, by getting her a ticket on the stage to St Jo'.

Once in St Jo', she cut off all of her long hair and started acting like a boy, because she figured it was safer that way.

Soon realising that life in the west didn't have much to offer a young woman with no family, Lou decided to continue her masquerade as a young man, and get a decent job, working for the pony express.

For three seasons we watched on as Lou, and the other riders, went through the good and the bad times together.

As convincing as Lou was as a boy, she could not keep her secret hidden forever. Sure she knew this, but being the determined character that she was, she could not give up, at least not until she had proven herself to be just as capable as the boys were.

This was not always easy for Lou. The Kid was the first to discover her secret (and keep it....thankfully !) Even though he knew it was no place for a girl, he also knew she had a right to make it on her own. The other riders, and Teaspoon, eventually found out that Lou was indeed a girl, but by this time they were a family closer than most, and all were willing to keep her secret. Maybe this was also partly because they admired the courage and determination she showed, as well as feeling the need to protect her.

By this time, a special relationship had formed between Kid and Lou. It may sound strange, becuase they are fictional characters, but they showed us the meaning of true love and friendship, eventually marrying in the final episode.

Throughout the series Lou went from looking and acting like a boy, to a beautiful young woman. She let her hair grow and gave up her masquerade around the boys, her family.

People (who don't know any better....poor souls) may write TYR off as "just another western", but for those of us who stuck with the show, know it was more than that, a lot more. It had a strong message of family and friendship, and taught valuable life lessons. A list of strong characters each with different values and goals in life, brought together by circumstance.