The only rose among the thorns, YVONNE SUHOR portrays the strong-willed [the Kid would say stubborn] Lou McCloud, who masquerades as a boy so that she may ride with the Pony Express. The gutsy Lou is an expert horseperson who can hold her own with the Riders. She has been described by Teaspoon as one who can "sit a saddle as good, ride as hard and shoot as straight" as any of the male riders. 

Lou grew up in an orphanage with her two younger siblings -- Jeremiah and Teresa -- after her ma died. Apparently, her mother hid them from her father, a gunrunner named Boggs. But she left the nuns at age 15 and arrived in St. Louis (or was it St. Jo?). Anyway, she got a job with a guy named Wickes doing laundry at his establishment. It took her about year to realize she was actually working in a brothel (duh!). One night, Wickes attacked her and the very next day, her friend Charlotte put her on a stage to... St. Jo or St. Louis, take your pick. Once in the city, she cut her long hair and started dressing like a boy. 

At the Pony Express, manages to keep her secret identity for several weeks until an unfortunate accident with a gang of bandits. Wounded, Lou is helped by the Kid who discovers the truth after taking her shirt off (whew!) in the pilot episode, The Kid. The other riders discover that she is a girl later in the episode Bad Blood.

Though Kid was and will always be her true love, Lou also had an ongoing flirtation with Jimmy (check out the episodes Color Blind and Blood Of Others). 

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Yvonne had planned to become a teacher like her father, until a junior college speech teacher encouraged her to act. She continued to pursue acting while at the Illinois State University, where she joined the Theater Education program. Yvonne received her bachelor's degree in theater from ISU with honors in acting/directing and completed a year of graduate school, before moving to Chicago to perform in the Steppenwolf Theater's production of Lydia Breeze, which later toured Australia. 

Yvonne's additional theater credits include Steppenwolf Theater's Grapes of Wrath, The Vampires -- for which she received A Joseph Jefferson nomination for Best Supporting Actress -- Moonlight Daring Us To Go Insane, Texarkana, Hair, A Christmas Memory, Peg O' My Heart -- for which she was an Irene Ryan nominee -- and Sweet Charity. 

Scouted and signed into the ABC Talent Development Program, Yvonne landed her first regular role in The Young Riders. She also guest-starred on the series Sable and was featured in the ABC movie Dillinger in a role which is a far cry to the one she plays on the Western show -- she played a gangster's moll, complete with lipstick and tight red dress. A family girl with 10 brothers and sisters, she considers herself a crossword puzzle addict and enjoys modern dance. She received her MFA from the University of California and has been a professional actress, director and teacher for several years. 

Notable TV guest appearances