Why Walk?

Winnie practices camping with a portable fence
Testing the portable fence.

Moving to a place 3000 miles from Massachusetts puts a big dilemma before me. What about my little mustang, Winnie? I made a commitment to her when I adopted her. She is the rescue horse that rescued me, giving me a reason to get up every morning, during the worst phase of the business spiral down. I haven’t the money to trailer her and anyway, it seems wrong to do so.

How could I subject Winnie again to that confined form of travel, after all the miles she spent on BLM stock trucks, getting from Nevada to an auction site here? What about the energy waste, traveling 3000 miles on a polluting diesel truck? When my neighbor asked me if I’d transport Winnie all the way to California, I found myself saying, “Oh, I wouldn’t trailer her. We can walk.”

He raised his eyebrows and chuckled, causing me to add, “Well, it’s not illegal!”

I’m sure my neighbor thought I was either kidding or crazy, but that’s when I realized, why not walk? Winnie and I have six functioning legs between us. After all, prior to opening the business, I had walked from Washington D.C. to New York City in a week’s time, and in India, I had walked many miles on various pilgrimages I undertook alone. Yes, 3000 miles is a bit longer than anything I’ve attempted before, and I’m a few years older, but Winnie can make things easier by carrying Our Gear.

Of course she must be prepared for the trip, and she must be the right horse for the job. When a person bonds with a horse, they learn about that horse’s unique qualities and characteristics, they come to understand that horse in a special way. I believe Winnie can go the distance, but is she suited to the task?

Of all the horses I’ve worked with in my 50 years of experience, she’s the only one I’ve seen that positively hates to go back to the barn. My friend Mary, who sometimes rides with me in Massachusetts, can attest to the reluctance Winnie shows when we head home. Every few feet, Winnie will stop and look at me as if to say, “Can’t we stay out a little longer? I’m having so much fun!” She loves adventure, and brightens when we take a new street or trail she hasn’t been down before; she loves exploring. She gladly continues on when the other horses go back to the barn, and she never calls to them if I take her out alone, which is our usual habit. Even if I’ve been out for five hours with her, on the way back, Winnie moves like a slug, stops every few feet to give that pleading look, then hangs her head and frowns when I say it is time to call it a day. This is the behavior she exhibits every time, even though she knows grain awaits her at the barn when we get back. What better happiness for her than to proceed ever forward?

Winnie testing the water.

Winnie is also right for the job because she’s a quiet horse. She doesn’t spook at dogs, cats, cows, moose in the woods, logging trucks, cherry pickers, school buses, low-flying airplanes, trains, bikes, tractors, umbrellas, skateboards, balloons or kids playing basketball. She easily finds her way past all obstacles in the woods, although I admit, water crossings present some challenge. We’ve been working on developing more courage there. Don’t forget, she’s from the Nevada desert. Not many rivers out there!

Winnie and I want to walk for several reasons. One thing we hope to do is to prove the value of the American Mustang, and to encourage continued protection for each animal, whether or not that horse remains in the wild or is put to good use by a loving owner.

Some may not know that the argument about what to do with the American mustang continues. It’s still a hotly debated topic. There are some folks who want to be rid of them, saying they destroy rangeland that could be better used for raising beef cattle. Before we take the wild mustang—a national treasure—off the range and ship them to Canadian slaughterhouses, perhaps we should question the ecology and health issues of raising cattle for beef. (Yes, I’ve been a vegetarian for most of my life).

Winnie squeezes through trees while training.

When others argue that it is costing too much to try and save the mustangs, let’s remember that their ancestors were brought here by settlers and they worked hard to prove their worth. Those horses blazed our trails, helped us plough our fields and grow our greens, logged trees to build our shelters, helped us communicate with one another via pony express, transported us from one place to another, and bravely accompanied us into battle and died in our wars.

These sturdy horses still have value today, not only as sport horses, pleasure horses, and work horses, but as horses that can save lives. I’m not referring to mountain rescue only, but to those mustangs who transform lives, like those in the prison program, or those who become therapy horses for the disabled, or those who rescue owners like me from hopelessness and doubt.

When I hunted around for a place to board Winnie after adopting her, the farms around me didn’t have the right fencing, or didn’t want to deal with a mustang. “Oh, I’ve heard they’re difficult; we don’t want one here.” The dial tone that followed reminded me how many people feel about mustangs. Finally I appealed to a neighbor who owned horses and she and her husband worked hard to make a perfect place for Winnie.

Winnie training with the cart
Winnie and Mom training hard with fan.

Winnie taught me so many things during our training sessions, especially patience. She’s always been honest about how she feels about things, and she required that I be honest with her, too. I soon learned that it was all about trust and that her trust had to be earned, and once I had that, she would do most anything for me.

Winnie taught me about coping with fear and facing those things we fear the most. She taught me to find my freedom within the boundaries of responsibility and to surrender to circumstances out of my control. She taught me about staying free when others try to impose boundaries, and she taught me to break free of boundaries I create for myself.

She made me laugh at myself when I wanted to cry. She humbled me when I tried to take shortcuts until I learned to take the time required for the task of the day. Although I’d trained horses before, I’d never trained a wild one, so when I got stuck, I sought the advice of a fabulous horse trainer, Bob Sadowski of Peace Haven Farm. He showed me I needed to learn Winnie’s language (body language), instead of expecting her to rely so much on my human language (verbal cues), and most of all, he had me slow down.

Most Americans hurry too much, try to do too much, and have little patience when unexpected problems come up. All our rushing about, trying to accomplish all our mega-loaded agendas is making our whole population crazier than a pack of coon hounds chasing after their own tails. That’s another reason for walking across America, or if Winnie has it her way, grazing across America. We want to slow down.

Ann Byrns on her land in CO
Visiting my land in CO in Summer, 2005.

We also want to visit a five acre parcel of vacant land I own in Colorado, land I almost lost due to the bankruptcy until the judge found out it was off the grid and not worth very much. To me it is worth a lot, though, because it’s located in the area my mother rode through when she was only twelve years old, driving her family’s horses for a move from Santa Fe County in New Mexico to Delta County, Colorado (see Meet Ann).

Winnie and I want to go from east to west, back to familiar country and in my case, to family. We want to walk to demonstrate the tenacity of the American spirit. Although I’ve lost nearly everything material, I feel very, very lucky, because I haven’t lost my faith in God or in the kindness of people. I am grateful that I have the health to walk, and believe that walking will further benefit my health and Winnie’s. We will both get fit. The walk will replenish my spirit after five years of stress, and she will get 3,000 miles of adventure, grass and groundwork. To those who think it’s a crazy idea, let’s see if we can prove them wrong.

Winnie and Ann curious
Winnie and Me: A curious couple

Before departing for Paradise, my car will be given away to pay a debt and Winnie’s cart will be sold to help with our last month’s rent in Massachusetts (our target departure date is June 1, 2009). I will work if given the chance, en route, but my bosses must understand that the only vehicle I have is this little horse, Winnie! Otherwise I am managing on a small pension and health insurance from my former career at the University of Connecticut, and the generosity of those who host us along the way.

I am grateful to those willing to give us shelter when we need it, I am grateful for the freedom to walk, and I am grateful for this little horse that will help me cross our beautiful country. Most of all, I am grateful that I have not lost faith that God knows best what He is doing with me, and I am happy indeed to be walking with His Grace and Protection.

Paradise is west of here. It is only a matter of walking!