By Julie Carter
I just met a man who put his regular life on hold while he followed his dream. I'm old enough to know that is not an easy step for mankind in this day and for most, it never really happens.
Roy Johnson rode his horse through town this week on a 2,000 mile trek that is taking him from Elgin, Texas, to Spokane, Washington. All that ensures his survival is tied to his saddle. For five months he will battle elements, civilization and his own sanity to live the dream of a lifetime.
1,000-mile ride
Long riders, a label given to those that have ridden more than 1,000 continuous miles on a single equestrian journey, reside in dozens of countries around the globe. While the concept is not new, the courage to actually do it is unique.
The inherent bodily perils involved for both the horse and the rider are very real. Meeting Johnson brought a flood of memories of another rider I met a lifetime ago.
As a teen, I was out riding one Sunday on the mountain ranch in Colorado where I grew up. I'd gone arrowhead hunting and was sure I was the only one around for many miles. I wasn't. Down an old two-track road came a man on a horse leading a pack mule.
Things were different in that world. I didn't know I shouldn't so I did.
I struck up a conversation with the man, who was as surprised to see me as I was him. His story fascinated me so much I had him follow me home so Mom could feed him and Dad could hear his tales.
Coast to coast
Jefferson Spivey, now a household name in the long rider circle for his campaign to have trails developed for crossing the nation, his invention of a specially-designed long distance saddle and hundreds of magazine articles and several books, was not yet famous.
Spivey was riding coast to coast on a borrowed Arabian gelding named Mr. Sol.
For whatever reason, his path wandered through the national forest that bordered the ranch where I lived.
He had a non-descript past and an unexciting job history except for his pistol-handling stunts that had landed him some jobs as a Hollywood double in a few B-Westerns, but he had a dream that sparked at the spirit of adventure like flint on dry leaves.
Death defying
He told us about nearly dying on a rocky narrow ledge in the mountains of western Colorado. Following a narrow game trail through a high mountain pass, the granite beneath him began to crumble with only a deep canyon to catch the fall.
The Arabian struggled to stop the backward slide that fed momentum into itself, coming to a halt with one rear foot off the rock ledge. With a life-saving lunge, the horse fought his way back up the trail.
One of the pack mules didn't fare as well. The reality of the danger and the loss of the mule left Spivey shaken and scared. He was humbled knowing that he was alive only because of the remarkable strength and courage of his horse. It was a life changing moment for him and one only he had witnessed.
I never forgot Spivey and only through articles in equestrian magazines did I know he arrived safely in Delaware, a 4,900 mile journey made in seven months.
During the following decades he scored many more long rides including a 3,200 mile ride in 1984 from Calgary, Canada, to El Paso, Texas.
As I watched Roy Johnson ride away yesterday afternoon, I wondered what adventures his journey held for him.
Would he also have a life-changing moment where values are rearranged and priorities slip quickly into their proper order?
Sometimes challenging life is the only thing that breathes life back into us. If I can't grasp the concept of taking the risk, I do certainly admire the courage.
Hats off to the long riders.
© Julie Carter 2006
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