The Ultimate Horseback Riding Vacation -- Horsequest USA

I think many of us dream of completing a distance riding trek in the US or another country or trailering our horses to ride for weeks in some distant national parks. Since I picked up a guide to following the trail of Lewis and Clark several years ago, I've been thinking of loading my horse, Mason, in my trailer and following in the footsteps of that Corps of Discovery. Unfortunately, the day-to-day demands of work and family make that very difficult for most of us; however, we keep hoping that some day circumstances will allow us to take that big trip.

For David and Anita Hasbury-Snogles, that dream became a reality when they decided to leave their native England; purchase two horses, a truck, and a live-in trailer in the US; and travel through the US with the goal of visiting and riding in every state. They came very close to achieving their initial goal -- visiting 40 states and riding in 35. They called their adventure Horsequest USA, and it is described in a recent article in Virginia's Orange County Review Insider section, written by Phil Audibert, titled, "Travels with Max and Roo." This is a summary of that article.

David and Anita were going through what David describes as a "crazy mid-life crisis type of thing," when they saw an ad for a live-in horse trailer in the US. After some "what if" analyses about using such a trailer to travel and ride around the US, they decided to do it. The only major problem was that David had limited experience with horses. A horseback riding vacation in Italy functioned as a tune-up, and David emerged from that experience as an equestrian.

David and Anita purchased their trailer from Blue Ridge Trailers in Ruckersville, VA and found a suitable truck in Florida. Anita found her horse, Roo, online, and David found his horse, Max, at a "meat sale" auction in Marshall, VA. A base of operations was established at Andora Farm near Culpeper, VA, and David arranged to write a weekly account of their adventures for the Culpeper Star-Exponent. With preparations complete, they were ready to set forth.

Starting from Culpeper, VA, on a cold day in March 2007, they drove to Ohio, where they picked up Roo and completed a three-day Natural Horsemanship clinic. Then it was off to Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Carolina, before returning to Culpeper for a brief respite. In April they set off again for the Deep South, encountering sleet in New Orleans. David came off Max in Mississippi and cracked several ribs, but they pressed on to Oklahoma and then to Kansas. Typically they would spend several days at a place before moving on, and since they had established a website publicizing their travels, they often received offers of hospitality before arriving in the states they visited.

The horse coped with the travel well and remain inseparable companions today. Feeding horses during extended travel can be a problem, due to the stress and removal from pasture. A colic incident during their initial trip taught them to keep moving roughage through the horses, and they relied on a diet of hay, wheat bran, and soaked beet pulp, plus Purina pelleted feed, to keep the horses healthy.

David and Anita had a near miss with a tornado in Michigan, did some trail riding in Indiana, visited a ranch east of Denver, and took a trail ride in the Rockies. After crossing Utah and Nevada they arrived in California and camped on the Coast, where they rode the horses on the beach. After traveling up the Pacific Coast and resting in Seattle, they headed east for Montana, and rode the Little Bighorn Battlefield with a Crow Indian guide. Continuing east through Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, they returned to Virginia for a welcome rest.

The next leg of the quest was to New England, where they rode in eleven states in six weeks. Returning to Virginia, they decided to remain in the US, and purchased a home and obtained green cards.

David and Anita and Max and Roo have settled into a new life in Virginia. The trailer has been sold, and they've found employment at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. David founded and manages the "Horse Lovers of the Business World" group on Linkedin. For a much more complete account of their adventures, visit their Horsequest USA website. Perhaps their adventure will inspire some of us to reach for our own horseback riding trip of dreams.