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Ridin' and Ramblin' with Tom Bryant Best of America by Horseback
article by Tom Bryant featured in June 2009 issue of New Mexico's THE HORSEMEN'S VOICE www.horsemensvoice.com
These ride-across America quests probably got started in the early 1800s with Santa Fe-based scout, Kit Carson. He guided the Freemont Expedition to California then Freemont sent him to Washington--by mule--to report on what was shaking in the Golden State. Then the president sent Kit back with an answer. That must have been one tired mule by the Kit "retired" to become and Indian Agent.
Nowadays you can hardly pick up an equine-related publication without seeing another feature on yet another adventurous soul striking out across country by horse or mule. It must be contagious, and apparently there is no cure.
Recently I sat down with Tom Seay who, along with his wife Pat, produces the RFD-TV series, "Best of America by Horseback." They have completed several rides across America and are now leading a ride from the Mexican border to Canada. When I caught up with them, the group had just ridden across the dreaded Jornada Del Muerto and was shading up at the Fite Ranch in Socorro County.
Tom said that earlier in his life he'd been an outfiitter and guide, a congressional aide and a schoolteacher. But he felt something was missing in his life. So in 1995, he and Pat decided to ride across America "to see the country." Sound familiar? "We rode from the Atlantic to the Pacific," he said, "and were joined by 257 different riders at different times. It was hard on us all, and there was so much traffic and so many crowded towns--it was tough. We said we'd never do that again."
"But the good news is that a French TV crew filmed part of the trip and as the years passed, we often thought about doing it again, using the knowledge we gained from the first experience to do a better job." Along about that time RFD-TV was cranking up and looking for new programming ideas. Tom sent in a few clips of their first trip. They ran 'em and wanted more--and an industry was born: "Best of America by Horseback." The show currently runs all across America and in several European countries.
"There's still a world-wide fascination with Ameria, especially the American West." Tom said. "We had people wanting to ride with us. For this trip we needed about 10 people to begin with---42 signed up. People from all over; people from 23 different states, from all walks of life--farmers, sales people, CEOs, teachers, and preachers; people you'd be proud to ride with; people you'd like to have in your family. People with a dream and with the strength and conviction to make this a better country. They're independent people--but cooperative. They take care of each other. My job is to allow them to follow their dream, and they're doing that--and its special to see. This ride is about pride--about the heart and soul of America."
The riders normally cover about 20 miles per day and almost every breed of horse you can think of is represented. One rider who rides a Tennessee Walking Horse said, "The fast ones go fast and the slow ones go slow, but we all get there."
Bob Vance, is Associate Trail Master in charge of logistics, and it is his job to see that the riders, as well as their trucks and trailers, get to where their next stop will be, moving everyone's rig to the next campsite. While on the trail, the riders are followed by "sagging wagons," trucks with three horse trailers, water, and a porta-potty. Any rider can drop out at any time and Bob will make sure they get back to their personal rig.
Tom said that so far people along the way have been most gracious. "We started from El Paso on April 20 and have stayed at a state park. We rode in two parades and have visited several ranches along the way. No one has charged us a dime.
"This is what's fascinating. Everyone we've met understands what we're doing, and they want to be a part of it. Anyone can join us at any time. Ride for as little or as much as you want [for $100 per day]. Just contact me or Bob. We'll be glad to have you.
Due to the early summer they ran into in southern New Mexico they've had to alter their planned routine. "We try to be in the saddle not later than 7 am," Bob said. "And we try to cover 20 miles in about seven hours, including a lunch break. Then we move trucks and trailers to the campsite where riders take care of their animals, get some much-needed rest, prepare their evening meals."
"Most riders prefer to tie their horses to their trailer at night, but we do have portable pens available and most ranchers have been real good about letting us use existing corrals. We've got all the kinks worked out on this ride, and it's going well. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us--a dream come true."
Tom Bryant, semi-retired from training horses, caretakes a small ranch east of Socorro. In his spare time he is writing his memoirs and volunteers for Back Country Horsemen of America.
Mexico to Canada Riders reach La Junta, Colorado article and photos by Tim Keller The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado June 17, 2009
The Mexico to Canada horseback riders who entered Colorado near Branson last week reached La Junta Friday afternoon for a celebration at Tiger Field. Along with several dozen citizens, La Junta leaders present to greet the dozens of riders included Mayor Don Rizzuto, City Manager Rick Klein and Chamber of Commerce President Rachel Wallace.
The ride is sponsored by the RFD network television show, "Best of America by Horseback", which is covering the entire distance for future shows. Friday they marked the 100,000 mile mark ridden by their riders over the past three years. The current ride started April 21st at the Mexico border and will finish when it reaches Canada around Labor Day.
More than 40 riders and staff from 37 states, spent the weekend resting and attending special evens in La Junta and Swink. They filmed TV segments at Tiger Field, where they were joined by the Koshare Dancers, and in Swink where the riders joined the town's annual parade and community celebration Saturday morning.
At Tiger Field Friday, Mayor Rizzuto praised the ruggedness of the riders, comparing it to the qualities of the people of La Junta itself. Citizens applauded from the grandstands and around the track as the horsemen entered and circled the field, several of them carrying flags of the USA and the riders' respective states. After some speeches, proclamations and photo opportunities, trail master and TV host Tom Seay asked all the citizens to come down from the stands and get to know the riders. Riders put children in their saddles and visited with the parents. The event will be broadcast in late fall on "Best of America by Horseback."
Awaiting the start of the Swink parade the next morning, riders discovered their first cell phone signals in more than a week: several horsemen called home from atop their mounts until they were called for the parade.
After a weekend of rest, fun, restaurant meals and resupply runs to Wal-Mart, the horsemen proceeded north from La Junta early Monday morning, bound for the Canadian border.
Mexico to Canada horseback ride enters Colorado article and photos by Tim Keller The Chronicle-News June 8, 2009
Following the Dry Cimarron River out of Folsom, New Mexico, Friday evening, past Folsom Falls toward Toll Gate Canyon and the road to Branson, Colorodo, it's impossible to miss Jeffers Ranch. Normally a beautiful and placid spread at the mouth of a long river valley that runs east into Oklahoma, this evening the Jeffers pens, stables and open grouds are crowded with more than three dozen large pickup trucks, most pulling even larger horse trailers.
Spread out over a quarter mile are countless horses being tended by almost as many people. The entire outfit constitutes the Mexico to Canada Trail Ride which left the Mexican border 625 miles ago from the remote Santa Teresa Ranch April 21. After a day of rest, Saturday, they'll finally depart New Mexico when they cross into Colorado near Branson Sunday afternoon.
The trail ride doubles a a moving television series, Best of America by Horseback, whos shows are broadcast on RFD-TV via satellite and cable three times each week. Host, Tom Seay is the show's executive producer and the ride's Trail Master. His wife Pat Seay along every step of the way as producer and director of the TV episodes, planning and filming segments on the go. The Seays have assembled an impressive leadership team to take care of everyone's needs on the ride. The show's website, www.bestofamericabyhorseback.com includes a complete list of team members with biographies and responsibilities.
They and the other riders come mostly from states spread from Texas east to the Carolinas and Virginia and north across Indiana and Kentucky all the way to New Hampshire. After a successful cross country ride coast to coast, the Seays first plotted the Mexico to Canada ride while sitting over a map in their Virginia home. Then they Googled the route. Last October they drove it. They explored the most remarkable back roads available, noting name on ranch mailboxes, stopping into isolate post offices. They compiles a notebook more than two inches thick.
"We try to avoid the county roads and go cross country as much as we can," Tom says. "We cross private land as much as possible, always by invitation. One rancher calls the next and it just keeps going that way. It's the ultimate networking." Hayward Simmons of Allendale, South Carolina, leads the riders every day beginning at 7:30 am. Speaking of the ranchers along their way, he says, "Everyone's been amazing. They all want to help. They want to show you their place."
A good example was Friday's ride from Capulin Volcano. The riders never did follow any road. They went cross country over different ranches, even crossing over the mesa beside Emery Peak, far above Folsom Falls, before coming down steep switchbacks on a rough trail to the Jeffers Ranch.
Approximately 40 riders range in age from their 40s to their 80s. Some join for a day or a week, others are along for the entire distance, making a point of not missing a single mile. Camped in the shade of a big juniper at the Jeffers place are three of those "core riders"--Nancy Kacvinski ("Nancy K"), a rancher from Palestine, Texas; Bobby Horton, owner/operator of Big River Grain Company in Cleveland, Mississippi; and Nancy Jewell ("Nancy J") of Comanche, Texas. Their horses are put up and the three are enjoying the evening quiet away from the crowd.
Nancy K says, "I'm always looking for trail rides. I found this one on the Internet and it sparked my interest." Bobby adds, "I had ridden with Tom once before for a week up in Tennessee. I was pleased with what I saw at that time. I think I first found Tom through an article in Trail Rider magazine. Nancy K says, "I like riding my horse. I like being outdoors. I like the challenge, the adventure and the people. " Bobby amplifies Nancy's "challenge" comment, "This is not a cakewalk. We get up at 4:30 am to fee and tend to our horses, feed ourselves and get ready for a long day. We ride 16-20 miles, about 6-7 hours each day, then they drive us back to get our rigs and bring them along."
Nancy K points to the mud caked on their trucks and trailers. They were hit by a heavy hail storm two days ago. "It's not about the beauty, it's about endurance," she comments. She keeps a regular blog, available at the website, but she hasn't posted anything for more than a week. "We haven't had any connection!" They've barely had any cell signals or even radio. Tonight they've found KRTN-FM out of Raton, 40 miles west.
After a rest day at the Jeffers Ranch Saturday, the group rides into Colorado Sunday, staying over in Branson before continuing on to the Kim rodeo grounds. The schedule and exact route are flexible, but they're excited about pulling into the La Junta rodeo grounds Friday afternoon, when they will celebrate the passage of 100,000 mile accumulate by all the rides together. It will be just one of many milestones as they pause on their journey to Canada.
Armchair Adventures
for June 6, 2009
Published in Fredericksburg, VA's "The Free Lance Star" by Paul Sullivan
Tom Seay's Long Ride
Every now and then I like to call Tom Seay and ask what he's doing. I have never gotten a dull answer.
When
I called this week he said something about New Mexico. Bad connection,
I figured. But no, it turns out he's riding the range out there, so I
asked the highlight of his latest adventure. He said there were too
many to choose just one.
"I'd have to say it was pretty exciting riding in the ruts
the freight wagons wore on the Old Santa Fe Trail," he said, "But then
sleeping under the stars in the desert at White Sands stands out, too,"
he said. The same for the friendly families who welcomed his troupe
into Old Mesilla, a tiny historic adobe village. "It looked like a
miniature version of a Williamsburg of the West," said Seay.
"Tommy," to the many who know him, is one of the most colorful characters we've known in this part of Virginia, a true original.
Let
me back up a bit. As I write, he's nearing Raton, New Mexico, trail
boss for 48 happy riders on his northbound Border-to-Border horseback
adventure. They had covered well over 500 miles of the ride this week,
with the Colorado line almost in sight. By Sept. 5, when they meet
their Royal Canadian Mounted Police escort and cross the northern
border, they'll have covered some 1,800 miles.
The journey, a year-and-a-half in planning, isn't the first
of this kind for Seay, who has done similar trail rides from Atlantic
to Pacific shores and another commemorating the historic ride of the
Knights of the Golden Horseshoe.
The current ride is part of Seay's television series, Best
of America by Horseback, and will air in half-hour weekly segments on
RFD-TV, a Texas cable channel, starting this Fall. Satellite television
carries carry the network and two-minute promos for the current ride
will start next week.
Seay's wife, Pat, who has worked with him as a producer since
the days long ago when they operated RCC-TV, a Spotsylvania-based cable
channel, continues that role for the new series.
The core group of 48 riders hails from 24 states and three
foreign countries, said Seay, varying widely in their saddle
experience. Two female riders from Winchester are among them, he said.
The group, which gets along well, he said, is diverse in age as
experience, ranging from their 20s to 88-year-old Nate Brown, a Wyoming
pack outfitter.
Incidentally, three participants are logging
their photos and thoughts on the ride in personal blogs, which are
linked to Seay's homepage for the series, BestofAmericabyHorseback.com.
Then click on MCTR Updates to reach the link for the blogs.
While some of the riders have done fairly long trail rides,
said Seay, others have never done anything like it and some have never
seen the wide-open spaces of the American West. "We have a farm couple
with us from Michigan," he said, "who have never been able to take the
time to vacation together."
None of the original core riders
has dropped out, he said, even though they put in many hours in the
saddle, in all kinds of weather, hot and cold, some rainy days and a
wide variety of terrain to deal with not only for themselves but for
their mounts.
Each of the riders has a support vehicle, some with drivers
to move the vehicles, others running a shuttle to get their trucks.
Seay, who draws on his long experience from past rides, says he keeps
rules to a minimum, allowing participants plenty of flexibility for
their own schedules and needs. Because the trip involves horses, which
must be carefully cared for, fed and watered, the undertaking requires
careful planning of logistics and much vehicle shuttling.
The
route he has planned avoids roads if possible and runs across
rangeland, public lands and private ranches. "People have been
wonderful, all along the route," he said, many ranchers have given
permission to cross their lands and some have joined to ride along for
a time.
Even Seay has been surprised by the hospitality. "Some of
the towns have invited us to dinner," he said, "and they even had
parades for us in Old Mesilla, near Las Cruces, and the priest at the
basilica came out and blessed our ride."
It's been like that from the start, when a sheriff's posse
gave them a formal escort for the start of the trip, at the barrier
marking the border.
While this is not a camping trip, as such, Seay said he
wanted to recreate the wilderness experience to some extent, and the
trail route has taken the riders 30 or more miles from the nearest
road, at some points.
There have been nights when sleeping under the stars was the sole option, he said, and the experience was unforgettable.
It certainly isn't an endurance or speed thing, as Seay said he tries
to keep the distance to 15-20 miles per day. Reading the riders' blogs
shows he must have planned it right.
The trail is long, the west is beckoning, and our phone connections were never good, as I spoke with Seay.
But I could have sworn I heard him say, "Come on out. We've got a place for you here."
I'll
check in on Seay again as his ride inches its way across the map of the
American West. His offer sounds mighty good but I'm not so sure I can
make it happen.
And in the meantime, there are still openings for two more
long-distance participants on the ride. Taking part involves a weekly
fee and a lot of logistics (see the website) but for lovers of horses
and the West, the time to spare and the money and vehicle to make it
happen, I'd have to agree with Seay that this is a lifetime
opportunity.
Starting at the Mexico Boarder Fence
The Ride is Underway!
Best of America by Horseback's Mexico to Canada Trail Ride Adventure
As New Mexico
unfolds before us we are becoming a bonded family group.Forty-seven determined and excited members of
the Best of America by Horseback Trail Ride Club are gathered together and
embarked upon a journey toward the unknown, toward themselves and toward each
other.From many faiths and cultures our
lives intertwine into a rich tapestry of texture and color creating a new and
unique image of a family in the making.Individually, we are intent and strong in our collective goal to
experience this remarkable opportunity as we saddle our horses and ride
northward each day through this great land.
At the El Paso County Sheriff's Posse Headquarters everyone
met for the first time.In the days
before the official start of the ride we gathered with our horses and rode
along the Rio Grande
River.It was the first taste of what the wild and
beautiful terrain would promise in the weeks to come on the New
Mexico trail toward the Colorado
border.The gentlemen of the 'Posse'
welcomed us with lovely and delicious meals and bid us farewell as we started
our trek into the desert.
Chip Johns' JCJ Ranch hosted our first night's camp on the
trail with a wild-west spirit torn from the page of an historic American novel.The lovely JCJ Hacienda and its gardens were
a gentle introduction to what would later be a daunting experience as we began
to court the desert and discover the dangerous charms within.
Morning chill greeted us on the first day. Though the
dividing line between our country and Mexico is an imposing metal structure,
we each lightheartedly reached out to touch the fence any way our horses would
allow as many of our animals were intimidated by the nature and size of the
huge black metal grid.And now, we had sanctified
the "Mexican Border" part of our journey making the beginning of our journey
official.
Even though it was early spring, the dry heat of the desert
challenged and surprised many of us, especially those from the humid lake
regions.Though beautiful, the stark terrain
of sand goes on forever with mountains on every side.As we began to know the desert we were
encouraged and beckoned onward by thermals of cool air that softened the transition
for horse and riders.Those of us that
had never known the desert wondered at spirits of the pioneers that had come
before us and how they survived such conditions without the modern luxuries of
bottled water half frozen in our satchels and the air-conditioned living
quarters awaiting us at the end of the day's ride.
In Old Mesilla, Tom and Pat Seay hosted
the ride "kick-off" banquet dinner at the historic Double Eagle
restaurant.Keynote speaker, Rick Potts,
Chief of the Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Division of the National Park
Service, added a feeling of great emotion and purpose to the journey ahead in
his talk to the riders.Other guests at
the banquet dinner included Old Mesilla's Mayor, Michael Cadenas as well
as representatives from several of our sponsors, including Platinum Coach
Trailers, Cavallo Horse & Rider, Wahl Clippers, KD Western Works Catch
Mask, and Step Above Ladders.
The next day the riders paraded through the town square of Mesilla, carrying flags from their
various states.The parade concluded in
front of the Basilica of San Antonio for the "Blessing of the Ride" given by Rev. Richard Catanach, Rector of
the Catholic Church, as well as our Cowboy pastor and singer, Del Shields.There hundreds gathered to wish us well and
pray for our safety and the fulfillment of reaching our goal of the Canadian
Border.
We give thanks for the opportunity we have to cultivate our
horsemanship and the personal relationships with our horses and mules on a day
to day basis.Some have brought young
horses and others older companions to build and strengthen the bonds with the
animals that bring us comfort and connection to the land.
And so these are the images of our beginning.And there will be many more stories of
celebration and loss to follow as we continue on our way discovering the land
ahead.We are living the dream of a
lifetime and have chosen and been chosen to be a part of the Best of America by
Horseback due to the efforts of our host, caretaker and friend, Tom Seay.Tom and his wife Pat are brave and generous for
putting together this opportunity of a lifetime and allowing us to enter their
world by becoming a part of this life changing experience.With Tom and Pat leading, the great crew and
our new family of riders, it is the greatest summer camp ever and we are
children again with eyes wide, filled with amazing images that lift our spirits
in wonder.
Throughout our travels in this beautiful southwestern New Mexico stretch of
desert we are heartened, hosted and welcomed by the kindness and encouragement
of the people that live here and love this stark and breath-taking
country.The encouragement of these
generous Americans make us all proud to be a part of this great land and also a
part of this dream of a trial ride.
The next leg of our horseback adventure to Canada takes our riders through the
perilous 100 mile stretch of the "Jornada del Muerto", the "Journey of Death"
along the El Camino Real Trail.Until
next time....
By Julie Dillon, Mexico to Canada Trail Ride Core Rider
Best of America by Horseback
®
Headquarters: Leatherwood Mountains 512 Meadow Rd. Ferguson, NC 28624 Toll free: 877.736.8686 General Info & Ride Sign-Ups Virginia Office: 17275 Germanna Hwy., Culpeper, VA 22701 Phone: 540.829.9555 General Info, Sponsorship or MCTR Texas Office: 600 Ash St. Plainview, TX 79072 Phone: 806.293.3711 For Sponsorship Fax: 540-301-0217 info@bestofamericabyhorseback.com
