How we travel

We do around 15 miles a day. I walk up and down steep hills. I have begun to jog and shuffle. I let roxy graze when there is nice pasture at the side of the road. I get on and off her up to at least a dozen times a day. I start anywhere from 730 to 930 in the morning. We stop anywhere from 1230 to 530.

How do we feed ourselves and find somewhere to stay at night?

I pack enough water for myself for 24 hours. I have a water purifier, but I usually fill up at peoples places or at stores. I carry enough food for 2 days worth of meals. I carry grain/ feed for 2 to 4 feedings. I need to let roxy graze during the day, and I need to find her a place each afternoon to stay the night, where can she drink water and eat pasture, hay, grain or a combo of those 3.

We start looking for places as early as noon. I make sure she has a good drink in between 12 and 2, sometimes earlier if she had hay the night before. We try and do 12 miles by 1 at the latest.

We average 3 miles an hour including me walking. She carries 240 lbs when I’m on her. I have removed weight from her 4 times in a month and will do another reduction soon, totalling 10 lbs removed and me losing 3-4 of weight. I restock grain/ feed if possible every day or 2. We take a rest day or 2 every 2-4 days. Riding about 20 out of 30 days.

Around 12-2pm we start looking for a place to stay. Often we have ideas from the night before about where we may be able to. We look for a place where we can get:
Water.
Feed: hay, grass, grain.
A place to park roxy and I for the night.
The people are friendly.

Once we find a place, and confirm with the owners that’s it’s ok with them, I unsaddle roxy, then sponge her back. I take off her boots, and give her some water before or after. I may soak her evening grain at this point and give that to her after she drinks. Then I put her out in pasture or with hay.
At that point I get myself settled in. I change my shirt, get some new water, eat some snacks, and make sure all my gear is in a good spot.

Here is a link to an interview from the Ithaca Voice. Thanks to Alyvia Covert.

https://ithacavoice.com/2017/10/taking-break-brooktondale-man-horse-continue-journey-guatemala/

2 corrections to the article.

Both rear ankles were a little inflammed. Roxy gets windpuffs. There is no limping or pain, just some swelling.

The Maya Pedal Horse Ride Fundraiser will end not when we get to Guatemala, but after we ride the Vuelta Maya Pedal, a 2-6 month cross country tour where roxy and I as well as a Guatemalan rider, will visit places where people are using all the different Maya Pedal pedal powered machines. We will get feedback on their use and let them know about the newer models. All of this will be part of a Guatemalan TV program. I will take a back seat role in this part of the journey, as the story will be about Guatemalan helping Guatemalans. Once the Vuelta Maya Pedal is over, we will conclude the fundraiser. To make a donation, visit the gofundme page today:

https://www.gofundme.com/Maya-Pedal-Horse-Ride-Fundraiser

Here is an excerpt from the Ithaca Voice:

While the two have come across their fair share of challenges during their journey the past month, finding places to sleep at night has been one of the most difficult challenges of the trip, according to MacLuckie. After 15 miles, he will begin looking for good places to stop and rest, often asking around town if there are any stables or farms nearby. While MacLuckie tries to keep her stomach full on grass throughout the day to avoid colic, she still needs feed and water at the end of the day.

“I’ve always been able to find a place, but its just a matter of time – sometimes it’s the first place I come across, or sometimes we’ll have to keep on going down the road to find the right spot,” he said. “It has to be a good place for the horse – for me, it can be anywhere, I have my hammock, I can sleep in a barn, people invite me into their houses, but I have to be thinking ‘is this a good place for Roxy tonight’?”