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John Wayne Haynes is riding from Hudson, Michigan to Santa Fe, New Mexico Photo by Erin Pence |
John Wayne Haynes is riding from Michigan to New Mexico on his two Appaloosa horses, Misty and Harley, accompanied by his dog Sheila. He is currently riding south to Tennessee and then west through Oklahoma.
19th March 2009
The Guild just received this lovely message from an unknown person who met the new Long Rider, John Wayne Haynes. The Guild’s response is below.
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After John departed to continue his expedition, I penned the song "Long Rider". John has heard this latest work to the testament of his ride through Luther, Oklahoma and enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed writing it. Upon the completion of his expedition, I hope a favorable review of the song will put it on his page at Long Rider's Guild. Just one who watched this "time traveler" come and go through our little piece of this magnificent world, I thank you for being you Long Riders and join you in your celebration of the cowboy ways of yesteryear.
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Greetings,
CuChullaine O'Reilly of The Long Riders' Guild here, writing to thank you for sharing such a warm and enthusiastic letter about the newest Member of the Guild, North American Long Rider John Wayne Haynes.
As you discovered, John is a truly open-hearted and most sincere individual, one who cares about his horses, is polite to those he meets, and comprehends the deeper meaning of the journey he is on.
Yet when John rides, sings and smiles, his message is not that of a "time traveller." For though equestrian travel is indeed mankind's oldest link to the horse, what John, and the other Long Riders like him, represent is humanity's on-going, deep-seated desire to ride our horses towards a distant horizon, not just geographically but emotionally. Such a longing is buried in the DNA of some people, yet as John proves, this is a message that transcends time, geography and nationality.
Thus, in a world where horse hustlers are busy duping horse owners and the public at large, John's journey is a breath of fresh air and his voyage of personal discovery has successfully incorporated the guiding stars of the Long Riders' Guild, which are:
- Ethical horsemanship.
- Principles, not profits.
- Preserving the public's trust.
- Protecting our comrades from outside assault.
- Honour, Loyalty and Trust to each other.
In a word, chivalry, whose root word is "cheval," horse.
And that's what John is - a true horseman.
I'm proud to call him my friend and thankful that it is people like him who represent The Long Riders' Guild.
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Long Rider John Wayne Haynes, by Dee Beard Dean.
Dee Beard Dean has been painting all her life; she studied art at Grand
Rapids College, Kendall College of Art and Design, and the New York Academy
of Art. Please click here to go to her website, and here to see a portrait of John with his three four-legged friends. |
John has even inspired a poem! Thanks to PD Palmer Sr., who composed this and sent it to The Guild.
THE LONG RIDER
THERE'S A LONG RIDER RIDIN'
FROM UP MICHIGAN WAY
HE'S HEADIN' OUT WEST
TO OLD SANTA FE
WITH TWO SPOTTED PONIES
TO CARRY ALONG
THIS OLD COWBOY SPIRIT
WITH A HEAD FULL OF SONG.
WELL, HE STOPPED FOR THE NIGHT
AT THE CIRCLE D-5
NEW SHOES FOR THE PONIES
AND A REST FROM THE RIDE....
HE SHARED OF HIS STORIES
AND SANG US HIS SONGS
TWO NIGHTS WORTH OF WONDER
AND THEN HE WAS GONE
SING TO US JOHN
AND TELL US YOUR TALE
SPEAK OF THE ICE STORMS
AND SPEAK OF THE HAIL
AND TELL US OF THE WONDERS
YOU FOUND ON THE WAY
ON THE TRAIL OF THE COWBOY
ON TO OLD SANTA FE
AND A HEELER OF RED
AND A HEELER OF BLUE
AND TWO APPY'S CALLED HARLEY
AND MISTY AND YOU ....
JOHN WAYNE HANES (SPOKEN)
(REPEAT CHORUS)
(C) 2009, PD PALMER SR.)
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