"My name is Tom Townliand and in my 35 years of driving I have logged close to 4 million miles as a truck-driver.  But at the same time, I had this dream of seeing my country from horseback.

Out of curiosity I started surfing the web to see if any others were of the same state of mind. Then I discovered The Long Riders' Guild web-site, and went over every word there, reading myself blind trying to get some sort of feeling of what to expect.

I fit into the category of amateur rider. I am no expert, I wasn't raised around horses and am probably terribly inept in the field of the equine. Having said this, I have planned, and got together what I think I will need for my journey. Now I must get down to the nitty-gritty of weeding out the really unnecessary items.

My horse, Ace is a 9 year old Spotted Saddle Horse who has a lot of Tennessee Walker in him. He is trail savvy, which is probably more than I can say for myself. I don't have any desire to travel with a pack animal, so Ace and I are going to have to make a light ride. Since there are so many towns along my route, I am hoping that I can buy anything I need along the way.  I have poured over maps trying to locate the less traveled roadways in order to keep contact with traffic at a minimum.

I am quite certain that the largest obstacle to all my travel ambitions will be fear of the unknown. Suddenly the country I have traveled through as a professional driver seems awfully big. I have slept in the heart of cities, with only the locks on my truck door to keep out the world. I have spent many nights in the heart of towns noted for the violent crimes you see on TV. But now I step into the world as an infant, with no idea of what is coming."