2Raw2Ride Social Media

[MunchingonHay]

I am supprised there is not a post on this guy. His name on the social media accounts is 2raw2ride and he is posting about his trek from Austin TX to Seattle WA.

He plans on completing this trek in 100 days doing 25 + miles a day and feeding and watering the horse “when he can” his words.

The horse is a small, walker that he purchased for 3K off of Craigslist. He claims to be a tech bro and makes a 6 figure salary.

I don’t want to link any of his social media accounts here, but you can google 2raw2ride and his tik toks and IG will pop up. As well as people stitching his videos.

People have been telling him to stop, the horse is not preppared for the trip, his gear is all wrong, (he has the wire bit in this mouth upside down and backwards. The horse ran off on him once already and he’s only been on the road for a week.

This guy is going to harm this horse with his lack of experience. OR worse.

Can he be stopped?

[Snowdenfarm]

I have read about him on Reddit. My only guess is contacting animal services in a municipality along his way and have them waiting for him. But, unless the horse’s life is imminently in danger, there probably won’t be much they can do.

[steelerino]

Did you actually watch his videos? He doesn’t seem like an idiot (aside from having his JR Cowhorse bit on upside down). He’s riding in pricey tack and carries a horse kit with essential emergency items such as banamine & sedation. The horse is shod and well kept. Nothing about his videos seems bad at least to me.

[endlessclimb]

Well if you look at what he’s packing, he has a screw driver to “remove a shoe”, and a bottle of concentrated RepelX that he’s calling fly spray.

Think this guy knows how to administer that banamine? (nope) Assess lameness or excess fatigue? (nope, and nope). Know how to listen for a sprung shoe? (nope) Know how much the horse should be eating and drinking? (nope, aaaand nope).

Yet another example of people using horses as a means to glorify themselves. Yuck.

[steelerino]

Because we are a bunch up H/J english snobs this is not acceptable but I would say his horse knowledge is about on par for a casual trail riding backyard horse owner in america.

[clanter]

@MunchingonHay

makes a 6 figure salary

that would be Made, he was offered unlimited unpaid leave but chose the depart from the company

Maybe he should have never watched Unbranded

[endlessclimb]

Well… I actually agree with you here. At least the back yard guys aren’t (generally) putting their horse’s soundness and fitness to the test quite like this guy, though.

[MunchingonHay]

I have been watching his videos and I see a lot of red flags. Just because your tack is pricey does not mean you know what your doing, all it means is that you know how to insert a chip card into a reader.

The last video I saw on his IG account shows him hosing off the horse and there is an edema at the girth area and his topline is sunken.

I was not sure if Animal Control could be called to stop this guy and if someone had a connection to an AC employee.

He’s still in TX last I saw.

@clanter OH! thanks for that added extra bit about his job.

[Foxglove]

Perhaps media/ books and documentaries are partly at fault. The “Woman (or man) Rides Across US” or UK or whatever never seem to be truthful. I rode 250 miles in 14 days across MI-- daily rides of 20 to 30 miles are reasonable–but what is a lie is that this can be done solo-- with no support in place. Horses need to rest and eat grass (or hay). My support person carried a trailer full of hay (20 bales) and water 100 gal tank. She met us at prearranged camp sites everyday. I frankly do not believe anyone can ride distances like that on one horse without a support network. In the 1970s David OConner rode with his mum from V A to WA . He wrote a book about it. My ma interviewed them at one point as they rode through IN-- the OConners had a network of friends, horse people, across the U S who provided hay, farriers, etc. even so I recall they used more than two horses. I wish the horse and rider well, but doubt the premise of SOLO journey.

[clanter]

@MunchingonHay

I was not sure if Animal Control could be called to stop this guy

he might run into trouble crossing state lines as there could be state animal inspectors

My grand daughters took four of the goats to Burbank CA , the goats had to have health papers for a specific time period (was Not a very large window either), an ID Chip (they had to have the chip reader with them) …they went through several inspection stations going and coming back.

[redpony1]

I worked and rode with someone in my youth that rode across the US in the 70s. It took her a year and she was an experienced horseman.

I do feel like he has planned stops. There’s no way he’s randomly riding up to peoples houses overnight and they are just letting him stay. There are also rumors he’s trailering a lot of the way.

What got me was the screwdriver for the shoes. He has a severe lack of horsemanship and proper knowledge. He doesn’t ride terrible, I’m sure he’s taken lessons, but I think he’s going in blind and I doubt he makes it further than through NM (especially because of the agriculture logs).

[steelerino]

https://www.facebook.com/people/Florida-Cracker-Trail-Ride/100069107389697/ I have done this ride twice and half of these horses got plucked from a life of leisure and made to truck across Florida coast to coast for 7 days with zero special prep or fitness training. I suppose because I have seen this type of stuff before I am not as appalled at this guy.

[Mango20]

@redpony1

What got me was the screwdriver for the shoes.

Has anyone confirmed that he didn’t screw the shoes on himself? Sounds like something a “screws are always better than nails” guy might do.

[trubandloki]

@steelerino

https://www.facebook.com/people/Florida-Cracker-Trail-Ride/100069107389697/ I have done this ride twice and half of these horses got plucked from a life of leisure and made to truck across Florida coast to coast for 7 days with zero special prep or fitness training. I suppose because I have seen this type of stuff before I am not as appalled at this guy.

I have never considered others doing crazy things a reason to ignore the fact this other person is also doing a crazy thing.

I hope this guy has lots of hidden support that know more about horses than this rider appears to.

[MunchingonHay]

You can’t compare coast to coast in flat Florida to Tx to Wa. 7 day treks of 16-18 miles a day vs 20+ mils a day for 100 days of various elevation changes.

Your Fl trek is supported with people following along with rigs, providing lunch, etc. Its a totally different beast.

This guy ‘claims’ to be self supported the entire trip. And will feed and water his horse when it allows.

I feel bad for his horse Shiok.

[BatCoach]

Isnt FL very flat? A 7 day mosey across flat land in a nice climate with support staff is very different than the perverted brand of rugged individualism this idiot is trying to sell.

To get from Austin to Seattle there are deserts, rivers, gullies and a little thing called the Rocky Mountains. This nimrod is nowhere near prepared for this trek and I really pity this poor horse. He might make it over the plains states, but as soon as he hits the Rockies that sweet horse is going to break down and this fool will ride him into the ground.

[Scribbler]

The group nature of the Florida ride will be a big help, there are going to be experienced people to help out newbies.

[OverandOnward]

Not completely sure, but if there is an animal welfare reason to stop him, whoever is the authority has to know ahead of time when and where he will be in the jurisdiction and be prepared to step in quickly. Otherwise once he is out of the jurisdiction, there is nothing they can do. Except maybe call ahead to alert LE at the next place.

Everything in the process would have to be done by the book. A timely and accurate report from a citizen, and an intercept and inspection by the authority. Whatever the situation, the outcome would have to be a justified immediate seizure of the horse. That’s an extreme step for an animal welfare call. Nothing else would ‘stop’ him, very probably.

Cruelty or neglect or both. Maybe non-standard accommodations for the horse (standards are minimal in many places) - that is, inadequate pasture, fencing & available feed.

However in some jurisdictions the owner is given a period such as 10 days to correct the situation. Then the authority inspects again. So obviously that’s no help, where that is the case.

Who does such an intervention varies widely by jurisdiction. Might be law enforcement, might be an animal control officer.

So legally, I dunno, it might be hard to intervene. I can remember a couple of incidents in the news when someone was pulled off a long-distance ride and had their horse seized. Both were extreme situations, the horse was in a near state of collapse and the rider was behaving erratically and LE judged them not to be capable of continuing to care for the horse.

[OverandOnward]

If this guy is relying on social media as one of the reasons for the ride, then SM is probaby the best way to influence the situation on behalf of the horse.

Flooding the channels with horse concerns, specific to whatever is going on with the horse at the moment. Especially contemporaneous photos of some part of the horse being in poor condition - feet; ribs & backbone; saddle & girth sores, whatever.

Photos & videos will be essential. Either meet him along the way to get them, or use those published by news media who interview him.

Explain the problems as most readers probably won’t understand it just by sight.

He and his supporters might be defensive at first. But if the campaign continues it tends to wear on the SM process he wants to maintain.

Although 20 miles per day is supposed to be do-able by a horse almost indefinitely, with a fair task re fitness and the weight of what the horse is carrying, the feet are going to quickly start to show wear and tear. Even with shoes. The feet are something to keep people’s focus on.

Also Knucklehead’s seat & legs are going to feel wear as well. He’s going to start to feel like he’s been run over by a Clydesdale. There will be chafing and blisters. The name 2Raw2Ride is apt.

And not for nothing, horses need time-off breaks in their work schedule to maintain a willing frame of mind. Horses have a tendency to rebel against overwork, as they feel it. Knucklehead’s ride could become more difficult as the days wear on in more ways than one.

[erinmeri]

I haven’t watched any of this guy’s stuff, but if he is going to cross terrain that is anything similar to what Gillian Larson navigates, I wish him (and his horse) a lot of luck.

She’s bad a$$… and experienced! Her horses and mule are amazing. Some of her videos take my breath away…

Gillian Larson (@thru_rider) | Instagram