After much thinking and emails from a few that would like to follow Donna's ride info in one central location, I've republished the blog. Here is the latest news on Donna.
Cross-country trek brings horse woman to Lamar
Alli Godinez
Posted: 07/10/2009 08:44:01 AM MDT
Donna Byrne passed though Lamar earlier this week on horseback en route to Montana from Florida. Byrne is pictured with her pack horse Tonto Wednesday morning. (Alli Godinez)LAMAR—Going up and down Main Street, Donna Byrne has been seen the last few days riding her horse on the sidewalks with headphones in her ears and a big brown hat on her head blocking the sun.
Byrne currently has two horses. Around town she has been seen riding around on Mouse while back at Country Acres, her pack horse Tonto, who has been with her since day one, waits and rests in the shade. She was here in Lamar seeing if Mouse was the horse for her after tragedy hit and her previous riding horse Jay died.
“He ate something and had a reaction. I tried everything and anything, but nothing could be done to save him,” said Byrne.
Donna started riding on February 4, 2009 when she packed up and left her home Donna Byrne from Arcadia, Florida has been seen around town riding her horse Mouse while her pack horse Tanto waits in the stalls of Country Acres. Donna was riding Mouse to check if he would be a good replacement for Jay, a horse she recently lost in Texas. (Alli Godinez)of Arcadia, Florida with $100 and two horses named Jay and Tanto. Since leaving, Byrne has ridden roughly 1700 miles.
“ I left because I lost my job and my house. Any help anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated and most of what I get goes to my horses,” said Byrne.
While riding Donna has had help from the general public. One man bought her horses new shoes. Another woman grabbed a trailer and gave Byrne and her horses a 200 mile ride to save her from riding though a hot, dry desert. A few have donated money and places for her to stay for the night to keep her from sleeping outside. Johnny Bucznski and the Sunspots even wrote a song, “A Cowgirls Journey”. about Donna and her journey from Arcadia to Amarillo, Texas with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to her.
Byrne's plan as of lately is to ride out west on Highway 50. She eventually wants to end up in Yellowstone in Montana where she has a job waiting for her on a ranch. With no other way to get there, she only has one option and that is to ride her two horses the whole way there. Byrne explains that she couldn't bear to get rid of them and she just wanted to work on a ranch.
Donna says she will be on the road as long as it takes her, but she can't wait to reach the mountains.
“One of my dreams is to ride and get up into the mountains. I'll have to find me a place to camp and my trip might take longer because when I get there I'll be playing and looking around,” said Byrne.
Riding 15-20 miles a day on hot summer roads has taught Donna Byrne a few things. She's gained a sense of respect for old time cowboys and what they had to go through. The trip for her is not easy. She's learned that some places are easy and some are extremely difficult, but with the help of the communities she's passed through, she's able to keep riding.
And for the record, she thought Lamar was pretty and a genuinely good town.
