salvation along the way.
than ever so on a borrowed saddle
tomorrow we ride.”
Matt’s bravery in admitting his
hopelessness and despair to others
and his determination to help his
brother and sister veterans by speaking
out and speaking plainly while riding
across a continent from coast to coast
on a horse, relying on strangers for help
all along the way. Matt not only seems
to find himself but also discovers a very
special woman named Kristen. Before
his journey across the continent ends
she will join him on a horse, on his trek
and become his fiancé before they
reach the coast.
Unfortunately, the saddle theft was
followed nearly a month later on
November 17th when Pendragon, one
of the horses was struck with colic.
Pendragon underwent surgery and
Matt’s post on the 21st was the low
point of the journey: “This is the post
that none of us have wanted to see.
Pendragon didn’t make it through the
night. That horse had more heart and
more try. It’s a quality that can’t be bred
and it can’t be trained it was just in him.
Sometimes life just sucks. Sometimes
there’s no message sometimes a
whole community comes together with
a singular purpose and gets kicked in
the teeth. All we can do is ride on. This
is a long grueling ride and it seems too
cruel to have the end in sight and lose
one of our partners. He had massive
colic surgery and the odds were slim
but if there was any horse that could
do it I would’ve picked him. He battled
the entire time and in the end it was
just too much. We will ride on and we
will finish however bittersweet it may
be. Thank you for your support and
thoughts and prayers.”
While traveling through Alabama
Matt met Kristen and his own words
best describe their meeting. “When
she walked up with beer and pizza
and a smile, it was in that smile I
didn’t feel alone.” Early in August
Kristin makes her first appearance on
the Facebook page in a photo with
Matt. “We spent from Oklahoma to
California together dealing with the
hardships and sleeping outside and
there isn’t someone else I would want
to spend my life with. The ability to
be worth being loved, I think that is a
big thing.”
When Kristen and Matt were
interviewed by Thunder Roads
Colorado she said “It was like Love at first site for me and Matt.”
Kristen decided to join Matt and Raymond because “I have a
lot of family that has been in several different branches of the
military and felt a connection with what he was doing. I decided
that what he was doing had a purpose.”
By the time September and Texas roll onto the scene they
are four months into their journey, and more than half way
to Camp Pendleton. The three riders rode through the Land
of Enchantment during latter part of September and early
October. When they reached the Arizona State line Matt had
this thought. “We were discussing the end of the ride today
and we determined that the ride had a beginning, middle and
we are now at the start of the end. If we don’t finish strong
then the first two parts are for nothing. We must finish with
the horses being strong first and foremost but the energy
and the feel of the ride must peak when Crow gets his feet
salty in that great expanse of water.”
Things became more difficult in October when Matt had his
saddle stolen on the 20th. “Material things can be stolen, the
one thing that cannot be is will, and mine remains unwavering.
I have a borrowed saddle to ride and my will is intact. I told you
out there we would ride. I told our vets that we would ride. I
told the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands,
and children of the men and women who selflessly give of
themselves that we would ride. My determination is greater
10 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado
On November 30th the ride was
complete;
“We did it. It was a long ride but we did it. Crow carried
me ocean to ocean. All I can say is thank you. Without all
of you showing up every step of the way it would’ve been
next to impossible. Without you all supporting us and helping
us it might not have happened but you did. All across the
country you showed up for us and for the men and women
we rode for. It was an incredible feeling crossing the gate into
Pendleton today. I don’t even know if I can truly put words
to it but it felt right. Seeing the ocean and riding into it was
something I’