Gritty Bits by Travel Grit

Sea G Rhydr: 200 Miles, Four Near-Deaths, and a Pony Named Theodore

A runaway team of ponies, a wagon tongue bent like a humpback whale and a Corgi named Thick. Sea G Rhydr, her pony team and Thick have had an adventurous first 200 miles of their covered wagon voyage across America. I caught up with Sea inside her yellow covered wagon, the Mustard Seed. Six weeks in and nearly 200 miles logged, Sea has already dealt with a turning radius like a school bus with no reverse, a team pole bent like a humpback whale, two jackknifes, four near-deaths in a single day and a pony named Theodore who figured out that beating up his brother Franklin was the fastest way to earn a treat. None of it stopped her. Most of it made for a better story. Sea is also doing something beyond the wagon journey. Her YouTube channel, Who Is My Neighbor, is a field recording project: twenty-five questions, all kinds of people, one conversation at a time, trying to find some common ground in a country that seems to have forgotten how to talk to itself. She needs hosts between Union City and Sheridan, Indiana. She needs drivers for her support van. And she needs people willing to sit for a remote interview, especially those outside the rural Midwest she has been traveling through. Her new book, Free Range Rodeo: Horseback Through the Apocalypse, is out now on Amazon. Contact Sea at sea@freerangerodeo.com [sea@freerangerodeo.com] or text 518-336-5596. Guest: Sea G Rhydr — long rider, wagon traveler and author crossing America by covered wagon with a miniature horse, a Shetland pony and a Corgi named Thick. Links: freerangerodeo.com / Free Range Rodeo: Horseback Through the Apocalypse on Amazon / Who Is My Neighbor on YouTube Guest: [Guest name] — [one line bio] Links: [Guest website] Hear the full conversation on Travel Grit: [URL to full episode on TravelGrit.com] Chapters: People: Creators & Guests * Sea G Rhydr - Guest Click here to view the episode transcript. [https://share.transistor.fm/s/dc45ba9d/transcript] For more stories of long riders, sailors, ramblers, adventurers, and dreamers finding their way, visit TravelGrit.com.

Sea G Ryhdr Q&A: Wagon Travel Through America

Sea G Ryhdr is planning something that keeps her up at night — driving a covered wagon across America with two spicy ponies, a corgi named Thick, and a whole lot of questions. In this Q&A, Bernie Harberts answers the ones that matter most before she takes off. Sea G is an experienced long rider who has covered thousands of miles on horseback. Now she's stepping up to a nine-and-a-half foot covered wagon pulled by a team of Welsh ponies — and she wants to know what she doesn't know. Bernie covers the real-world wagon travel skills that don't show up in books — from navigating cattle guards with no gate to teaching ponies to hold a wagon back going downhill, managing a corgi on the road, and if (or if not) a traveling horse needs to wear a diaper in town. In this episode: How to get a wagon through a gate when the reins aren't long enough Getting across a cattle guard uphill — with and without a gate What to do when the gate is padlocked Tying up at a grocery store — and what can go wrong Check reins — why Bernie doesn't use them How long to work with horses before departure Breastplate versus collar — friction, calluses, and show sheen Short first days — why two miles is enough Trotting versus walking — the pre-flight routine Voice commands for driving Walking next to a team versus riding in the wagon Teaching ponies to hold a wagon back going downhill Backing a wagon without teaching your horse to rear Manure management on the road Traveling with a corgi — harnesses, safety, and Angela Wood's advice Want the full Travel Grit conversation with Sea G Ryhdr? https://travelgrit.com/how-to-drive-a-wagon-through-america-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-go/ [https://travelgrit.com/how-to-drive-a-wagon-through-america-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-go/] Follow Sea's upcoming wagon voyage at https://freerangerodeo.com/ [https://freerangerodeo.com/]. For more stories of long riders, sailors, ramblers, adventurers, and dreamers finding their way, visit TravelGrit.com [https://travelgrit.com/]. Click here to view the episode transcript. [https://share.transistor.fm/s/a2394efa/transcript]   Creators & Guests * Sea G Rhydr - Guest

Across the Nullarbor With a Wild Horse

Show Notes Gin Szagola and her Snowy Mountain Brumby, Fable, are one month from the finish line — 2,400 miles into their historic crossing of southern Australia. In this Where Are They Now check-in, Gin calls in from the small town of Ravensthorpe, Western Australia, with one month and 300 miles left to go. Gin shares what it's really like in the final stretch — how Fable has transformed from a scrawny, spooky rescue into a confident, muscled trail horse, how the dreaded Nullarbor Desert turned out to be her favorite part of the journey, and why finishing a voyage this big is becoming bittersweet. She also talks about the hardest part of it all — having to give up Fable when it's over. In this episode: Fable's origin — one of a thousand Brumbies to survive the culling of 8,000 horses in three years Training a wild horse in 90 days with 10 to 20 rides before departure The Nullarbor crossing — 800 miles of desert, no support vehicle, supply caches dropped by gray nomads every 20 miles Brown snakes, dingoes, road trains, and camping on the side of the highway alone as a woman The coworker-to-roommate dynamic of living with your horse 24/7 for eight months What happens to Fable when the journey ends Want the full story? Listen to Gin's complete Travel Grit podcast episode at: https://travelgrit.com/gin-szagola-riding-a-horse-across-australia-travel-grit-podcast/ [https://travelgrit.com/gin-szagola-riding-a-horse-across-australia-travel-grit-podcast/] Follow Gin and Fable: Facebook: Gin and Fable Website: ginandfable.com Description Gin Szagola is one month from finishing her historic crossing of southern Australia — 2,400 miles on horseback with a wild Brumby she trained in just 90 days. In this Where Are They Now check-in, Gin calls in from Western Australia with 300 miles left to go. She talks about the Nullarbor Desert, life on the road with Fable, and the bittersweet reality of nearly being done. For more stories of long riders, sailors, ramblers, adventurers, and dreamers finding their way, visit TravelGrit.com.Click here to watch a video of this episode. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVPPL562tyM] Click here to view the episode transcript. [https://share.transistor.fm/s/6c7204e4/transcript] Creators & Guests * Gin Szagola - Guest