July 1, 2005 - Trail Blazer Magazine Dancing With Misty Howard Wooldridge Is Riding Coast-To-Coast And Back Again! By Darcy Morger-Grovenstein

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"I don't know what it's like for other riders," says Howard Wooldridge, FRGS of his current Long Ride, "but for me and my horse, it's a dance."

The tall, lanky Texan talks of his progress on a ride he's taking from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back again-- a trek that will become the first of its kind as a documented ride. He adds, "I've been dancing with Misty for 3400 miles. Most of the time, she's led."

Misty is an 11 -year-old one-eyed Paint with a heart as big as Texas. At 54, Wooldridge is a retired policeman, who worked as a detective near Lansing, Michigan before settling in the Fort Worth area.

He pursued a passion to ride and to be a voice in the National Drug Reform Movement. The two are a long way from Georgia's Tybee Island, where they started their ride that eventually took them to Newport Beach, Oregon.

Now, in their second month of the return trip east, Howard shares what he's learned on the way.

He says Misty noticed when he got it right--how he learned to pack lighter and walk a bit to let her rest. The Long Riders' Guild helped him, as did the endless days with just his horse for a friend.

"You learn to be as sensitive to your horse as a mother to a baby," he says. "If you're listening, your horse will tell you what's wrong. I know when she's got the 'feel-me-no-goods,'" a term that describes Misty's tough days on the road.

Howard Wooldridge has had his tough days too.

"Long riding' is hard work," he sighs," You problem-solve all day. You give your horse your attention 24/7. The stress starts when you get up and keeps going until you lie down. Even then, you sleep with on eye always open on trail."

To learn more about Howard's ride and his book, "Misty's Long Ride," (soon to be released by Author House.com) log onto www.leap.cc or www.thelongriders'guild.com.

Darcy Morger-Grovenstein is Trail Blazer's Equestrian Travel Editor. Site lives in Prescott Valley, Arizona, and covers the long Riders' Guild expeditions, as well as historical and equestrian travel across the US and around the world.

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