A cross country horseback ride that will include traversing some 30 of the nation’s 50 states, brought Jake Harvath into Clinton County Thursday afternoon.
Harvath wasn’t alone as he rode six-year old Denver, while 12-year-old Eddy followed behind, packing supplies the trio need for their journey.
Both Denver and Eddy are rescued wild Mustang horses that Harvath captured and trained from their wild herds out west.
A horse trainer by trade, Harvath, began his education in horsemanship a decade ago, and in 2017 began his career in professional horse training.
In addition to training horses, he also did an apprenticeship in horseshoeing, following that up with attending horseshoeing school in 2021, working full time since then as a trainer and farrier.
The cross-country journey was a dream of his for many years, and he bills istas “the longest horse trek ever to be completed in the United States in just a year.”
His trip has been labeled “The Year of the Mustang” and his goal is to educate people he meets along the way as to the plight of the wild Mustang.
“My project is called ‘The Year of the Mustang’ and I’m hoping to educate people about the plight of wild horses and the situation they are in, in America today, and hope to get people to want to adopt them,” Harvath said. “We’re trying to go through 30 states in about a year’s time.  Tennessee is number 10.”
Harvath’s itinerary saw him begin his journey in Utah, on his way east to New Jersey, where he will turn around and travel on a different route west to California and eventually back to his starting point in Utah.
It would go without saying that while on a year-long horseback journey across the nation, he would meet up with a host of new friends, curious about his journey and in many cases, offering to join him on their own horse for a short time.
That was just the case on Thursday when Harvath rode from Burkesville, Kentucky on Ky. 90, then down Hwy. 1590, before heading south on U.S. 127 Bypass.
Riding along for the day through Clinton County was local horse enthusiast Jimmy Sawyers, who owns and operates a welding and fabricating business near the Clinton – Cumberland line.
“He found me on the road yesterday,” Harvath said of his newest friend, who was riding his horse, Jazz, as they made their way across Clinton County and south toward the Kentucky – Tennessee boundary.
He explained that while moving across the country, from county to county in each state, he finds places and families to stay with by depending on “word of mouth” usually with a family who has offered him an overnight stay in their home, contacting friends or family who live in the next county that he expects to be at the following day.
While in Clinton County, Harvath spent Thursday night with the Eric and Jeanie Bandy family in the Huntersville Community of southern Clinton County.
Riding across the nation has taken Harvath across the western portion of the country during some of the harshest weather conditions of the winter, summer, and now with the spring season in full bloom, while Thursday was a pleasant afternoon for a horseback ride with sunny skies and highs in the low 70s, he and his two horses will certainly encounter high winds, heavy rains and even thunderstorms.
Still, Harvath says he rides on through most conditions, stopping only when weather conditions prove too dangerous to continue.
“We’ve come through all kinds of stuff out here, I rode all through the winter,” Harvath said. “It’s just a matter of being prepared and having what you need.”
Harvath’s cross country ride is being funded through a GoFundMe effort that he started prior to beginning the journey.
With a goal of $20,000 to cover his expenses on his lifetime dream trip, the fundraising effort as of last week had already raised $34,900, and continues to grow as he meets people along the way, spends the night in their homes and educates the public about the plight of the wild Mustang – or as he rides along with new friends he meets along the way, such as Jimmy Sawyers and Jazz on Friday.
To learn more about Harvath’s trek, visit his Facebook pages, “The Year of the Mustang”, or his personal Facebook page, Jacob Harvath, both of which have links to the GoFundMe site.