Here is a compilation of some questions (and answers) about the tour. Hopefully these will make it easier to understand what this whole adventure is about. Of course, feel free to email me at beyondvagabond(at)gmail(dot)com for any questions or further conversations on the matter!
Q: How did Beyond Vagabond start?
A: This was an idea I had about 2 years ago, when I was searching for meaning in the rather disjointed interests I had: animals, art, and agriculture. How did they fit in together? Well, this unusual notion to go on a gypsy caravan with horses and meet people in a community-type way popped into my head.
It was considered a crazy notion, to go on a journey with horses on the American Highway system, but I had heard of people doing this successfully, so I thought, here is a good way to illustrate the plight of horses, meet people, teach in an old caravan, and film this amazing journey.
Q: You always talk about the "plight of horses." What do you mean by that?
A: Horses once were used to transport everything, but in the past century, the work and "worth" of horses have left them in peril. A better explanation on my feelings about this is HERE.
Q: Do you plan to go across the country? And what about safety?
A: We plan to go through only SOME part of the country, and this is MOSTLY due to safety reasons, and time. Safety is my utmost concern and the safety of the horse comes first. In fact, I hate to say but the idea might NOT happen because it might be too complicated to get the horse from point A to B, but we are investigating this.
Also, by some estimates, getting from the East Coast to the West Coast can take up to a YEAR, and that is a conservative estimate. So, right now, it appears we will do a short journey across a few states, and the location, again, depends on how safe we can towards the horses.
Q: When will you start your trip?
A: The start date depends on many factors, the most imperative being enough funding. Much of our journey requires horse feed,shoeing, some sort of payment for camera work, possible housing on the way, and many other variables (God forbid we need a vet!)...so it's very much a project that does need outside beneficiaries to help.
We DO plan to teach classes from place to place, to add a few pennies to our caps, but we could always use the generosity of others before the trip begins. It's quite the community project and, of course, there should hopefully be a film to commemorate this wonderful event at the end!
Q: How can people help?
A: There are many ways! There is a "DONATE" button on the top left-hand side of this site. You can simply click and make a donation. We will hold the donation until we use it. If, for some reason, we don't go through the whole project, the donation is returned! So we remain honest to our benefactors and the project in general.
I also have an Etsy Shoppe, with little folk art pieces indicative of this little folksy life of mine. The proceeds also go to this project.
We have a direct online Vagabond Shoppe also, with items..
And you can also sponsor a class, or take a class of ours, in your area!
You can also watch and "LIKE" our online videos!
Or simply let others know of our little project! We can use all kinds of support...and we THANK YOU!
