Young sons of U.S. marshal ride horseback from Oklahoma to New York (2018)
by mhb on 4/18/2026, 7:19:50 PM
https://texascooppower.com/the-astonishing-ride-of-the-abernathy-boys/
Comments
by: sueders101
A pair of 9 and 11 year old boys made a similar trip going from Needham MA, to the World’s Fair in Montreal. They did it with a pony/pony-cart in 1967. PBS did a really nice short documentary on them where they're interviewed.<p><a href="https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/made-here/2024-09-05/pony-boys-montreal-expo-documentary-video" rel="nofollow">https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/made-here/2024-09-05/pony...</a>
4/18/2026, 9:12:33 PM
by: robot-wrangler
> The boys’ father agreed to their cross-country ride and helped them plan the route. Abernathy postulated a few rules before they set out: They could not travel more than 50 miles in one day<p>I've done very long distance pack-horsing in wild places and these are indeed the big problems. There's this thing like the tyranny of the rocket equations.. a horse can't carry what it needs to drink, so you almost have to follow rivers or know <i>exactly</i> where they are and when you'll hit them. I came from long-distance cycling too where I would think nothing much of 100 miles on a good day even on trails, carrying food and water no problem. Not going to happen with horses on long solo trips without logistical support.. you can push limits for days without consequence but not for weeks
4/18/2026, 8:44:16 PM
by: burlesona
Traveling cross-country at age 10 and 6. Amazing that all they needed was a letter saying they weren't runaways, and people seemed to think this was a neat adventure for them.
4/18/2026, 8:16:18 PM
by: NoNotTheDuo
The Dollop did an excellent episode on this misadventure, recorded live in Tulsa: <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/299-the-dollop-with-dave-antho-27979491/episode/681-the-abernathy-boys-live-273666518" rel="nofollow">https://www.iheart.com/podcast/299-the-dollop-with-dave-anth...</a>
4/18/2026, 7:56:37 PM
by: mrandish
Related to cross-country horseback rides, much of the original 1860 Pony Express route is still ridden annually by historical reenactors. This year's ride will be June 15 to 25 from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA (~2,000 miles). It's pretty cool to see if you're near the route. It's also possible to post a letter. <a href="https://nationalponyexpress.org" rel="nofollow">https://nationalponyexpress.org</a>.
4/18/2026, 8:15:04 PM
by: jandrewrogers
Quite the contrast from the free-range childhood discourse of today.
4/18/2026, 7:51:29 PM
by: tmountain
They don’t make em like they used to.
4/18/2026, 8:06:54 PM