Valerie Ashker has been on the road for almost six months. She is traveling slowly, only 20 to 25 miles per day, making her way from California to Virginia on the historic U.S. Route 50, which brought her to Athens on Tuesday for a few days of rest.
Her mode of transportation is named Primitivo – a 7-year-old ex-racehorse.
Ashker, accompanied by her partner Peter Friedman, two dogs, one cat and two horses, is riding on horseback from her home in Georgetown, California, to Middleburg, Virginia, to raise awareness of the value of off-the-track thoroughbred horses.
Off-the-track thoroughbreds, Ashker said, are ex-race horse taking part in a new career. At her farm, Ashker helps to retrain those kinds of horses to be ridden for different purposes. She calls her ride “2nd Makes Thru Starting Gates.”
“It’s my duty to spread the word that instead of going to Europe to buy all these warm-blood (horses) … that everyone thinks they need to spend major money on, they can go to their city’s racetrack and extract a world-class individual,” Ashker said.
The horses she and Friedman have been riding were both racehorses prior to Ashker adopting them. She purchased Primitivo for only $350 and Solar Express, the 17-year-old horse who Friedman is riding, was given to her for free. Ashker said she chose them because they are two very different horses, but both are capable of completing the cross-country journey.
“I’m not doing (the ride) for my bucket list,” she said. “I’m doing it to raise awareness that there are horses in every city like this, waiting to find a new vocation, and most of the time they’re looked over, because people want to go to Europe and buy the ‘winning type’ horse. And it’s not about that."
Challenges and Highlights
Route 50 has taken Ashker and her companions through deserts and cities. She has seen ghost towns, abandoned in favor of areas along busier highways such as Route 40. She has watched lizards and birds eat a breakfast of ants while the sun rose in Nevada.
“The scenery is outstanding,” she said. “To see it on the back of a horse versus in a car going 60 or 70 miles an hour is very different.”
Ashker said her favorite part of the journey has been meeting new people and making friends with complete strangers.
“I have made unbelievable friends,” she said. “They’ve brought us into their households, showing us their routines and their lifestyles, their horses. ... I think that’s pretty special to have a complete stranger into your house and have them share that with you.”
But the travelers have faced their challenges, too. During one stop on her journey, Ashker was kicked by one of the horses, breaking several ribs. Just three weeks later, another mishap caused her to fall from her horse, breaking her clavicle.
Despite the challenges, Ashker said her journey has been the experience of a lifetime.
“It’s been a great ride,” she said. “It’s been great for (the horses) and it’s been great for us. We’ve met a lot of spectacular people, and I’ll never forget it."
Help Along the Way
Friedman has been riding alongside Ashker for almost the entirety of the journey. On a few occasions, he had to drive the truck, which hauls their supplies, when no one else had been available.
He said the journey has given him a new appreciation for the countryside and for people.
“It’s the hardest thing we ever did, but at the same time it’s the most rewarding thing we ever did,” he said. “I think it’s absolutely great she decided to do (this) because they are excellent horses, and they definitely proved it.”
Friedman and Ashker have also been accompanied periodically throughout their trip by Ashker’s parents George and Lillian Stephenson. The Stephensons have been helping the travelers by driving their truck off-and-on for one to two weeks at a time. About a week ago, they joined Ashker and Friedman in Cincinnati and will be with them until they arrive in Virginia in about two weeks.
“You can’t believe what they go through,” Lillian said. “If there’s something in my life that I want to happen, it’s for my daughter to finish this. She still has her challenges ahead, but she’ll make it.”
George said accompanying Ashker on her journey has given him a new perspective on life.
“It’s kind of ironic. We’re a couple oldsters in our 80s responding to the need to help out,” he said. “We’ve been proud to be a small part of a good cause.”
