By Stephen D. Bowling

It was one last “hurrah” for men who appreciated the old ways. It was an adventure they wanted to try for some time but were uncertain if they could complete the journey. The ride was a chance for brothers and friends to do something that had not been accomplished in a long time. And they did it.

In 1979, brothers Mose and Clint Turner shared their idea with their cousin and friend, Earl Turner. They were thinking about making a horseback ride from Alexandria to their boyhood home at Altro. The only question they had was: “Could they do it?” The trio had good and reliable horses, but the trip would require a great deal of travel on asphalt. The logistics of feeding and watering their animals and themselves proved to be the most challenging aspect of the proposed plan.

They consulted maps for a few weeks, studying the 175-mile route. The riders chose the routes they believed allowed them to avoid the major interstates and the heaviest traffic. However, northern Kentucky’s backroads would later prove to be nearly as busy. After much discussion, the trio decided to make the trip after the 1978-1979 school years closed in May or June.

Mose Turner taught his last class at Turner’s School that school year, and his attention turned to the trip at hand. Clint and Earl made their preparations, too, and several friends talked about joining them for part of the ride. They scouted the route, and everything was set for a mid-summer ride that none would ever forget.

Over five days, they traveled 175 miles, averaging 35 miles a day. Their adventure was difficult (more so than they anticipated), but they arrived at Altro tired but safe. The Jackson Times ran an article detailing the adventures and difficulties they encountered during “The Ride.”

Five Day trip on Horseback for Trio of Turners

Back in the saddle again!

Tired of gas shortages, service station closings, and overall city life, three brave horseback riders decided to go back to the saddle again and rode from Alexandria, near Newport, to Altro, in Breathitt County.

Mose Turner, local schoolteacher of Altro, and his brother, Clint and cousin Earl Turner, made the 175-mile trip by riding five days and camping four nights at different locations along the way.  The trio rode 12 hours a day, averaging 35 miles daily.

They had beautiful weather for their trip and reported that motorists were “most respectful.  We were greeted along the way with smiles and waves from adults as well as children,” Mose Turner stated.  “Some came close enough to talk or to pet the horses, and some even opened their farm gates so we could water our horses, friends stopped along the way to share cold drinks from their coolers and one friendly person gave Clint and Earl a cushion for their saddles.  They gladly accepted,” he continued.

Turner said that it was a trip he would always remember.  However, he related several depressing moments, such as “when our horses were so tired, and we still had ten miles to go.  When the road was narrow and the traffic heavy, when the horses were thirsty, and we were having trouble finding a water hole, when we overworked our horses and they refused to eat, when one companion had to drop out the first day due to physical problems, and when we had a close encounter with a Greyhound,” Turner chuckled.

Turner said that his decision to make this trip was “as simple as the country boys going to the city to work and getting the notion to ride their horse back home.”  He explained that in a trip such as this one, a rider becomes very close to his horse, “caring for it with a passion,” he said.  The rider senses his horse’s feelings and acts accordingly,” he said.

The group camped near Cynthiana, Winchester, Natural Bridge, and Booneville, Ky., during their four nights on the road.  They extend special thanks to Fred, Oscar, and Charlie for letting them sleep in their barns and providing space for their horses.  Howard and Daphene Mays, of Booneville, provided them with plenty of home-cooked food and a soft bed.  Plez and Lizzie Turner, parents of Earl Turner of Long’s Creek, served them a nice home-cooked dinner which made it easier to over the last ten miles,” Turner stated.

As the journey ended, the riders shared feelings of sadness that the trip was near.  “Sitting in the saddle, sleeping in a sleeping bag, and eating from a saddle bag was growing on us,” Turner said, but the horses, Bronco, Beauty, and Ruby did not seem to share their feelings.

The Jackson Times, July 12, 1979, page 10

The Ride is still talked about in the Bowling’s Creek and Altro community. This five-day trip is believed to be the last completed on horseback between the two communities. As told by Mose and Clint, the stories of the many adventures they encountered along the way remain in the verbal folklore of the Turner family. They have been told and retold many times at the annual family reunion on the hill at the Billie Turner Family Campground.

It was a unique adventure that will likely never be repeated.

© 2023 Stephen D. Bowling