Nomadic horseman has tall tales, goals

MARYSVILLE, Ohio (AP) -- In case you've always wondered what a man ponders during a three-year horseback ride across 20,000 miles, consider the mystery solved.
Apparently, he thinks of ways to improve his storytelling skills.
"Well, you see, I started riding when I was a baby, 'cause my momma was being chased by Indians across the Plains, and the mare she was on was pregnant and the horse stopped and delivered a foal and my momma stopped and had me, and then she jumped back on the mare to get away and I jumped on the colt ..."
Veteran horseman Gene Glasscock trails off and looks around the crowded kitchen of the Union County home where he bunked Monday night to see if anyone believes him.
No one does.
"Well," the 71-year-old begins again. "I have seen pictures of myself in diapers sitting atop a horse."
His goal
So goes just about any conversation with this Texas-born nomad with a penchant for tall tales. The former construction worker, former business owner, former missionary and teacher left Denver on Sept. 17, 2002, with the singular goal of visiting every capital in the lower 48 states.
Now, 1,163 days and too many horseshoes to count later, the journey is nearly finished. He and his four horses entered Ohio on Nov. 14, crossed Union County Tuesday.
He spent a long holiday at strangers' homes, arranged by the Ohio Horseman's Council, then plans to ride into Columbus on Thursday.
Other horse enthusiasts are living vicariously through his journey.
Envious of the adventure
"Man, what a ride," Jeff Fultz said this week as he caught up with Glasscock along Route 31. "Why can't I do that? Just think of the stories he has to tell."
Once in Columbus, Glasscock hopes to meet Gov. Bob Taft at the Statehouse, just as he's met officials in other states, to talk about the scholarship for which he's riding and to chat about whatever else may come to mind.
A Taft spokesman said the governor will not be available, but Agriculture Director Fred Dailey will meet with Glasscock and the state will present him with a proclamation.
But since Columbus happens to be his last stop, Glasscock wants it to be more than a 15-minute photo opportunity. He's got dozens of supporters coming in from across the country.
Glasscock, who since 1999 has called Paraguay home, is a career long-rider, someone who rides more than 1,000 miles on a continuous equestrian journey.
His primary mission on this trip is to raise money to send underprivileged Paraguayans to Pensacola Christian College in Florida.
A man can't sit in a saddle for more than 1,000 days, however, and have only a single purpose. He hopes he's also sending a message to his peers.
"Senior citizens are rocking themselves to death," he said. "I'm not saying they all have to ride the entire country on horseback, but life is too precious to sit and let it pass you by."
Going together
Glasscock and his two Tennessee walkers, Frank and George, have made the entire trip together at about 4 mph. They gained two mustangs, Tosie and Traveler's Buddy, along the way.
The horses cart their own grain on their backs, and Glasscock generally relies on the kindness of locals for food and a place to pull off his worn and dusty cowboy boots.
He doesn't need much, he said. Nature's beauty gets him by.
"I get to see things you don't see, and I get to smell things that you don't smell," he said. "I get to stop and talk to people that few others ever get to meet.
"You just can't describe for someone what it's like to experience all of the world one slow step at a time."