Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia
345 days ago, March 6, 2009 to be specific, Matthew McDaniel and his black horse, Hampton set off across the U.S. from Salem, Oregon headed to Washington D.C. “I work human rights in Northern Thailand. In 2003 the queen of Thailand took about 15,000 acres of rice land from the Akha Hill Tribe. I first road Hampton to the Thai consult in L.A. and then I told them I would see them in D.C., then we are headed up to the Thai Mission in the UN in New York from there,” Matthew told NCL while taking a break from his ride Saturday afternoon at The Chicken Coop just off Route 29 in Lovingston. Matthew’s cause is called Ride For Freedom.
Once in D.C. in a the next few weeks, Matthew will picket there to bring attention to the atrocities taking place in Northern Thailand to the Akha Hill Tribe. Matthew works to protect the human rights of the Akha people in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, China and Vietnam. He has a website setup to inform people about what’s taking place there. You can learn more by going here: www.akha.org
Matthew’s wife who is part of the Akha Hil Tribe follows a few hours behind in a bus where they sleep each night. On board are 5 youngsters from Thailand who are part of the effort to bring attention to the human rights atrocities.
You can read lots more about Matthew’s trip and his cause in our upcoming printed edition of Nelson County Life Magazine out later this month.
Follow Matthew on Twitter: http://twitter.com/akhazauh
Poor Horse!
Hey, Thanks for following up on this and getting the info. M. McDaniel has used a unique way to draw attention to a cause, and one regarding a country we hear very little about.
That’s one steady equine, unflustered by all the traffic going by, plodding along in a sure, relaxed fashion.
thanks for posting this. 🙂
Hi, Poor Horse? This is one of the best fed horses in America. Tie him up all day, he gets upset, let him run in the pasture, he will jump the fence. He is a walking horse, as compared to stall trapped horses. Or competitive Race Horses who are run until they drop. Or Fail.
This horse gets far more attention than most horses, just on a daily basis. Vet checks and regular shoeing. Hundreds of kids in back neigborhoods of America who have NEVER touched a horse have gotten to touch a horse for the first time with Hampton.
One great horse.