Garden City, Kansas (KSN) -- This holiday week, a husband and wife team are spending the holiday in Kansas, on horseback, as part of their cross-country ride to raise money for charity.
Richard and Jeannette McGrath have been working at ranches for years, helping emotionally traumatized people such as rape victims to war veterans to heal emotionally through horses and nature.
"Horses and outdoor settings help people open up and build trust very quickly," said Jeanette McGrath.
The McGrath's say when they're on the trails with the horses, people feel more comfortable opening up about the trauma they've lived through. One woman, after 2 hours on the trails, revealed to the couple that she had been raped.
"That's something that she never told her counselor in 10 years," Jeannette said.
Now this Wyoming couple is traveling across the country on horseback, hoping to raise enough money to build their own center called Hearts Up Ranch.
They started their journey in San Francisco and have been on the road nine months -- through sand storms and rain, heat and cold. They rely on the kindness of strangers for lodging but admit some nights, they aren't even sure where they'll lay their head.
But even though it gets tough, they say remembering the people they've helped gives them the motivation to get back on the horse every day.
"It's looking back at the people that have found hope in us," said Richard. "Even when we want to stop, you look back on all the people and are just like, 'I can't quit.' It's not just us anymore."
Their ultimate goal is to raise 2 million dollars before getting to Delaware. As they made a stop in Garden City on this Christmas week, they are relying on the kindness of strangers in Kansas to help so they can continue to give hope to those who need it.
If you'd like to donate or learn more about their cross-country ride, check out their
website.
