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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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So where do unemployed cowgirls go to find a job? Texas is one obvious answer. And how do cowgirls get to Texas? They ride their horses, of course.

If that sounds like a bad joke, Donna Byrne would disagree. Byrne and her two horses, Jay and Tonto, left Florida after Byrne lost her job and then her house in Florida, reports The Tampa Tribune.

Byrne, 44, started out in Arcadia about nine weeks ago. She’d lost her job working on a small ranch. Then she lost her home when she couldn’t pay rent. Determined to hang onto her two horses, she loaded them up and headed out.

She’d never been to Texas, but it seemed like the place to go to find a steady ranch job, she said. She’d started riding and working with horses when she was in her early teens and it was the only kind of work she’d ever seemed good at, she said.

According to the story, Byrne is somewhere in Mississippi today, having crossed into the state Monday. Her planned route will take her through Brookhaven. Shout out if you hear or see anything. In the meantime, you can track her progress at http://www.cowgirlsjournel.webs.com.

Previous Comments

Fascinating. It’s a blessing that she still has her horses. You don’t have to pay for gas. 🙂

Ronni Mott, award-winning writer, talented artist and peace-loving yogi, whose beautiful soul left us on February 2. She was 64.