A tip of a cowboy hat, a “Yes, sir,” “Yes, ma’am,” a polite thank-you in a Utah drawl and a firm handshake with calloused hands — everything that encompasses the modern-day cowboy that is 24-year-old Jake Harvath. When people take a cross-country trip, they typically ready their vehicles, take days off from work and get their minds in the space for relaxation, not worried about many of life’s many problems. For Harvath, his “Year of the Mustang” trip across the United States is a journey no one in a modern world could fathom that raises awareness to a cause near and dear to the Heber City, Utah, native.
Harvath took a rest Tuesday evening, Sept. 24, outside of Oelwein at Joey and Crissy Kuennen’s residence before making his way to Readlyn, just a day shy of his official year-long anniversary since starting the trip on Sept. 25, 2023.
The old fashioned cowboy meets modern-day social media influencer has garnered over 24K followers on Facebook, 13.1K on TikTok and 76.9K on Instagram, called “Year of the Mustang,” with one goal in mind while sharing his adventure: raising awareness about wild horses and their adoption.
“I was 16 when I got the idea with my friends to cross the state of Utah and we never did that, but I just kept expanding and expanding the route,” he said. “I was 18 when I had the rough outline of what I’m doing now. It turned into this thing where I wanted to get more people interested in adopting wild horses because I’ve had s.
