HOLDEN BEACH, N.C. (WECT) -A family making a trip across the country on horseback ran into a bit of a roadblock when they neared the end in Brunswick County.

Joshua and Terra White made the trek with their two sons, 18-year-old Levi White and 16-year-old Lucas.

The brothers, like most of their age, have spent their teenage years learning. But instead of learning from a classroom, they’ve done it from the back of a horse.

“We’ve gone 4,000 miles across 16 states on horseback so far,” said Levi. “It’s my family’s version of our high school.”

Their high school experience started in April of 2022 in Nevada, where they’re from.

“It shouldn’t have taken guilt to spur me on to something like this, but I missed a lot of time with them and I regretted it,” said Joshua when asked how the idea started. “It’s never too late to fix it. This was my wife & I’s greatest attempt at parenthood.”

They’ve stayed with hundreds of strangers and have thousands of memories made along the way. They finally planned to end the three-year trip on Tuesday at Holden Beach.

However, the White Family never made it across the bridge or to Holden Beach with their horses because of a city ordinance, code 90.03.

It states in part “It’s unlawful to keep or maintain a horse … or other livestock within the corporate limits.”

It’s a law the White family didn’t know about until they say town officials notified them when they were about four miles away.

“I think more than anything it was a misunderstanding,” said Joshua.

After many people took to social media upset about how the family’s trip might end, town leaders posted on Facebook saying, “The short notice of the request prevented staff from seeking an exemption to the ordinance. The Town is unable to make exceptions for ordinance violations without going through the proper channels.”

“We’re not here to break laws or to change the way things are,” said Joshua. “So we went ahead and walked the rest of it.”

They made it to Holden Beach, but the family promised the horses would make it to the Atlantic Ocean too.

“We’re a family of our word,” said Joshua.

That’s why they changed course and instead were able to make it to Sunset Beach to officially end their trek.

“We’ve learned on this trip, that nothing is going to stop us,” said Joshua.

“Perseverance,” said Terra.

Regardless of what beach they ended up at, the family agrees horsing around has been the trip and high school experience of a lifetime.

“We’ve stayed with the rich, the poor, the billionaires, the murderers,” said Terra.

“One of the most important things we’ve learned is to be grateful,” said Joshua.

We reached out multiple times to the Holden Beach mayor for comment and didn’t hear back by the time this story aired.

For updates on the family, you can follow L & L Manquest on Facebook by clicking here.

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