Men, women and children protesting the building of the Keystone XL pipeline gathered outside the Capitol this morning on horseback to begin a multi-day demonstration on the National Mall.

Indigenous leaders and ranchers from the Cowboy and Indian Alliance prepared to ride their horses from Third Street NW to an encampment set up on the Mall between Seventh and Ninth streets. Many will stay there until Sunday to urge President Obama and other officials to reject the pipeline.

Julia Trigg Crawford, a rancher from Texas who was arrested in front of the White House at a previous protest, said President Obama “wronged Texans and Oklahomans in allowing the Southern leg to be built. He should fix things and say, ‘No, no more.’ So I am standing here today with people whose lands have yet to be compromised.” Crawford said TransCanada has a life-time easement on her property that she pays taxes on but can’t control.

“This is why we’re allied,” a Native American woman interjected. “We’ve been through this for hundreds of years.” Crawford replied, “It is only now that I have a real appreciation for what happened to the Native Americans. It is gut wrenching to me to know that these kind of wrongs have been perpetrated against their peoples, and I’m only now raising my fist up in anger.”

She then apologized to the Native American woman.