Filipe Leite is a cowboy, journalist, adventurer, and long rider. He was born in Brazil and raised in Canada, where he obtained a journalism degree from Ryerson University. In 2014 he completed a 16,000-km ride from Calgary to Barretos, Brazil, and is currently riding 8,000 km from Barretos to Tierra del Fuego.
Riding Alone across the Continent: Therapy on Horseback
On July 8, 2012, when I jumped into the saddle to ride horseback from Canada to Brazil, I had no idea the journey of solitude I was about to undertake. There were times during the 803 days I spent on the road when family and friends met me, but for the majority of the trip, it was just my horses and me. Some nights I met generous people who kindly hosted me in their homes, while other nights were spent camping in the wilderness. But every day, while I rode, I spent eight to ten hours alone. Without saying a word. Or hearing one. Some days my voice hardly came out in the afternoon. And on some stretches I went days without seeing or conversing with another human being. Being left alone with your thoughts for such long periods of time, away from your family and loved ones, is not…
