After a month riding through Uruguay, I entered Montevideo.

What a feeling it was. Alongside the Blandengues, the Military Mounted Unit, the Lanfranco`s and friends from the entire country, I rode towards the capital`s kilometre 0. Mario drove the support van ahead as the riders followed close behind, everyone with smiles of joy.

I was so happy to be finishing another country, yet I was extremely sad to be ending my journey with Andariega and Cautiva, Mario, and to say goodbye to my new friends.

“We made it brother,” Mario said giving me a big hug when we arrived at the balisco.

What can I say about this amazing soul… A medical student and rancher who dropped everything to help a stranger with a dream. A stranger who now considers him a brother.

“I will never be able to thank you for what you did Mario,” balisco

For the past month Mario not only drove the support vehicle for me, he helped me cook lunch and dinner and aided in raising awareness about the importance of an early diagnosis in childhood cancer.

“You have a brother for life,” I said to Mario.

After all of the photos were taken, we made our way to a children’s cancer hospital a block away, where the staff were waiting for us. Since I am riding for the Barretos Children’s Cancer Hospital, I gave them the Hospital’s flag I was carrying. The staff took me for a tour of the hospital and told me how the foundation has managed to raise the number of cured children to 80 per cent – a number very high for Latin America.

When I came out of the hospital, I received the greatest news possible. A friend of Nicolas Lanfranco and a well known equine journalist, Vasco Ecthevarne, had spoken to the Solanet family in Argentina, and they agreed to lend me the two Criollos I will ride south to Patagonia with. This is the same family who lent Aime Tschiffely Mancha and Gato in 1925. I was ecstatic.

“Filipe you will cross Argentina on two horses with the same origins as mancha and Gato from the estancia El Cardal,” Basco said before everyone clapped.

It was the greatest way to end my ride through Uruguay.

From the hospital, we put the mares into a trailer and trucked them to a beautiful hotel near Montevideo. La Baguala, a ranch turned posh hotel, offered to host myself and the mares for a few days while we rested.

After sleeping in the tent and barns for a month, it was the best present ever. Mario and I rested at the gorgeous hotel for two days while meeting with different journalists from the capital. On our last day there, the day before my 30th birthday, the hotel threw a special dinner to celebrate my birthday. It was amazing and I can’t thank La Baguala enough for their hospitality.

The next morning, Mario and I drove to his home in Punta del Este to celebrate my birthday and our ride through Uruguay!