The morning of my departure from presidente Prudente was hectic. The results for the mares exams, which I needed to enter the state of Parana, arrived that morning. So at 8 am I found myself in the MAPA (Ministry of agriculture) office getting the GTA (Reciept to transport animals) in order to continue. After paying the fee and filling out way too many forms, we were finally ready to leave.
From the office Mark and I drove to the Quarter Horse Ranch. All of our friends from Prudente were there to wish us a safe trip. The mares who had been resting for 7 days, were not too excited for the day’s ride. As I tried to put the saddle on Life, she tried to run off the other way.
“Filipe it has been an honour hosting you here in Prudente,” Heitor the president of the ranch said.
I cant thank Heitor and all of the Ranch’s members enough for all of their help. They carried me around all week, showed me some amazing ranches and horses and before I left gave me feed and alfalfa for the mares.
“The Honour was all mine Heitor, thank you for everything you have done for us,” I said before mounting Life and making my way out of the ranch.
The first few hours of the ride were frustrating. The mares were off their travelling rhythm, wanting to stop to eat every 3 seconds and wanting to trot up when I didn’t allow them to graze. But by lunch time, we were moving smoothly again.
The way out of Prudente took us through the “Quarter Horse corridor.” A 35 kilometre stretch of highway with ranches on both sides of the road. That night we slept in one of these beautiful properties.

With the sun setting behind us, we rode into Fazenda Dois Irmaos. The ranch, home to some amazing cutting and barrel horses, is owned by Antonio Renato Prata, the first president of Os Independentes, the group that puts on the Barretos rodeo.
“I bought my first quarter horse in 1970 from the King Ranch sale,” Mr. Prata told me sitting in the living room of his ranch’s home.
A legend amongst Brazil’s horse and cattle breeders, we spent an hour chatting about the rodeo he helped create and his horses. It was a real treat for me. I absolutely love talking to old timers. These cowboys hold a wisdom the 21st century seems to have lost. Some of the greatest lessons I have learned came from men wearing raggedy cowboy hats over their snow-white hair.

“You have seen a world very few people will ever experience son, keep on going and use your horses energy to keep you going when things get hard,” Mr. Prata said before he and his family left us to rest.