Have I mentioned how lucky I am to meet tremendous humans who go completely out of their way to help me? Probably once or twice, ah… well let me say it again!
I am truly blessed. For some reason I meet angels who have carried me throughout my nearly impossible dreams. Men and women who have joined me in living this dream and at the same time, inspiring good. Sara Turner is one of those folks.
I met Sara in Honduras during my first long ride and she not only offered an amazing home for my horse Bruiser to rest in, she also rode with me for a month. We became good friends and on this ride she helped me acquire Mac and Smokey, hosted me at her family’s home in Penticton, British Columbia and hauled the horses from Osoyoos, BC to Fairbanks, Alaska. Helping her were her friends Tara, Max, and Cole.
“It’s so good to see you Sara, thank you so much for bringing the boys up,” I said to the blonde cowgirl as we shared a long hug.
Sara is one of the most selfless humans I have ever met. A strong woman with a back of steel, she gets shit done!
“What an amazing trip Filipe, we had so much fun,” Sara said while we drank beers to celebrate the horse’s arrival.
When she came back to Canada to start her own coffee shop (Seis Cielo), she was inspired to promote the wild horses that live around her home in Penticton. Sara bought a wild mare when she was in her teens, and the horse became her best friend! She still has Honey, who now lives in Honduras. Seeing that a lot of these animals are being sold for meat to the slaughter houses these days, we decided to join forces and use this journey to show the worth of these majestic animals. Hopefully, inspiring other riders to give them a job, a nice home, and the life they deserve.
When Smokey and Mac came out of the trailer, it looked like they had been hauled from half an hour away. Both horses had lost no weight and held their heads high, alert, looking around excitedly. They didn’t have a tired bone in them. I couldn’t believe it.
“It was six long days but these boys handled the trip so well,” Cole, a horse trainer from British Columbia, said while we walked them to their pasture for the night.
As soon as we let them free in the bright green grass they took off bucking and galloping. It was a beautiful scene.
That night we obviously drank way too much whiskey!
“I love you Filipe,” Sara said as we walked out of a sketchy basement-bar in Fairbanks.
I love you too Sara!
