On a gloomy Wednesday morning I tacked up the ponies for our last ride through the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. After more than two years on the road we would finally enter the ultimate state in our journey – São Paulo.

Like all of our big accomplishments to date, this one came with a difficult challenge: to enter the state I was born in, we had to first cross a ten-kilometer bridge over a gigantic dam.

“We have never had a horse ride through here before… It’s not allowed,” a worker at the dam told me a few days before when I went to ask them for help.

Although it is illegal for horses to ride across the dam due to heavy traffic, the company that runs it made an exception for the ponies and I. They even put one of their cars behind us to flag down traffic.

With a strange wind blowing Frenchie, Bruiser and Dude’s manes all over the place, we began to cross the bridge. Os Independentes from Barretos and my family drove ahead to organize an official event for my entry into the state of São Paulo.

After an entire hour of riding we were still only midway across the bridge. A lineup of cars and trucks patiently drove at three kilometers an hour behind us. As always the three heroes of this journey glided across the concrete structure with nothing but class.

“Good job boys, we made it to São Paulo! I’m so proud of you,” I said to them as I passed the welcome to the state of São Paulo plaque located at the end of the bridge.

With another hurdle behind us we rode to a nearby gas station where famous country singers Carreiro e Capataz were waiting to sing us a few songs. Over a delicious lunch provided by Os Independentes from Barrretos we celebrated this amazing feat!