A 27-year-old cowboy can truly call himself a long rider after reaching his destination in an epic horseback journey to Brazil from Calgary.
Filipe Masetti Leite departed Stampede Park in July of 2012 as a wide-eyed 25-year-old equipped with water, food, and two horses, Frenchie and Bruiser, who he met only days before his departure.
"Just to be here, riding for me, it's like I'm winning already!," Leite told CTV Calgary prior to his ride. "Whatever happens on the road, happens on the road."
"I don't know how far I'll make it."
Leite's family immigrated to Canada from South America when he was a child. His father dreamt of embarking on a horseback journey through the Americas, but his dreams never came to fruition.
"My dad never got to do this so, in a way, I'm doing this for us."
The cowboy's route to Sao Paulo, Brazil included 10 countries and covered a distance of more than 14,000 kilometres.
With files from the Canadian Press
