Two years ago, in July of 2012, Filipe Masetti Leite saddled up his two horses and set out from the Calgary Stampede grounds, embarking on the ride of a lifetime (complete with bear and jaguar encounters). Almost 700 days, 10,000 miles, and 10 countries later, he arrived in Brazil just in time for the World Cup. Inspired by Aime Tschiffelly’s 1925 ride from Argentina to Washington, D.C., Leite’s goal was to see the world from a unique vantage point and to also bring awareness to Latin America’s drug war. At press time, Leite still had some 500 miles to complete before arriving at his destination, Sao Paulo. Read Leite’s travelogue at outwildtv.com/expeditions/journey-america
On May 1, 2014, Marine veteran Matt Littrell—who served two tours in Iraq—departed from North Carolina’s Atlantic Coast with a destination on the opposite side of the country: the Pacific Coast’s Camp Pendeleton, near San Diego, Calif. Littrel is riding his two mustangs 2,500 miles to create awareness and raise support for the Semper Fi Fund, a non-profit that provides assistance for critically ill and injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Support his cause by visiting facebook.com/thelongtrailhome
Tye Sturgeon, just 20 years old, has plans to ride through all 48 lower states to benefit Western Wishes, a program that turns the Western dreams of children facing incredible adversity into reality. Sturgeon and his horse, Edward, started their journey on March 15, 2014, in Batesville, Ark., and at press time, they had made it to Illinois—just 44 states to go! Follow along with Sturgeon and Edward at americanwishride.com.
Patriot Sam Hubbard is riding from Oregon to the East Coast, all while carrying the American flag. He’s traversing thousands of miles on horseback while carrying Old Glory simply to remind folks of the greatness of the United States. In his mission statement, Hubbard explains, “My ride is to unite this country and help preserve the Constitution of the United States…. This nation’s founding documents make us Americans, united in one cause: to defend and honor this nation’s Constitution, based on freedom of religion, freedom of choice, freedom of speech, and the right to bear arms.” Learn more about his ride at onenationride.com