These are stories of men and women on horseback. Of an alliance that was forged millennia ago, and today flourishes beyond civilizations and languages.
Man and horse communicate with supernatural intimacy, in the solitude of the immensity, under the tune of a guitar. Man and horse can bring love to a family, feed a community, inspire an entire country, and protect a kingdom. Man and horse can always return to their origins, to the purest intimacy, where man is wilder and his horse more human.
Saddling Up the World is a series that presents in each episode human stories and stories of horses, and the unique experiences that result when these merge into one.
The world was conquered by men on horseback. Civilizations rose and prospered on the shoulders of horses and riders. Today, horses are part of the daily life of countless communities. They are often considered members of the family, and icons of cultural value. Gone are the wars for land and wealth that left us the legacy of men on horseback: Horses in sports, for work, as best travel companions, and protagonists of an endless colourful dialogue deeply rooted in tradition and love.
This is the story we tell, intimate yet universal, present but millenary.
We explore all corners of the planet in search of stories told on horseback.
Simple, everyday stories, or incredible legends in their historical contexts. Whether in the Pantanal in Brazil, the sands of the Sahara, the highlands of the Andes, the coast of Belgium, the ice fields of Iceland, the immensities of Mongolia, or the wildness of Africa; a ranch in British Columbia, a derby in America or a trans-Himalayan crossing; a Mexican rodeo or a ride with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; the mountains of Colombia or the plains of Venezuela, the Atacama desert in Chile, or the deserts of Morocco, India and Siberia; the Australian outback or the valleys of Patagonia and Kazakhstan.
A journey through the infinite cultural diversity of the world to showcase that singular communion between human and wilderness, and its transcendence in the daily experiences of our lives.
Some of the photos showcased in this website are courtesy of photographer Eduardo Rocha