Joe Guy — Across Canada

Photo by Donna Brewer
Photo by Donna Brewer

He’s doing it again. Joe Guy, the phenom horse trainer from Australia is saddling up and riding an “untrainable” horse; only this time he’s riding across Canada.

You’ve heard of him before; two years ago he was featured in this magazine. The last time he was in Alberta he rode the length of the Cowboy Trail, starting at Mayerthorpe. He did it in November when the temperatures plunged to -25, rolling up in his bedroll at the end of the day. He then rode on—all the way to the Ontario border.

Joe is a longrider, and to date he has ridden 11,000 miles through three countries. He takes one horse and when that horse is without challenge and trained, Joe swaps or sells his steed for another so-called “unbreakable” horse and continues his journey, taking only a set of saddle bags and a bedroll, sleeping on the ground and living on rations.

He sets off solo and unsupported, choosing to ride only horses deemed for slaughter. Often within a week Joe transforms the horse, capturing its mind so the horse then gives its body. Joe specializes in helping such horses and their owners to understand them.

“It’s easy to dismiss a problem as being too hard to fix,” says Joe. “It’s the trainers that have the gift of reading the signs that fix horses like I do.” Joe hopes to enlighten horse and owner across Canada this year with his simple, common sense techniques.

This ride will bring him to the 15,000 mile mark. You can follow Joe at www.joeguylongrider.com.