THE VOYAGE
Coming Home from Kyrgyzstan
In 2021, we met three Kyrgyz stallions: Tian, the fiery, Fidel, the courageous, and Chai, the team player. After traveling together for 3 months, across the mountains, steppe, and even the sky of Kyrgyzstan, we left them in good hands. The horses stayed in Kyrgyzstan with a friend, but now that we’re back in France we think about them all the time.
We’re going back to Kyrgyzstan in 2024. And this time, we’re bringing the horses home with us.
THE JOURNEY
To reach Kyrgyzstan we’ll go low-carbon and travel by rail and bus from France to Bishkek via Turkey. Once reunited with the horses, and with their passports in hand, we’ll take a truck across Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus to reach Europe.
By April, we’ll be in the saddle! In the spring, we’ll ride from Poland through the Low Tatras region of the Carpathians in Slovakia, and into the Danube Delta in Austra. As summer arrives in the mountains, we’ll follow parts of the Via Alpina towards our home. Weaving through valleys and ranges from the Zillertal region of Austria, through Switzerland, Italy and finally France, we’ll explore our love for the mountains through an ancient way of traveling: with horses.
THE TEAM
Ashley has labrador energy; she’s quick to make friends, follows her gut, and makes the decisions about the horses. Quentin is more like a cat; he films and takes photos during the adventure, fixes broken things and is in charge of directions. Tian is a fiery chestnut; Ashley’s main partner and a little bit more than a handful! Fidel is a courageous bay; he’s Quentin’s main partner and is what we call an “easy-keeper.” Chai is a teamplayer who carries the bags and makes us laugh, and can be trusted around anyone and anything except goats. He hates them.
PARTNERS
We can’t do this alone. We’re so grateful to have institutional, corporate and brand support that share the same values as we do: love for the outdoors, the understanding that our relationships with humans, animals and all living things matters, and an intense curiosity to learn more and do better.
