From Alaska to Argentina on Horseback: The Untold Aftermath with Filipe Masetti Leite Sponsored by Total Feeds

What does it really mean to commit to something that scares you?
In this episode, we sit down with Filipe Masetti Leite, a journalist, filmmaker, and long rider who traveled more than 27,000 kilometers on horseback from the Canadian Rockies to the southern tip of Argentina. Over eight years, he crossed 12 countries, navigated remote terrain, built partnerships with 11 horses, and lived at the speed of a walk.
But this conversation goes far beyond the mileage.
We talk about what happens when you slow life down to three kilometers an hour. What leadership looks like when your team has four legs. The bond of a heart horse. The tension between loving horses and using them. The identity crisis that can follow achievement. And why having an "X" on your map might matter more than the destination itself.
This is a conversation about fear, resilience, ego, spirituality, and the responsibility that comes with living a dream out loud.
You can find The Long Rider - Filipe's award-winning film documenting his ride across the Americas here youtube.com/watch?v=K7hudXw67yw
Resources mentioned in this episode:
• Filipe's memoir detailing the journey, the borders, the horses, and what it changed in him - Long Ride Home: Guts, Guns and Grizzlies
• Tschiffely's Ride by Aimé Tschiffely (amzn.to/40eSqGn) - The 1925 account of a Swiss schoolteacher who rode from Buenos Aires to New York on two Criollo horses — the book that inspired Filipe's dream as a child.
• The Long Riders' Guild (thelongridersguild.com/LRG.htm) - An organization preserving the history and stories of modern long-distance equestrian explorers.
• Children's Cancer Hospital in Brazil - The ride to Ushuaia helped raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer support.
Follow Filipe on instagram - instagram.com/filipemasetti
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This episode is brought to you by:
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Interested in more from Noëlle?
Noëlle's writing again — head to her Substack for essays, observations, and the kind of thinking that doesn't fit in an episode. noellefloyd.substack.com
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youtube.com/@noellefloyd_plus
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Thank you for your listening!
Chapters:
00:00 Inro
02:06 NFR Host Origins
02:57 Writing the Dream
05:19 War Room Planning
05:37 Finding the First Horses
08:13 Bruiser Heart Horse
09:57 Living Like a Herd
14:19 Presence at Three KPH
17:59 Lessons on Fear
20:47 Defining Resilience
22:06 Finding Your Purpose
25:21 Grounded by Walking
29:18 Loving vs Objectifying
34:46 Intent Over Outcome
35:39 Natural vs Forced Riding
39:01 Trail Riders Matter
40:14 Judgment and Humility
44:55 Bruiser the Heart Horse
48:32 Cowboy Life and Meaning
50:54 Leadership Lessons from Horses
53:20 Wild Horses and Border Chaos
55:13 PTSD Depression and Recovery
01:00:01 Staying Whole with Horses
01:03:14 No Excuses Mindset
01:04:45 Rapid Fire