Louis Hall, a Scottish adventurer, has been riding across Europe for almost three months. But the end of his 2,800-kilometer trip is nearly in sight.
Hall, originally from Edinburgh set out from Siena in Italy on March 24, with his horse Sasha. Since then, the pair have made their way through Tuscany, to the Ligurian Mountains and to Basque Country, France.
They will be completing their amazing ride in Cape Finisterre (Spain) during the first week July.
Hall's most recent horseback adventure is two years after he rode across the UK. It also comes just months after he rode from Cornwall in the southwestern part of England to raise money for Afghan refugees.
He is also an actor and adventurer. But it was his first ride as a child. It was in 2014 that he took a trip to Mongolia to support a friend with mental health problems. This was what cemented his love for horses.
Hall said that they ended up purchasing three horses to reach a specific tribe.
CNN Travel: He says that the whole trip "re-educated" him in horsemanship. It wasn't about speed, jumping or competing.
Ride strong
It became a deeply spiritual and grounded relationship. Since that moment, I have remained connected to them [horses]."
Hall returned from Mongolia and began riding horses after returning. He soon started working at a London stable. In 2020, he founded The Big Hoof.
Hall raised thousands of pounds for Cystic Fibrosis Trust, a UK-based charity, during his first charity ride.
The Covid-19 pandemic broke out soon afterward and forced many countries into lockdown. Hall claims that he noticed a shift within his surroundings when things started to reopen.
He says, "I could feel, especially in the UK that something magic had slightly gone in people’s imaginations, and the possibilities for what you thought you can do and what your expectations were of you were very different post-pandemic, and pre-pandemic."
It seemed as though it had shrunk, especially with the conversations that I was having, and with assumptions made by older generations.
"The idea of adventuring, being in freedom, meeting strangers, and living in an optimistic world didn't seem feasible."
Hall was determined to show that there is still magic in the world and he came up with the idea to travel from Italy to Spain by horseback.
His goal was simple: to raise awareness about mental health and to "maybe inspire people to believe that a world still exists."
Hall was still putting together his plans when Russia invaded Ukraine. Hall says he thought about calling it off as the idea of riding a horse over some hills seemed absurd given the events.
Sensitization
He decided to ride on to raise funds for Amna, which was formerly known as Refugee Trauma Initiative. It supports the psychosocial well-being of refugees and other displaced people.
He says that he hopes others will see the positive message and put themselves in unusual situations to think, "If this fool on horse can do it, I can do it in my backyard," adding that mental health is "at its core."
Hall has so far been concentrating his rides in Europe, as it "lends itself very nicely for off-road tracks."
He explains that there are many pilgrimage routes in Europe. It's easy to navigate it.
Traveling by horse is not an easy task, especially when you consider basic needs such as shelter, food, and water.
Hall's sister, along with some of her friends, have been driving the route together, dropping off food when needed, to make sure that neither he nor Sasha are starving.
He also has very few clothes -- his sleeping gear is a poncho that he uses to tent and a thin sleeping bag.
Hall claims that he is often more concerned about Sasha than himself, the Anglo-Arabian horse Hall bought from an endurance center in northern Italy.
He explained that you are not worried about just two legs. "You are worrying about six legs and an entire animal that requires a lot more care and attention than you."
He makes sure to plan at least two days ahead to make sure that Sasha is heading to a place that has water, grass, and hay.
You must also consider the possibility of horses being attacked by wolves while riding in the mountains.
He says, "There are many things that could go wrong."
Establishing connections
Hall says it's worth it, and he has become very attached to his "buddy".
He says, "You have this companion that is with you sharing this experience." "And the happiness it brings to you and others is far greater than any of the difficulties."
The joy he gets from riding through a village on Sasha and the conversation that it sometimes sparks is what moves him the most.
He says, "It's incredible to see the culture that you create when you travel very simple like this with an animal that has stood up to the test of time."
Their journey was not without its challenges. Hall found crossing the Liguran Mountains via the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri hiking route difficult. He said bad weather and high ascents made it even more difficult.
During this section, he was unable to ride Sasha at least 20 days.
He said, "It was hard enough to walk but it was really hard to take a horse up," before describing the physical toll of trekking through the mountains for 15 consecutive days.
"Keep going. That was the only way to move forward. We didn't stop at any point. Looking back at the routes, I saw that I had done 12 marathons and had climbed Ben Nevis nine times.
Hall has been receiving messages all around the globe from people who are interested in following his journey via Instagram.
Kiki, a young lady from Amsterdam, has done it. She arrived with her horse about a quarter of the journey.
Hall said that her arrival was a good thing as it happened after the most difficult part of the route.
If all goes according to plan, he's encouraging others who are interested to join him to meet him during the last week of the ride. This will likely be June 20th.
Final push
He says, "I want people feel really comfortable to come to the ride so that they can enjoy the ride and be part of it even if it is just the last bit."
Hall was asked about his plans for celebrating the completion of the ride. He said he hadn't planned that far ahead but joked that "something alcoholic would have been nice."
Hall hopes to take a rest day, but he is determined to get back in the saddle soon. He also wants to ride another ride to "decompress."
He says, "I have thoughts of riding down Portugal's west coast. Which I think would be really beautiful."
Although the focus of The Big Hoof has been to raise awareness about specific charities, Hall believes that it is becoming something much bigger than he ever imagined.
He says, "I believe it's an opportunity for others to find something satisfying and a sourceof hope." "It's for people to find something, perhaps to leave something behind or to make something new."
The latest edition of The Wee Big Hoof will be held in October to raise funds for a charity that fights bowel cancer.
He continues to move forwards thanks to the support messages he receives regularly from people inspired by his journey.
He says, "The main goal is to ignite something in people’s imagination." To show people that it is possible to do anything. "The absurdity is still possible."
Follow Hall's journey on Instagram and/or donate via www.thebighoof.com
