Cowboy who rode horse to Brazil named Calgary Stampede's virtual parade marshal
Filipe Masetti Leite takes up the honour as world goes through 'time of change'
A celebrated cowboy, known for long cross-continent treks, has been appointed the parade marshal for the Calgary Stampede.
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has cancelled the parade, Filipe Masetti Leite is on a journey to take up his post in Calgary.
Leite is known for long horseback rides. In 2012, he set off from the Calgary Stampede and rode to Brazil, the country where he was born. Right now, he's around Hinton, Alta., having travelled from Alaska to Grande Prairie, en route to Calgary.
Leite said he was told about the honour after the last Stampede.
"I'm terrible at secrets and I had to hold it in for a year — and then the Stampede got cancelled," he told the Calgary Eyeopener Wednesday. "It's back now, and I'm so excited. It's the biggest honour of my life. I'm about to explode, I'm so excited."
Leite's return to Calgary for the virtual Stampede completes that journey he began eight years ago. He's so far travelled 25,000 kilometres on horseback across North and South America. This last stretch, travelled entirely on remote roads, will be roughly 800 km.
Creating a better world
The online celebration, rather than the parade that attracts thousands of spectators, will be different and details have yet to be announced. But Leite said he thinks it'll still be special, even if watched from the couch.
"It's going to be a memorable one," he said. "I'm doing this to celebrate what it means to be a cowboy and the Western heritage that we love so much."
Leite is fairly cut off from the world, and he's spending that time thinking about the "tough moment" people are having with the pandemic, and the protests against police violence that's resulted in the deaths of unarmed black people.
"Everything that's going on in the U.S., as we talk about racism, I want to say that my heart goes out to everyone," Leite said. "I feel like we're in a time of change right now, and change is tough, but we are creating a better world."
He said he hopes his position as parade marshal, and his story of being a modern-day cowboy, can encourage others to pursue what may seem to be impossible dreams.
WATCH | Filipe Masetti Leite rides a horse from Calgary to Brazil:
Leite immigrated to Ontario from Brazil as a child with his family. He fell in love with the cowboy life after visiting the Calgary Stampede.
He's documentated his journeys, including a fight with a bear, in his book, Long Ride Home: Guts, Guns and Grizzlies, 800 Day Through the Americas in a Saddle. In it, he also documents how he's gotten to know people from different backgrounds through his journey across the Americas.
Now he's considering what's next, as he travels this final stretch through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
"Love always prevails, and I can't wait to ride into Calgary and celebrate the Calgary Stampede, even with no rodeo this year," he said.