Dakota Wolf can spend a month in a saddle without pain.
Since leaving his nine-to-five job for 21 years, Mr. Wolf has dedicated himself to riding long-distance trails.
“I’m so used to it these days that it doesn’t bother me at all,” he said.
“But I find it hard to get into a soft bed after [a long ride]. It takes me a couple of weeks to get used to that again.”
He says that riding a horse is a childhood dream come true.
“Back then…I imagined I’d have my little horse and I’d be riding from one town to another, a bit like cowboys did in westerns.
“And finally, that dream has been realized.”
Change course and move on
In the run-up to leaving his long-standing position in the electrical industry, Wolf, who is from Sheffield in northern Tasmania, said he felt he was “chasing his tail”.
“Unfortunately, I was going through a mental health journey due to work-related issues, so it was time for something new.”
But quitting took “a lot of weight” off his shoulders.
Mr Wolf said he wanted to spend more time with his horses.
Horseback riding, he said, brought benefits to his mental health, particularly when done for prolonged periods.
But it wasn’t until his wife, Tahnee, suggested that he write down accounts of his horseback riding adventures for others to read that a new life began for them both.
Riding horses and writing to inspire others
Together, the pair launched a website and Facebook page focused on their long-distance trail rides.
“It takes you through the journeys we’ve already taken, to the journeys we haven’t taken yet,” Wolf said.
“It’s an attempt to try to take people on the journey, take them away from the stresses of life, and it turned out that people enjoy reading some of those stories.”
The website, which also includes practical tips on long-distance trail riding, is designed to encourage others to participate.
“We hope it inspires other people to realize their own dreams.”
Saddle up to slow down
For the Wolfs, the “dream” of life on the trails is to ride the bike as often as possible, usually for two days or two weeks at a time.
The appeal for them lies largely in the slower pace of life on the road.
“When you’re in a car, everything goes by like lightning and you can’t really see it,” Wolf said.
“On a horse, you see everything from the garbage on the ground to every flower and tree, and it’s really amazing.
“Especially when you hear those hooves echoing, it’s very peaceful.”
Bonding with his horse for days on end is another big draw of long-distance riding for Mr. Wolf.
“You definitely become part of each other along the way. Just feeling the horse under you and feeling every muscle as it moves is a wonderful feeling,” he said.
“[And] being able to work together, that’s just the brilliance, the wonder, of riding.”
Strangers, friends and times gone by
The wolves camp under the stars most nights they travel, but are sometimes offered a place to sleep.
“Every once in a while someone might say, ‘Hey, I’ve got a sheep shed,’ or something like that that we can lay on,” Wolf said.
Other people they meet along the way invite them to lunch or tea.
“We’ve met some amazing people, lifelong friends,” said Ms. Wolf.
He said people weren’t used to seeing horses in some of the places they went, while Wolf said some people considered them “from the past.”
“When I got to New Norfolk, a young guy, his father and his sisters were there, and he said, ‘Excuse me, sir, are you from the old days?'” Wolf said.
“I said, ‘Yeah, something like that.'”
‘carry the light’ on horseback
Mr. and Mrs. Wolf said that part of the reason they traveled was to “bring light” to the people they met.
“You can see the smile on his face when they meet [the horses] Coda or Caliska: makes their day.”
Taking the time to call people you know will appreciate it is something the Wolfs strive to do.
Ms. Wolf said that many older people enjoyed talking about their own experiences with horses.
“They’ll come out with, ‘I remember when…’ and they’ll tell you a story about when they used to ride bikes,” he said.
“And it’s great, allowing them to remember,” Wolf said.
It was also quite common, he said, for people to join the couple for part of the trip.
The couple say it’s the small acts of kindness exchanged along the way that help restore their “faith in humanity.”
“And if we can do a good deed for someone else and they can pay it back … then I think the world is a better place,” Wolf said.
Raise awareness about what matters
Raising awareness of issues that are important to them and funding to address those issues is also important to the Wolfs.
The couple ran a campaign called Saddle Up for Life to encourage conversations about suicide prevention and mental health in the workplace.
It involved 15 cyclists who joined them on various sections of a 14-day ride, with all donations going to a local mental health organization.
They have also traveled to raise awareness of the “unsustainable working conditions” Tasmanian paramedics endure, in a bid to bring about change.
But it’s the issue of poor mental health in the workplace that the Wolfs consider “closest to their hearts,” which is why they’re planning many more rides to support this cause.
“[So] Even if it’s not a fundraiser, our goal is a mental health awareness campaign: to do something every year.”
Simplicity is the key
Mr. Wolf has a motto that helps him maintain his own good mental health: “It’s the simple things in life that keep life simple.”
“Life should be simple,” he said.
“Sometimes we just make things more complicated than necessary.
“Instead of complicating things, take a breath, step back…and walk away, do I really need to worry about that?”
He hopes to spend as much time as he can on the road with Ms. Wolf and Coda, his “eternal horse”, and believes it’s important to keep moving forward.
“Learn from your mistakes, take ownership and move on,” he said.
It is Mr. Wolf’s “struggle” through a “painful” mental health journey that has gotten him to where he is now.
And while he says life on the road “isn’t all chocolates and roses,” he’s confident that he and Ms. Wolf are on the right track.
“The secret ingredient of life is taking time for yourself and enjoying life, and that’s more or less what we’re doing here,” he said.
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