Cowboy finishes long ride from Calgary to Brazil

A Canadian cowboy who has completed a 16,000-kilometrehorseback journey to Brazil says he was overcome withemotion attrail's end.

Filipe Masetti Leite, 27, immigrated to Canada from the South American country when he was a teenager.

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On July 2012, he started a return journey by riding out of the Calgary Stampede grounds with his two horses Bruiser andFrenchie. He added a third horse to histeam, Dude, from a ranch in New Mexico.

The ride took him through 10 countries before he arrived to acheering crowd at his home in Espirito Santo do Pinhal, Sao Paulo last week.

"I cried for three days as the trip slowly came to an end. WhenI entered that rodeo arena packed with cowboys and cowgirls from allover Brazil, I felt more adrenaline than I have felt my entirelife," Leite said.

"Tears filled my eyes as thousands of people gave me a standingovation."

Leite's family returned to Sao Paolo, Brazil, nine years ago andwere on hand to meet him.

The inspiration for the trip was a similar quest in 1925 by Aime Tschiffely a Swiss school teacher who rode 16,000 kilometres alonefrom Buenos Aires to New York City.

Leite, who has a journalism degree from Ryerson University inToronto, has documented his travels. He said a book and documentaryare scheduled to come out next year.

Drawing attention to illegal drug war

His goal was to draw attention to the illegal drug war in LatinAmerica. He said a lot of innocent people are dying and80 per centof the drugs are ending up on U.S. streets.

"I saw and documented the reality of the Americas. I lived it,"he said."I saw two people lying dead from gunshots in Guatemala. I sleptat a drug lord's house for three days in Honduras. I witnessed a mantrying to kill his wife with five shots in Tegucigalpa."

It was witnessing the attempted murder that still haunts him, hesaid.

"I will never erase her yells for help while the gunpowdersilenced her. I felt so helpless. I wanted to do something butmyfeet were glued to the ground."

Leite said his constant companions for the past two years aredoing well. The horses have grown huge muscles and become extremelycalm.

He said they will be retired in his home town.

"I lived out my life's dream and that is priceless. This has been the most gratifying and insightful experience of my life."