The team

The winning team!

Rachel 

Outdoor explorer, ultra runner, ultra-light backpacker and horse endurance rider, nature and animals lover, passionate about the great outdoors, wide open spaces and the Arctic regions. 

Latest event : Arctic 1000 - Feb-March 2020

It's hard to describe my life in a few words as it sometimes feels like I have already had so many of them! The time I poorly attempted at studying Chinese, Religions and Literature before graduating in Law and getting a postgraduate diploma in Criminology seems very far away now..! From a career as a Police criminal investigator to a retraining as a mindset and physical coach, then a life coach, energy healer, public speaker, and part-time marketing manager for my husband company ... my life seems to have funny ways to lead me on a fun yet ever evolving path! At the moment I am extremely lucky to spend my time doing various activities I love: nature, outdoor activities, animals connection, energy work, and more artistic work with media marketing and furniture restoration.

Since 2010, I am regularly doing expeditions, first on my own and more often now with my bunch of four-legged friends, in the Alps, in Scandinavia or anywhere my intuition or life events take me to.

 

I like the challenges, the whole logistics it implies, exploring the unknown, going beyond my comfort zone, discovering new places and cultures, and I can tell you, that when you do it with 2 dogs, a cat and a horse, it dramatically spices things up! Of course the purpose and way I do each expedition depends on the configuration of the team; preparing an organised ultra trail on my own completely differs from a 4-week trekking with the dogs in a remote area or a 2-week trip with the four of them. It is pushing further my own limits - physical sometimes, psychological often - that makes it all so interesting, as long as it is done with the greater respect for my beloved animals and our beautiful Planet Earth! If I can bring any added value to the world, then I am truly happy 😉

I don't know yet where all this is leading me, but it is fun! My few rules: don't take yourself too seriously, be grateful, see the beauty in all things and be responsible for the Life you are creating

My 2020 Striders - Sparta, Bobby & Ola

Ola

Another lady joins the team!

A horse?? No never again! no, not now anyway...I don't have enough time, we're always on the roads...No no, definitely, it doesn't fit with our current lifestyle...I know what it means to take care of a horse: I started riding at the age of 9 and had my first horse at 12. After his death 6 years later, I rode many horses for private owners, did jumping and dressage competitions...and then stopped at 24, as I wanted to own my own horse again but had not enough time and money then.

Uh! How come then that I found myself saying: "Ok fine, I take her" no less than a week after having been so assertive??  It's funny how quickly one can change one's mind..!! :-)
In spring 2012, my sister called: "Do you remember the beautiful mare of my friend E..? She's selling her!" No, Jess, am not interested, sorry. Don't tempt me, right? I was riding again at that time as my sister was pregnant and she'd asked me to ride her young and beautiful Arabian once or twice a week. End of the story.
Or at least I believed it. In October, she called again "Ola is back at E's. It didn't work out with the person who bought her and so she's back...". All right then. Let's go and try her. But it is just for a ride. Just for fun.

Blimme!  I should have known: one cannot ride Ola and then turn one's back on her. No way! As soon as I saw her, I knew I had to convince Marc that "yes, indeed, promise! we have time and money to take care of another pet...even though she's a little bigger than a dog...doesn't travel as easily...and has quite a strong temper.."!
 Well, after owning her for some two years and a half now, I never never regretted my decision. It is even one of the best I have taken for a long time! This little 11-year-old Portuguese mare is not only really beautiful but she has a really good heart and a willing temper, is very well-put, extremely sure-footed and perfectly at ease in any kind of terrain. We get on really well, also it took us a little time to settle in this nice relationship; she enjoys long and active rides with me and the dogs, and it's a pure pleasure riding her! Maybe once she will join me on a long-distance expedition? For now we simply take part in some endurance races and that's fun!
My training sessions with my Striders - are regularly posted on my FB page and some will be also posted on this blog. 

 

Milwyn, the little hero

One morning of August 2016, as I was finishing with Ola at the stables, I heard a kitten meowing. There were some new-born kitten on the farm so I thought it could be one of them that got stuck behind the balls of straw. I discovered a tiny kitty, no more than 3 weeks old! I scaled the fence and managed to get her and took her home. She was so tiny, so cute! I immediately fell in love with this little creature, even if very aware that she had little chance to survive. But after a couple of weeks on the bottle, Tiny Milwyn was already strong and very healthy! She even managed to make friends with the dogs, which was far from obvious at the beginning.. Now they are best friends, she even sleeps in Muffy's bed!! As we are a travelling family, she was trained from the very beginning to come along, to walk (hum!) with the harness and leash, to follow us on short hikes. And the travel to Slovenia (Summer 2017) was her first 4-weeks trip with all of us. In 2017, she was shot by an illegal shot, miraculously survived and is now our little three-legged hero. Read her whole story

 

Tribute:

 Nyx - 2011-2020

Nothing will ever be the same again. Nyx is gone. It all happened so quickly…and Corona didn’t give me a chance to see her again before she left this world. I still can’t believe it. The Striders lost their Hunter… I’ve lost my closest friend, my confidante, my black beauty. Always so lively, so cheerful.. So many adventures together...

The news of her being so seriously sick drained all the power I had to go over another technical issues during the expedition. Guilt, sadness, disbelief...feeling so powerless..

Now she’s gone. I feel so empty. I know she’s there next to us and will always be there...Yet right now it’s so painful… My heart is broken. I try to learn from the other three Striders who are doing a much better job at accepting what cannot be changed… Animals are so much wiser than us, humans… It will take time for tears to dry…


I love you my Nyx. Miss you so much. Another star in the sky... 🐶😢💔💘

 

Mufasa, aka Titi 2001-2018

Born in 2001, Muffy the Jack Russell was the mascot of the team ! Born in the family, he's been everywhere with Marc and I for 17 years, on climbing tours and alpine mountain trekking...him walking or carried in the backpack when he got too old. Milwyn and him were amazing great friends!
He made his peaceful transition in the other realm in April 2018. I know that he is always around, not missing a single walk! Love you forever sweety!

 

 

 

 

 

My 1st supporter and most dedicated supporter, Marc

4x4 specialist, auto-mechanic-inventor(!), outdoors and animals lover Marc landed in the automotive area as a kid, his parents being 4x4, race and classic cars passionate and he never left the 4x4 world. Through his passion for offroad, he travelled a lot - mainly in Africa - and took part twice in the famous Dakar Rally as well as many times in the 24-heures de Paris endurance race.
In 2011 he created his own department in the family business Banditoy, entirely dedicated to 4x4 parts, specific gear and travel equipment.For the last ten years or so, we've been travelling together all around Europe mainly with our Land Cruiser HJ61 and its tailor-made elevated roof. 
If he cannot come along with me on such long trips, Marc plays an important part as my logistics base. On some expeditions, he is in charge of an important mission: taking care of Ola while I am away ( with the help of Muffy of course!); sometimes he joins us for a few days or weeks.