Keca sisters continue second-half of dream horseback riding trip across Canada

What started out as a childhood dream for the Keca sisters is becoming a reality as they pass through Calgary and get that much closer the end of their cross-country horseback expedition.

Katie Keca told the Calgary Eyeopener on Wednesday that the dream began when she was just nine years old.

"I was horse crazy and wanted to be first woman to ride a horse across Canada," she said.

Two years ago, Katie, now 25, and younger sister Jewel, now 20, completed the Eastern Canada half of their journey — beginning at Nova Scotia's Mahone Bay and finishing 116 days later in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

"We were moving pretty slow. We were doing 20 to 30 kilometres a day and we had about 90 pounds of packs on our horses," said Katie. "We were just moving, like, 'OK, Canada is massive, this is going to be a two-year thing.'"

Now they're roughly half-way through the Western Canada leg of the trip — stopping in Calgary to take in some Stampede festivities before carrying on to their final destination of White Rock, B.C.

The sisters, who are from Grimsby, Ont., say the first part of the trip taught them a lot about what to expect, and what to change, this time around. 

"The first four months, we did everything on the horses' backs. And then this year, we have a support vehicle, which has changed it quite a lot for the better," said Jewel. "It's been a lot easier having a bed to go to every night and a little camper van. And then the horses, they just have us on their backs, so it's easier on them."

The support van is being driven by Katie and Jewel's brother, Joseph, who is also documenting their journey through photography and videography.

'It's been pretty scary at points'

But, despite the comfort of a camper van at the end of the day, the Kecas have seen their fair share of Canadian weather events while walking and riding their horses across the country — especially here on the Prairies. 

"One minute it's sunny and beautiful, you're walking and see there's some clouds, but it doesn't look too bad," said Katie. "Two seconds later, we're like, lightning. We've had it strike 200 metres beside us. It's been pretty scary at points."

The older sister said one time she even felt the electricity. 

"I'm walking the horse and all of a sudden I feel like I got Tasered in my back. I was like, 'What just happened? Did I get hit by something?" she said. 

"I think the grounding of the electricity hit where my knife was. So then we got on the horses and we galloped toward some trees. When storms hit, we just pick a point, gallop and head for cover."

No horses allowed

Another challenge the pair sometimes run into is rules about where horseback riding is allowed — riding through most Canadian cities isn't permitted. 

"We try to avoid it. We did go through one city in Quebec, Trois-Rivières," said Jewel. "And going through is terrible because there's cars everywhere and the horses don't like it, but they were good."

She said when they stopped at a Tim Hortons, they were quickly approached by a police officer.

"He told us we couldn't be here so we told him we were passing through and rode off."

Bonding experience

And while some sisters can't make it through a car ride together, the Keca sisters say they're enjoying every minute of each other's company.

"I think we're learning something new about each other every day, and it really is an adventure," said Jewel.

"And we're really good at balancing each other out," added Katie. 

"Jewel is really patient and she's got this kind of calmness to her where I can be the one that's, like, let's persevere.… We're constantly keeping each other in check, picking each other up, making each other laugh." 

As the pair sets out on the next portion of their trip, which will take them through the Rocky Mountains, they're not too sure what to expect when it comes to terrain or wildlife (although they are prepared with bear spray and a flare gun).

But the Kecas say one thing has been the same no matter where they are in Canada: the generosity of others. 

"We're overwhelmed and so thankful for all the people that have taken us in," said Katie. "People really do help and they're so kind, and we've been so lucky to receive a lot of generosity."

As a part of their cross-country trip, the sisters are raising money for the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides. Information about their cause, and their blog full of photos and stories, can be found here.