A man has quit his six-figure tech job so he can ride a horse that he bought off Craigslist for $3,000 across the country over 100 days as part of a ‘family tradition’ that he described as a ‘rite of passage.’
Cyril Bertheau left his home in Austin, Texas, with his new horse, Shiok, on April 9, and set out on a more than 2,000-mile journey across seven states to Seattle, Washington – with nothing except whatever he could fit on his saddle.
The Texas native plans to travel by horseback through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, before finishing the trip in Washington over the course of just 100 days – where he will stay for a week before doing it all over again to get back home.
And, to make it even more difficult for himself, Cyril also set a rule not to spend any money on lodging, meaning he has to either find strangers who will give him places to stay for free or he will need to sleep in a tent outdoors.
A man quit his six-figure tech job so he could ride a horse that he bought off Craigslist for $3,000 across the country over 100 days
Cyril Bertheau left his home in Austin, Texas, with his new horse, Shiok, on April 9, and set out on a journey to Seattle, Washington – with nothing except whatever he could fit on his saddle
The Texas-native plans to travel by horseback through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, before finishing the trip in Washington
Cyril has been documenting the adventure on his TikTok account, where he has racked up more than 10,000 followers.
‘Back in 2020 I did a road trip across the country, and since then, I’ve been wanting to get back on the road and do it bigger and better,’ he explained in one of his videos, which was shared a month before he left.
He hopes to accomplish the feat in just 100 days
‘So I bought a horse for $3,000 on Craigslist and over the next few weeks I’ll be preparing him and myself for the great journey ahead of us.
‘The rules are simple.
‘I’m giving myself 100 days, it has to be self-supported, and I’m not going to spend any money on lodging.’
While speaking to Fox News, Cyril explained that going on a ‘big adventure’ is something his family has been doing for many generations – however, not all of his relatives chose to make the journey by horseback.
‘It’s a family tradition for each one of the oldest sons of my family on my dad’s side to do a great big adventure.
‘And it’s kind of a rite of passage, if you will,’ he said.
‘My great-grandfather started it, and then my grandfather, then my dad, and then now it’s me.’
He has been documenting the adventure on his TikTok account, where he has racked up more than 10,000 followers
While speaking to Fox, Cyril explained that going on a ‘big adventure’ is something his family has been doing for many generations and called it a ‘rite of passage’ with him and his relatives
When it came time for Cyril to go on the ‘rite of passage,’ he set out on finding the perfect horse
He told the outlet that his father, Eric Bertheau, departed home in 1984 and traveled around the world for three years – visiting countries throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia.
He came across Shiok on Craigslist – a 13-year-old Painted Tennessee Walker Gelding
When it became time for Cyril to go on the ‘rite of passage,’ he became inspired by his ‘love of horses.’
Cyril, who rode a lot as a child, then set out on finding the perfect horse, viewing seven different potential companions and traveling 600 miles around Texas before he came across Shiok on Craigslist – a 13-year-old Painted Tennessee Walker Gelding.
And after meeting the animal, he knew it was the one.
He said he wanted a horse that had a lot of ‘endurance’ and was very ‘brave,’ while adding that comfortability was also a priority.
‘One of my criteria for a horse that can carry me 100 days is, he’s gotta be comfortable,’ he explained on TikTok.
‘I’m gonna have my a** on the saddle for about 10 hours a day.
‘He’s also gotta be courageous, not spooked by anything.’
Cyril and Shiok officially began their journey last weekend.
‘After months of thinking about it, and carefully training, and preparing physically and mentally, I’m finally ready to head on this journey,’ he reflected in a video shared on the day they left.
‘There’s no turning back now. I’m gonna miss my loved ones but it’s my destiny and I had to do it.’
He said he wanted a horse that had a lot of ‘endurance’ and was very ‘brave,’ while adding that comfortability was also a priority
Cyril and Shiok officially began their journey last weekend. He said on TikTok: ‘There’s no turning back now. I’m gonna miss my loved ones but it’s my destiny and I had to do it’
While chatting with Fox this week, the now-viral star admitted he already faced some problems, like rocks getting in Shiok’s hooves and the horse getting scared
While chatting with Fox this week, the now-viral star admitted he had already faced some problems, despite only being a few days into the adventure.
He said some rocks got into Shiok’s hooves, and when he got off to look at them, he slipped and fell into the horse – which scared him.
He told the outlet that he is embracing the ‘mental, physical, and spiritual challenges’ that may come his way
‘Then, as I’m trying to reach back to get him, it spooked him even more.
‘And I couldn’t reach the reins in time. And he just took off,’ he revealed.
Thankfully, a stranger stepped into help.
He continued: ‘I started running down the street and I see this Mini Cooper come up and this lady comes out says, “Hop in. My husband’s going to drive you.” So we run down and I just opened the door and stopped my horse.’
Despite the set back, he’s ready to take on whatever comes at him.
He told the outlet that he is embracing the ‘mental, physical, and spiritual challenges’ that may come his way, in the hopes that he will ‘learn about himself, the country he lives in, and the people he lives with.’
‘I’m going to have what seems like insurmountable challenges ahead, and I’m just going to be ready to face them,’ he shared.
‘People go to university and I sort of take this as the university of life. I’m just going to put myself in tough spots and I think I’ll be a better man afterwards.’
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