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- When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with horses. I used to collect books about horses, horse encyclopedias. I knew all the breeds and all the colors. I just freaking loved horses. And, of course, as many little girls do, dreamt of one day owning my own horse. So of course, I started pleading with my mom to let me go horse riding. She wasn't too keen on the idea at first, but around my eighth birthday, I got my first horse riding lesson. And I remember sitting on the horse for the very first time and feeling like, wow, this is terrifying, and so exciting and so beautiful,
and I can't believe this is happening. It felt like a dream come true. For the next couple of years, I rode horses here and there. I started learning how to ride with an instructor. But soon enough, we moved away from Poland where we had been living, and we moved to the United Kingdom. Suddenly it turned out that horse riding lessons in the UK were far too expensive for us to be able to afford them. So I had to stop riding horses.
Once in a while during the summer holidays, I would go to horse riding camp back in Poland and ride once again. But it was something that happened very rarely. And over the course of my teenage years, and as I went into adulthood, I stopped riding. It was not practical, it was very expensive. I couldn't really afford it, and it felt like horse riding and horses were just a part of my distant past, just something that I used to love when I was a kid, and that I could no longer feasibly integrate into life. Fast forward a few years, when I was about 24, 25 years old, I traveled to Mongolia on the Trans-Siberian train, and by complete chance, I ended up in a horse trekking camp in Mongolia
where I got to ride a horse once again after so many years of not riding at all. And I remember distinctly the moment that I galloped across the step on a Mongolian horse, and I felt so free. For the first time in my life, I felt truly free. Like all of a sudden, everything made sense, like I could go anywhere, I could do anything. I felt like my soul was set free, and I promised myself that I would chase that feeling. About half a year later, I quit my job, left everything in my life, and decided to go traveling and start a YouTube channel. That was all inspired by a crazy gallop on horseback across the Mongolian step. So after I started traveling and filming for YouTube, I would take every single opportunity
that I had to ride horses, to spend time with horses, to meet different horses all around the world. I have ridden horses in Afghanistan, in Pakistan, in Iran, in Mexico, in Armenia, all over the place. Wherever I could, I would ride horses. I even bought two horses in Mongolia when I went there for a subsequent visit and went on a solo horse track in the wilderness for a week, all alone, just me and my two horses. Truly one of the most transformative and magical experiences of my entire life. But obviously having a horse as a full-time traveler is not very practical. So I never really entertained having my own horse until recently. As most of you will know,
last year I bought some land in mountains here in Poland, and I decided that I'm going to shift my life around so that I can spend more time here in my newfound home, in my little oasis, my tiny little mountain hideaway. And sure, keep traveling for work, but not as intensely as I once used to. And then my friends who live near here in their beautiful mountain oasis of their own called Gorna Chata, they floated an idea. "Why don't you get a horse? You know, your horse could live with us. Whenever you're gone, your horse could just stay here with our horses."
It felt like, yeah, that's what I want. That's exactly what I want. (laughs) So I decided that I'm gonna get a horse. I decided that I am going to fulfill that childhood dream, and I'm going to fulfill the dream that tiny little Eva had and I'm gonna buy myself a horse. And so earlier this year, around February, I started looking at horses. And it's kind of weird because I always thought that there was some kind of like special place you go to, a special market where you look at the horses and you look at what's available and you pick a horse like that. You know, like an auction type of thing. In reality, the way that most horses are bought and sold these days is on Facebook.
Like Facebook groups, Facebook marketplace. That's how you buy horses these days. And so I went to see a few horses. I went to test them out and meet them. In total, I went to see physically three horses, and I had a friend visit one other one. They were all beautiful, lovely, well-behaved horses, but only one of them truly stole my heart. Oh my God, I loved him. He was so kind and so calm, and so chill and so lovely. Is he the one, is he the one? So when I finally decided which horse I wanted to get, I had to travel to Slovakia, to another country in order to actually get him.
- Good morning. Good morning, good morning, good morning from hill in Slovakia. (gentle music) Where is my dog? That's a good boy. Come. Yes. Good boy. So this is how I slept last night with the boot completely open, all the windows open. And you know, I just realized that I would've never dared sleep like this without my dog, without this specific dog by my side, because I trusted him to protect me in the middle of the night. If some weirdo came creeping in, I know that he would always protect me, and he was staying guard outside. And I just, I love that.
Feels so safe. I feel like every girl could use a German shepherd trained in protection. (gentle music) (gentle music continues) This is a pretty big day for me, honestly, because today my life is changing. Adding a new member to the family is a pretty big deal. And the last time I did that was when I got Vilk, and that was also the only in the first time that I did that.
And today I'm getting a horse. A lot bigger and more difficult to travel with, and a lot more clunky than a dog. I'll admit that. Obviously I have thought this through, and I do have some very specific plans that this horse will fit into. So this isn't a decision that I took lightly. It's a decision that I matured towards for many, many months, if not many, many years. And that I realized finally was, well, it's not the most practical decision I've ever made.
Fair. But it's a decision that actually makes sense to me at this stage in my life. So yeah, I am nervous and super excited and extremely giddy, and I just can't wait. I can't wait for all the adventures. I'm getting a horse. Holy shit. Hey, bubba, you know you're gonna have a little brother. Do you want a brother? You want a brother or you want a sister? You want a brother? Okay, let's go with brother.
Well, let's go get him. I'm getting a horse. What? Hang on, hang on. Wait one second. Before the big reveal, I just wanna introduce you to the partner of today's video and a tool that I do not travel internationally without. Saily is an e-SIM app that I have used whenever I've traveled internationally over the last few months. If you're a traveler like me, then you probably already know that an e-SIM is like a digital sim card that saves you the hassle of having to get
a physical sim card every time that you travel. It also saves you time, it saves you from potentially getting scammed, and it saves you from really high roaming fees. Personally, I don't travel without an e-SIM And with Saily, it honestly couldn't be easier to download, top-up and manage. Here's how it works. First, you'll need to download the app to your phone. It works both on iPhone and Android. Then you'll pick a data plan.
Saily operates in over 200 destinations, and you can choose global or regional plans too. Once you've got your plan, just install the e-SIM following the simul instructions in the app. Your e-SIM will activate automatically the minute you land in your next destination. I honestly can't remember the last time that I traveled without an e-SIM, because not only is it convenient and lets you avoid high roaming fees, it also keeps you connected and safe. And yes, of course, I got you guys a discount code. Get an exclusive 15% off on Saily data plans. So just use my code, EvaZubeck at checkout.
Download the Saily app or go to saily.com/EvaZubeck. Alright, let's go get that horse. Ah! This is Shaman. He's a 6-year-old gelding that's a male horse without the accoutrements of a stallion. He's half American Paint Horse and half American Quarter Horse. Obviously, he's a very handsome boy, and this specific color is called a buckskin tobiano. Go figure. Okay, I am in Slovakia of all places, and I'm about to check out yet another horse. The first time I ever came to check him out before we even met, he saw me and walked right towards me from across the pasture, living behind his herd.
He is freaking heading towards me right now, right? He's the only horse that's walking right towards me right now. So already in that moment, obviously I knew that he was the one. I had fallen in love at first sight. Oh, hi. Hi, did you come see me? (gentle music) This is my boy. Yep, this is my boy. I am not holding him. There's nothing. He is just following me.
Hi. A few weeks later, he was mine and getting loaded onto a trailer. The next time he stepped outside, he was in the Carpathian Mountains in Poland, where I live. Okay, buddy, welcome to Poland. You ready to join your new herd? Yeah? Okay, let's go. Come on. I'm not interested in things like dressage or show jumping, anything like that. My main goal with Shaman is for us to go and explore together. I wanna be out there on trails with my horse and with my dog.
I wanna be going out camping in the mountains with both my animals. I wanna be out there experiencing the world at a horse's space and from a horse's back. I guess I just kind of wanna go back to the roots of what travel used to be like for the vast majority of the human experience. You know, the last few years, I've been traveling all around the world at such a fast pace on planes, trains, and cars, and I think I'm ready for something different, something a little bit slower.
I don't know when, but at some point in the future, maybe in a year, maybe in five years, I have no idea, but sometime in the future, I would like to set off a really grand adventure with my horse and with my dog. Something really big. Okay. Whoop! Welcome home.\ (speaking in foreign language) (horse neighing) No. Whoa! But for now, I think I'm ready to start experiencing travel from a very different perspective.
There is something so magical about horses. They're such intelligent and emotional creatures. Horses are all feeling, and I'm really hoping that by spending time with Shaman, I'll get to experience some of that, you know? I feel like this horse is really going to change me, and I'm really hoping that he will help me rewild myself on even deeper level. That's what I want. I want an even deeper connection with nature, and I feel like this is a step in that direction. Who are they? Oh! I am very lucky because my friends here at Gorna Chata have four horses.
He's got some friends here. There's actually four Hutsul mares here. Hutsuls are like the horses of the Carpathians. They look really similar to him, but he hasn't met them yet. So doing a slow little introduction. Yeah, go ahead. Good boy. And Shaman will get to live among them. I know that this is just the perfect place for him, and he is already so happy here. I live nearby, so I know that I can drop in at any time, calmly spend time with him, hang out with him, train with him, ride him even on my own around these hills. And I am so excited.
(horses neighing) (gentle music) (speaking foreign language) - [Eva] In the words of Shaman's previous owner who knew him quite well, he's like an American Hutsul. Technically an American quarterhorse, but hardy and resilient like a real Hutsul.
Sounds like a pretty good combo to me. Honestly, I can't imagine a better place. I feel like this place screams freedom, liberty, and I just love it. I know that he's gonna be so relaxed and so at home here. (speaking in foreign language) - Currently I'm not planning on getting any more horses, but there is a plan that some of the horses from Gorna Chata, some of the Hutsul girls from here will come over to my land later this year and graze out there on my pastures. I am so excited to see horses on my land. You have no freaking idea.
This is obviously a very new chapter, and I know that to some of you, this is probably the craziest idea ever. But I know in my head, and I know in my heart that it makes so much sense in the context of what I wanna do in the future. I know it's not the cheapest hobby to have a horse, but I also know that I'm not planning on having human children. So the money that would've gone towards having a human child is currently going into my dog and my horse, and I feel like I can definitely allow myself that luxury. Also, what the heck? Just the fact that you can make your childhood dreams come true like that, that it's possible.
This is so freaking cool. I still can't believe it. I have a horse. How do you feel about being here, huh? Yeah, all good? You like here? He says he loves it. If you have a horse, if you ride horses, or if you spend time with horses, let me know your best tips. I would love to hear from you. I have such a huge journey ahead of me. Let me know in the comments. Please send me your best advice.
Thank you. I am so excited for everything that's to come. (gentle music)
