Conservationist, horseman, adventurer, Joe Dawson, is a vital link in the magical chain that is The Ride team. Having initially been a little circumspect about Barry’s harebrained adventure schemes Joe was finally won over by the sheer compelling romance of frantic horseback adventures across the wilds of South Africa. Joe has now fully embraced the dangers of life as an adventurer, having thrown his usual caution to the proverbial breeze, shrugged off the constraints of a nine to five job, dragged himself out of his comfort zone and joined The Ride full time! Cool in a crisis, charming and witty, tough, if a little grumpy with it, Joe is the other half the relationship that’s at the heart of The Ride.
“Adventure is really the bulls*** that you don’t want to happen, and it just does! That’s the stuff you look back on and say “My Lord, I survived that!”
Courageous, practical, level headed, Joe is also Barry’s brother-in-law and close friend. A solid partnership developed over years of working together, often in demanding circumstances, has resulted in a mutual bond of reliance critical on these challenging adventures. Joe’s measured approach to life provides the perfect foil to Barry’s impulsiveness on these intense adventures, and he has become known for his off the cuff, witty sound bites on screen.
“My expectations are pain, misery, extreme discomfort, character failure………I mean my outlook is optimistic!”
Joe finished his education in England but the lure of his home country was too strong and he returned live in the kwaZulu Natal midlands from where his family hailed, and where he started a family of his own. For the last eight years he has been the general manager of The Dalton Private Reserve, an award winning wild life reserve, and the property that was the spark for the concept of The Ride.
“Where horses are concerned there is always an element of the unknown because each horse has a mind of its own, a way of responding to different aspects of the environment that will vary from one horse to another; however in the Mongol Derby this was amplified tremendously, to the point where choosing your next horse at a horse station could feel like a combination of buying a lottery ticket and playing Russian roulette.”
With The Ride of the Peacemaker on air, The Ride does the Mongol Derby in the can, the restart of The Ride of Harry Whackalong Smite scheduled for May 2012, The Mongol Derby 2 scheduled for August of 2011, the mammoth 4500 km Ride of the Dandy Fifth starting in September of 2012 and a new concept adventure planned for late 2012/, the next two years are packed with action for Joe, Barry and their team.
“When you put yourself into a challenging situation and don’t give yourself the option of pulling out then you simply have to take the plunge and embrace the moment. It is at these times that one learns the most about life and oneself”
