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Many people dream of spinning their passions into profitable professions, but few make the leap. Sally Vergette is one who did. Within two months of visiting Ecuador, Sally turned her back on a well-paying career in the Parisian perfume industry, traded high heels for half chaps, enrolled in Spanish classes and headed to South America.

She didn’t know that Ride Andes, her horseback riding company, was her destiny. So, how exactly does a British farm girl, a champion side-saddle rider, wind up leading long canters amid bands of wild horses at 13,000 feet above sea level on the lichen-covered altiplanos of glacier encrusted Cotopaxi, the world’s highest active volcano?

“In 1995 I tossed a coin between Mongolia and Ecuador for a holiday,” Sally, 42, recalls as she curls into a chair at historic Hacienda Cienega and artfully drapes a scarf, a chic throwback to her Parisian days, around her shoulders to fend off the evening chill.

“Ecuador won. I discovered I loved the elegant haciendas and had a good feeling for the people. I had met the British owner of Hacienda Cusin and he offered me a job managing and developing his stable. In truth, after six years, I was a bit bored with France—the weather, the pollution, the primping, the rat race—so I waited two weeks after my holiday to see if returning to South America still interested me. Then, I accepted his job offer and never looked back.”

As bold as the move might seem, Sally, a self-described “dominant personality,” soon parlayed her original job into another, setting up travel agencies in South and Central America. In her spare time, she indulged her passion by training horses and developed a reputation for her knowledge and care of steeds in her charge. Yet, despite spectacular scenery, good horses and ample riding opportunities, Ecuador did not have a good reputation for riding. While training horses Sally discovered trails with tour possibilities. With a grasp on the tourism industry, Sally once again jumped into the void to create Ride Andes.

With a strong-jawed, clear-eyed approach to problem solving and the work ethic of a draft horse—not to mention a degree in economics—Sally is a formidable businesswoman. To describe her as hyper-organized is a gross understatement.

But, as with any new venture, there were bumps in the road. “Setting up my business didn’t require much capital,” explains Sally the next day, her floppy, tan felt hat shielding her face from the fierce equatorial sun as she leads a group of riders into the verdant Zuleta valley, “and people were willing to lease me their horses because I had a reputation for excellent horse care.”

As a foreigner, however, Sally needed an Ecuadorian business partner. The owner of the travel agency stepped forward. While Sally has since become the sole owner, she relates that with no system of accountability, licensing, approval or inspection in Ecuador, almost anyone can grab some horses, advertise tours and set up shop. Sally, however, is a stickler for safety and detail.

“I started with a business plan that included short, medium and long range goals,” laughs Sally in hindsight. “They quickly went out the window as unrealistic.”

“My biggest misstep,” she freely admits, “was being caught between two cultures—the European fast lane and Ecuadorian time. I slowly learned not to rely on what the locals say they will do. I learned to check everything myself: feeding, watering, tack, hotel and airline reservations. I learned to confirm and re-confirm. I learned to think months ahead when ordering supplies: petrol for the vans, horse feed, shoes and nails and plastic forks. There are no plastic forks available in December when everyone is having holiday parties. I’ve put in lots of long days—sometimes 24 hour days when horses escape in the night—and panic moments. I learned to always have a contingency plan.”

The intense behind the scenes planning 10and organizing also includes greeting guests up at the airport (now delegated), cooking and freezing dinners for camping trips, shopping for the picnic lunches, washing fruits and making wake-up calls to the grooms. Her one cardinal rule that cannot be broken under any circumstances is that the horses are never to be mistreated.

As if the administrative tasks weren’t enough, laying out the tours is another logistical challenge. The things Sally must consider are: scenery, time in the saddle, water for the horses, suitable accommodations for guests, grooms and horses, emergency evacuation of guests, feed and lunches. And, once she has this nailed down—it changes. Ownership of land changes, dirt roads are paved, and sometimes garbage dumps appear out of nowhere. Thus, flexibility is another necessary characteristic.

“When I’m told, ‘No you can’t,’” Sally concedes, “it’s like a red flag to me. I rise to the challenge.”

Yet, it was her guests who urged her to develop new tours in other countries. Using the blueprint she established in Ecuador, Sally expanded to Argentina, Chili and Uruguay, taking advantage of shifts in the weather as the southern hemisphere’s seasons spin out.

She is currently considering bringing her brand of touring that blends exciting riding with cultural excursions to Oaxaca, Mexico.

While employing horses for transportation, sport and profit predates Biblical times, Ride Andes wouldn’t exist without today’s technology. Telebanking, cell phones, and the internet allow Sally to run her business from virtually anywhere. Every evening and morning, her laptop is in play and her cell phone is in hand. Her website is her only advertising beyond word-of-mouth, Ecuadorian guide books, and a handful of British and American outfitters that book tours with her.

“I know I should be attending trade shows with a PowerPoint presentation,” she concedes, but there just isn’t enough time.

When Sally pauses long enough to consider the road she has taken, she realizes that success comes in many forms. There are calls from Chagras (Ecuadorian cowboys) asking her about horse care. There are new haciendas opening and approaching her. There are men (remember that this is South America) seeking her advice with their stables, budgets and horses. There are the horse owners she is able to convince to use the services of a horse dentist. And, of course, there are the satisfied customers, repeat riders, and “lovely E-mails.” Still, she gives the credit to her horses who “give their all because they are well trained.”

With a ready smile and a chop of her hands, Sally makes her directions crystal clear to both her grooms, in a lilting Spanish, and her guests, in charming British English. Her directive, “Talk to me if you have a problem with anything” is not a polite request.

She means it. Her goal is to make the riders in her charge feel safe and comfortable in the world she has organized for their riding pleasure.

For information on Ride Andes: Horseback Riding Vacations in South America, visit www.rideandes.com or E-mail: rideandes@rideandes.com.

Dorothy Noe has produced stories on everything from circus horses to cowboys, from backpacking into Galapagoes volcanoes and trekking to Machu Picchu, to profiling celebrities and ordinary folks who she finds interesting. Her articles have appeared in countless regional, national and international magazines. She is a retired special education teacher and her riding vacation to Ecuador was her third such venture. She has been seriously trail riding for the past ten years and bought her first horse at age 62—a black-and-white paint named Mirasol.