What if the journey through grief could become a journey toward connection, purpose, and hope?

When my mom passed away, I turned to the one place that had always held me steady: my horse. For as long as I can remember, horses have been my safe space, my teachers, and my reminder that healing often happens through connection.

In Mongolia, where horses remain deeply woven into daily life and cultural identity, that connection carries extraordinary meaning.

I first met endurance riders and nonprofit leaders, Julie Veloo and Betsy Cooksey, at the Equus Film & Arts Fest last fall after winning multiple awards for my film, Heart of Compton. What started as a conversation became a question we couldn’t ignore:

What would it mean to ride across Mongolia together?

That question is now Through Riders: a documentary journey across the Gobi Desert exploring loss, healing, and the transformative relationship between people, horses, and community.

Along the way, the film will document the Blue Wolf Totem: a charity horse ride that supports community libraries, schools, and a medical center serving children and families surviving off of Ulaanbaatar's largest dump. In this way, it explores how communities can transform grief into meaningful action and care for others.

In addition to filming, I will lead a film intensive at the Veloo Foundation school, sharing my passion for storytelling and filmmaking with young people living and working in Ulaanbaatar’s largest dump.

Your support will help cover filming expenses and essential gear needed for this expedition. Every contribution helps bring this story to life and allows me to document a journey that I hope will resonate with anyone who has experienced loss and searched for a way forward.

Supporting this film is also a way of honoring my mom’s memory and helping share a story rooted in hope, healing, and connection.

Learn more about my work at www.isabelsoloaga.com and follow the journey at @isabel.soloaga

Thank you for believing in this journey and for helping make this film possible.

Through Riders: A Journey Through Grief Across the Mongolian Steppe

"The answer is on the other side of the pain." - Betsy Cooksey

Team Members