In a time when man has so many communication tools at his disposal, it seems odd that someone would use a horse to get their message across to the world. But that’s exactly what Vincent Gabriel Kirouac did to promote chivalry and polite manners in Canada.
It’s not every day that you get to see a man in full knight regalia, riding a horse through the busy streets of Canadian cities like Ottawa, but that’s just what Vincent Kirouac has been doing during the last few months. “I’m crossing Canada on horseback dressed as a knight, to remind people of the values of long ago, such as devotion,” he told the National Post. And believe it or not, his unique strategy seems to be working as he manages to steal smiles from people everywhere he goes and even some friendly invitations from total strangers. “You ask for the hospitality and they say ‘yes’ all the time,” he told CBC.
Photo: Chevalier autour du Monde
The chivalrous journey of Vincent Gabriel Kirouac began in April, in Riviere-du-Loup, a town on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. He has been heading west ever since, sticking mainly to the back roads, although he did make an exception to visit Canada’s capital He plans to finish his amazing trip across his country in mid September, in British Columbia. the 22-year-old modern knight is currently unemployed, but has previously worked for two years, in order to raise the necessary funds for this kind of a trip. “I’m trying to be that symbol of something that is incorruptible… and never to fail my duty, which is to be a knight and be good and be an example,” the self-proclaimed “full-time knight said”.
Photo: Chevalier autour du Monde
Although he has donned a knight’s costume and chosen a horse as means of transportation around the country, Kirouac says there’s more to his medieval style than meets the eye. “I am a knight,” he said. “I’m trying to be that symbol of something that is incorruptible… and never to fail my duty, which is to be a knight and be good and be an example.”
So if you’re in Canada and see a guy wearing a bizarre outfit and riding a horse, don’t call the police, but rather ask him if he needs a place to spend the night and show him politeness and chivalry are very much alive.
