Lucy Leaf overcame a great many challenges during her 7,000 mile ride through the United States. Ironically her life was put at its greatest risk after she stepped down from the saddle. Like other Long Riders in Europe and the USA Lucy became a victim of an insect-borne health hazard that poses a danger to millions of horses and humans in dozens of countries. Lucy’s ground-breaking article confirmed that climate change was encouraging a massive growth in the tick population and revealed how the deadly insects were migrating north into new areas. To demonstrate the importance of Lucy’s research, as this article was going to press American medical authorities announced a 357% increase in tick borne illnesses and warned “more people are catching Lyme disease than ever before across the United States.”