If you are planning a horseback journey, you need this book!
As my daughter and I plan our first long ride, this book could not have come at a better time! It's full of hard-won knowledge and insights about every conceivable situation and dilemma that might confront a Long Rider. Being a long time endurance competitor, my skill set has its strengths and weaknesses. I realized in reading this valuable resource that when it comes to making it to the end of my 1,200 mile ride with sound, healthy horses, I needed the advice of an expert. That's exactly what I got when I read the Handbook. So many decisions need to be made regarding what to pack, which horses to take, where to camp, how to protect yourself, etc. Without the Long Riders Guild and this important book, one would feel easily overwhelmed.
In the sport of endurance, we learn how to feed and manage a horse that is putting out maximum effort over one day of competition. This does not necessarily translate to the feed and management of a horse who is away from home and working for weeks or months at a time, staying someplace different and eating different feeds every day. The book gave me insight as to how to use my skills, and adapt them to a very different kind of challenge. The needs of a Long Ride horse are different than a competition horse, and there are so many other skills you need to have such as securing packs, crossing rivers safely, and rescuing a horse from deep mud or quicksand. The Handbook does an excellent job of presenting life saving information, mixed with accounts and examples from actual Long Riders. I plan to read it again, and you can bet that when I pack my saddlebags it will be included as one of my must-have items!
Jennifer Poling, West Virginia, USA.