Stories from the Road

A Notion of Youth Fulfilled - Some of life’s most poignant lessons come in small, unobtrusive packages. This remarkable story is one such tiny treasure.

Without any fanfare, the author set off in 1976 to make a 1,200 ride across the United States. At the conclusion of his trip, he made several important observations, some singular and others which apply to Long Riders throughout history. This is a timeless bit of writing by one of the tribal elders who kept equestrian travel alive in the days before the formation of The Guild.

	It seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do. Go to Russia, befriend the Cossacks, buy three wild horses, and then ride them more than 2,500 miles back to England. Of course no one had actually been allowed to ride out of the Soviet Union during the 20th century ! But none of those minor obstacles mattered to Basha O'Reilly. Click on picture to read how she found Count Pompeii, the wild Cossack stallion who went on to become the "poster horse" of The Long Riders' Guild, in her story "My Kingdom for a Horse."
	A Notion of Youth Fulfilled - Some of life’s most poignant lessons come in small, unobtrusive packages. This remarkable story is one such tiny treasure. Without any fanfare, the author set off in 1976 to make a 1,200 ride across the United States. At the conclusion of his trip, he made several important observations, some singular and others which apply to Long Riders throughout history. This is a timeless bit of writing by one of the tribal elders who kept equestrian travel alive in the days before the formation of The Guild.
	Click on picture to read some hair-raising stories about wolves attacking horsemen in Romania a hundred and more years ago!
	"In the Spring of 1942, when the war looked grimmer day by day to the Allies, and the Burma Road was lost", Count Ilia Tolstoy was given the assignment of crossing Tibet from India to China. Armed with a letter and precious gifts from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Dalai Lama, Tolstoy and his companion crossed Tibet. Although they were treated like royalty, there was always the threat of bandits and the harsh and dangerous terrain. Click on picture to read an excellent article by Count Tolstoy.
	In 2002, after the death of his spiritual advisor, New Zealand Long Rider Ian Robinson vowed to deliver his ashes to Mout Kailas, Tibet's most sacred mountain. Fighting cold, exhaustion and runaway horses, he camped in high mountains with wolves, dicing with the elements and altitude sickness. Click on picture to read a story about this journey.
	Hezekiah Prince was a respected builder and community leader in late 18^th century Maine. In the winter of 1793 the young scholar made a remarkable 1200 mile journey across the newly formed United States. During the course of this singular journey, Hezekiah met George Washington, whom he noted “was a fine rider on horseback.” Hezekiah also observed the White House being built and kept a detailed diary during his journey. Click on picture to read that diary.
	"Medicus," one of America's first veterinarians, writes about the joys and health-giving properties of equestrian travel. Click on picture to read "Twelve Days in the Saddle - a Journey on Horseback in New England during the Autumn of 1883."
	Graham Greene, the prolific English novelist whose works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world. Throughout his life, Greene was obsessed with travelling far from his native England, to what he called the "wild and remote" places of the world. A 1938 trip to Mexico resulted in the factual The Lawless Roads . During the course of that trip, Greene made an equestrian journey into the jungles in search of the ancient city of Palenque. Click on picture to read an excerpt from The Lawless Roads entitled - The Long Ride!
	He heard the word “impossible” the day he was born. But Colonel Charles Young, the son of freed slaves, spent his life proving that he was a winner in every sense of the word. Born in dire poverty in Kentucky in 1864, Charles Young overcame extreme prejudice and became the third African-American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Click on picture to read an excellent article about this amazing man.
	Click on picture to read an excellent story by Lucy Leaf about her journey across Death Valley in 1975.
	When Swedish Long Rider Mikael Strandberg went to travel across Siberia in the winter of 2004-2005, he found a thriving horse culture amongst the Yakut tribesmen! Click on picture to read his astonishing tale.
	In 1940, Thubten Jigme Norbu, oldest brother of the Dalai Lama and himself a reincarnated lama resident in the Chinese lamasery of Kumbum, wanted to travel to Lhasa to visit his brother and family. He asked his father's permission several times, meanwhile (for he was only a teenage student, after all) making the wildest plans to travel to Tibet on his own. His whole family was now in Tibet, after all! However, eventually his father sent permission, and Norbu's retinue plunged into preparations for the long journey to Lhasa. This meant a four-month caravan trip, most of it through empty and debatable lands. Click on picture to read this amazing story.
	Alberta Claire, "The Girl from Wyoming," had to whip out her pistol and defend herself from a very dangerous man. Click on picture to read about her experiences.
	Click on picture to read a chilling story about horses and bridges from Tim Cope, writing from the middle of Kazakhstan.