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Each of the HorseTravelBooks.com titles has a direct link to its own page on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.co.uk. Alternatively, all of our titles can be ordered from your local bookshop.

The Abode of Snow Andrew Wilson ISBN 1590480325	In the year 1873 the author traveled through one of the most inhospitable, but beautiful mountain ranges in the world, the mighty Himalayas. For six months Wilson made his way through these unforgiving mountains, struggling against the elements, desperate to buy provisions from a suspicious native populace, and always trying to fight off the unrelenting cold. During portions of this epic journey Wilson rode a native Spiti pony. His descriptions of how this trusty mare saved her rider’s life by clambering over boulders and threading her way along sheer cliffs makes for thrilling reading. The lowest pass they crossed was the 11,578 foot high Zoji-la. Alternately an adventure tale full of murderers and rogues, “The Abode of Snow” is also strewn with poetic passages regarding Wilson’s observations of the natural beauties he traveled through, including glacier flowers and snowy peaks. The book remains one of the best accounts of overland equestrian travel ever written about the wild lands that lie between Tibet and Afghanistan. Go to Amazon.co.uk or Barnes & Noble for more details
Across the Roof of the World Wilfred Skrede ISBN 1590480406	Wilfred Skrede was nineteen in 1941 when the Nazis occupied his homeland of Norway. Determined to reach a training camp of the free Norwegian Air Force located in Toronto, Canada, the daring young man set off across Russia, Siberia, China, Turkestan and India before finally reaching his destination in far away North America, more than one year later. After the war Skrede wrote about this amazing journey describing in “Across the Roof of the World “ how he made his way along the tracks of Genghis Khan’s hordes, followed the silk caravans from China, crossed the high mountains of Central Asia, and miraculously made his way to freedom. Yet the liberty he sought demanded a high price. Being a Norwegian refugee, he was frequently arrested by various police forces who threatened him with deportation back to his Nazi-occupied homeland, and in communist controlled Sinkiang the young adventurer had his back cracked by a wild truck driver. His most perilous challenge however came when he was forced to ride horseback over the infamous 16,000 foot high Mintaka Pass, a hideous bit of trail known for killing horses and riders alike. The resultant story, told with fortitude, humor and resilience, is thus populated by a host of colorful characters, including famed English mountaineer Eric Shipton, and Tenzing, the Sherpa who went on to conquer Mount Everest. Amply illustrated, “Across the Roof of the World” is an epic equestrian travel tale laced with unforgettable excitement. Go to Amazon.co.uk or Barnes & Noble for more information.
Among the Tibetans Isabella Bird ISBN 1590481143	She was a legend, and now she is forgotten. She risked her life to bring back tales about exotic places, and now those tales lie lost. She rode horses in wild countries, while the majority of her fellow English women were content to reside at home. Her name was Isabella Bird and she was one of the greatest equestrian travelers of all time. Alas, this fickle world has laid aside her wonderful story for too long. No one could have foreseen the amazing life that lay ahead of the clergyman’s daughter. Of moderate means, blessed with ill-health, unwed, physically unimpressive, Isabella Bird had every reason to stay at home in the safety of her English village. She choose instead to venture out into the world, a place in the late nineteenth century still full of dangers, brigands, discomforts, and unexplored countries. And, whenever possible, Isabella chose to see the world from the back of a horse! “Among the Tibetans” is one of her five famous equestrian trips. She had ridden through out the Hawaiian paradise. She had crossed the mighty Rocky Mountains on horseback. She explored Japan and went on to canter across Morocco when she was in her seventies. But of all her equestrian adventures, her ride through Tibet takes precedence. For it was here, in this vast, windswept, frozen northland that the intrepid English woman nearly met her match! She and her little horse, “Gyalo”, were dashed into icy rivers. They crossed passes so high that the porters begged for mercy. They saw more adventure, and covered more miles than had ever been experienced by a female equestrian explorer. “Among the Tibetans” is that most wonderful of books, a rousing adventure, an enchanting travelogue, a forgotten peek at a mountain kingdom swept away by the waves of time. Go to Amazon.co.uk or Barnes & Noble for more details
Artist Explorer Edwin Lord Weeks ISBN 1590481712	The author of this book, Edwin Lord Weeks, occupies a unique position in the pantheon of Long Rider heroes. There are more famous equestrian explorers, more prolific writers. Yet no one ever documented the world of horse travel quite like this Artist-Explorer. Born into a wealthy New England family, Weeks left Boston in the early 1870s in search of artistic training and adventure. He found them both in Paris. The young American studied with the finest artists of his day, developing a style devoted to absolute realism and love of colour. Then, armed with his palette and passport, Weeks set off to paint the dangerous portions of the world. His first daring journey took him to a forbidden section of Morocco in 1878, where he escaped being killed “by the skin of my teeth.” Back in his Paris studio, Weeks produced large paintings depicting the Oriental mystery and glamour he had witnessed in Morocco. With his beautiful paintings now hanging in prestigious Paris salons, the young painter’s fame was assured. Yet it was his equestrian journey from Persia to India that provided Weeks with the material, not only for a superb equestrian travel book, but the magnificent paintings of mythical India which assured him of artistic immortality. Accompanied by the noted travel writer, Theodore Child, the young adventurers set off in 1892 to ride more than a thousand miles from Trebizond to Bushire. During the course of their journey the two friends encountered a bevy of bad lodgings, bandits, and even death. For ultimately only Weeks managed to ride into India, after having lost his companion to the terrors of the trail. Though the brilliant expatriate artist went on to produce some of the most celebrated Indian paintings ever done, his beautifully written account of the equestrian journey which inspired his masterpieces, has been largely forgotten for more than a hundred years. Amply illustrated with drawings done during this historic journey, “Artist Explorer” recounts the amazing adventures of a painter who sought to study the world and his soul from the back of that ancient altar of travel, the saddle. For more details go to Barnes & Noble Click here to go to Amazon.co.uk
At Freedom's Door A Ride across Northern India in the Winter of 1946-1947 on the eve of Partition Malcolm Lyall Darling	Countless books are written, yet few weather the passing of time save those which contain an enduring message. This is one such rare example in that it describes the timeless equestrian journey of a wise man in search of racial and religious harmony. On the surface Sir Malcolm Lyall Darling (1880-1969) would appear to have been another political tool of the powerful British Raj which ruled the Indian subcontinent with an iron hand. Nonetheless, though he was an exceptional Indian Civil Service officer, Darling had been raised in an intellectual family of English free thinkers. His education at Eton further undermined any dogmatic religious convictions, instilling instead a curiosity about comparative cultures and a belief that the Church of England did not hold a monopoly on truth. Thus, while the majority of his colleagues despised the Indian culture they were sent to rule, Darling sought to enhance his natural sympathy for the people. Such unorthodox views caused him to be socially ostracized, especially after he condemned a notorious massacre of Indian civilians by an imperialist British general. Yet it was thanks to Darling’s skill as an expert on rural Indian society that the multi-lingual humanist was reluctantly tolerated by the English political class. In the winter of 1946-47, with the British set to partition the subcontinent into the separate nations of India and Pakistan, the cultural insurgent set off on a dramatic 1,400 mile ride to interview the people about to undergo this traumatic political upheaval. The result of his journey is the marvelous book, At Freedom’s Door. Thanks to his tolerance and insight, Darling was able to describe far more than the dusty plains, great rivers and mighty mountains which the average traveller would have noted. Instead Rajput and Sikhs confided in him, while Muslims and Hindus provided him with shelter and secrets. Using his horse as the key to each village, Darling noted the size of the fields, as well as the fear of the future. For here was an India, still smiling, but eager for freedom. For five months he travelled, all the time being aware that his equestrian journey was akin to that of Arthur Young, who rode across France on the eve of that country’s revolution. Unlike that journey, Darling’s ride ended peacefully at the door of Mahatma Gandhi, where the noted sage reinforced what the Englishman had learned along the way; blood is the harvest of all wars and there is an eternal need to esteem humanity above all races, ranks and religions. Many years later people find themselves again afraid, caught up in events they don’t understand. At such a moment, Darling’s ride, and his eternal message, reassures us that all mankind comes from the same light and some journeys will never be forgotten. For more information, please go to Amazon.co.uk or Barnes and Noble.
Between the Desert and the Deep Blue Sea Gill Suttle	“This is the finest book ever penned about equestrian travel in Syria. It’s full of adventure, as well as being poetic in its search for a deeper meaning to the journey.” To those for whom the name of Syria conjures up images of George W. Bush’s “Axis of Evil”, or who picture the Middle East in general to be a place of endemic unrest or squabbling religious factions, this book will come as a revelation. Here they will discover a nation where all clans and creeds live in enviable harmony, their goodwill towards each other exceeded only by the warmth of their welcome to an eccentric foreigner. Syria’s people represent the top layer of a multi-dimensional mosaic; for few countries possess such a diversity of culture, religion, topography or historical legacy. This is the story of a journey into more than one landscape. A passion for Arab horses and a long acquaintance with Syria inspired the author to travel on horseback into the backwoods of this fascinating land in 1998. Here is an account greatly differing from those of some recent equestrian travel books, which describe heavily organised expeditions complete with logistics team, back-up lorry, spare horses and all the latest equipment. In contrast, this traveller enjoyed a relaxed, spontaneous ramble, living out of home-made saddlebags, enjoying the hospitality of local people and often sleeping rough. Best of all, her companion was that of her wildest childhood fantasies: an Arab stallion. Together horse and rider traversed the gorges and cornfields of the Orontes valley, where Roman water wheels still work alongside modern irrigation; lost themselves among the ridges and passes of the Alawi Mountain, whose various minority sects live happily together and whose ruined castles recall the times of the Crusades; briefly touched the Mediterranean shore, before crossing the western reaches of the Badiat ash-Sham, or Syrian Desert, on the way down to the Damascus Oasis. They trod where an Egyptian Pharaoh gave battle, supped with descendants of Biblical Assyrians and mediaeval Assassins, and visited the Jebel-ad-Din, or Mountain of Faith, where villagers still speak Aramaic, the language of Christ. While briefly informed by history, Islam and its offshoots, geography and - where absolutely unavoidable - politics, this delightful book is principally an account of the people of Syria - and of a gallant and memorable horse. Illustrated with maps and a fine selection of photographs. For more information about this book, please visit Barnes & Noble or Amazon.co.uk.
Caucasian Journey Negley Farson ISBN 1590480368	Negley Farson was the grandson of an American civil war general who rode with Sherman as they burned Georgia from Atlanta to the sea. Perhaps that is what gave the young man his life-long thirst for adventure? Farson flew with the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War, took part in the Russian revolution, was present at the arrest of Gandhi, and went on to become one of the most celebrated international journalists of his day. Yet one of Farson’s adventures stands alone, his equestrian exploration of the Western Caucasus mountains. The intrepid reporter saddled up in the spring of 1929, accompanied by an aging, eccentric Englishman who lived in Moscow. With no prior equestrian travel experience between them, the two would-be explorers were soon discovering the harsh realities of life on the road. They were lashed by hailstorms, threatened by skeptical Soviet commissars, denied shelter by suspicious natives, and spent night after night in rain-soaked misery. A personal chronicle of an already exciting life, “Caucasian Journey” tells how Farson also discovered the seldom-seen splendors of this mountainous region with its alpine snowfields painted gold by the sun, picturesque villages forgotten by the outer world, and magnificent horsemen who were practically born in the saddle. A thrilling account and a poetic remembrance, “Caucasian Journey” is an amply illustrated adventure classic. Go to Amazon.co.uk or Barnes & Noble for more details.

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