Bridle Paths: Europe's Most Famous Equestrian Explorer Rides Through England

by Aimé Tschiffely

What does the world's most famous equestrian explorer do when he comes home to England after making a 10,000 mile ride from Argentina to Washington, DC? He writes a best-selling book about his adventures, "Tschiffely's Ride", then sets off on a new horse to explore rural 1930s Britain. Through the ancient New Forest, over the lonely mountains of Wales, and across the rugged landscape of Scotland, the renowned author investigated the nooks and crannies of this island kingdom. Mounted on his gentle Cob mare, Violet, Tschiffely details the last roving adventure of its kind. "Bridle Paths" is a final poetic look at a now-vanished Britain, as it was before the advent of suburbia changed it forever. This superb book is amply illustrated with Tschiffely's own pencil drawings. As a bonus, it includes a special appendix listing the equipment used by the mounted traveler, as well as detailed sketches of the method he used to pack his horse. No equestrian travel collection is complete without this classic tale.

Genres: Travel

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Aimé Félix Tschiffely was a Swiss-born, Argentine professor, writer, and adventurer. He wrote a number of books, most famously Tschiffely's Ride (1933) in which he recounts his solo journey on horseback from Argentina to Washington DC, an epic adventure that still marks one of the greatest horse rides of all time. Tschiffely was a household name in the United States during the 1930s, meeting with President Calvin Coolidge and appearing in National Geographic Magazine and earning a lucrative living from his popular book sales.

http://www.aimetschiffely.org/

Reviews

[Dark-Draco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, how things have changed! I would love to do something like this, just get on my horse and wander all over the country, visiting what and who I like. But the England that is explored in this book is long gone!

The author acyually rides through the area where I stable my own horse - he rides from Worcester to Leominster, via Knightwick - a village within hacking distant of my yard. He would be horrified to try and ride it now - the busy A road that carves through the Worcestershire and Herefordshire countryside is no longer safe for us equestrians to ride along :(.

There is also a really sweet bit where he rides through the middle of Oxford - again, not something that could be attempted now, without road closures, health and safety, and nerves of steel

I did enjoy reading this short book, but I would of liked to read more about his horse. She if is only mentioned in passing here and there, which is a shame.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in a pile about to be binned! Old fashioned but a classic horse book. A really good view of Britain in the 1940s Recently a doctor and his friend copied this idea on the 'horse and country' channel. It wasn't a patch on this book and I was most miffed that they gave no credit to Tschiffely.