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Founding Members of The Long Riders' Guild
"Over thousand of years, human beings and horses developed a profound relationship, one that has probably become embedded in our very genes. Our ancestors used horses for travel, for war, for peace, for trade, for work, and for play. But of all the uses humans have put horses to, the greatest and wisest has been for exploration and discovery. From Marco Polo to Coronado and beyond, horses were almost always part of the great human adventure of exploration and long distance travel.
In the twentieth century, however, we have seen a tremendous growth in arena events, rodeos, and breeding for the show ring. The timeless equestrian traditions of exploration, discovery, and long-distance travel have been neglected except by a few hardy individuals who continue to make horseback journeys covering thousands and even ten thousands of miles. They accomplished these astounding journeys not for publicity or money, but for the pure love of horses and adventure.
The Long Riders' Guild, founded by just such a group of long-distance riders, is the only organization dedicated to reviving and continuing this venerable tradition and its philosophy. The horse was not bred for the arena. The true rider and the true horse are created, not in the training ring, but in the mountains, deserts, and forests of our great world. When horse and rider journey thousands of miles together and must trust each other with their very lives – that is when true rapport begins. When horse and rider have to ask from each other more than they can give – that is when they reach a level of understanding and empathy that goes beyond words. Only through long-distance travel can horse and rider find the true measure of their courage and endurance. This is the essence of the horse tradition of our ancestors and one that The Long Riders' Guild has brought back from the brink of extinction.
Horses have shaped the destiny of our species, as we have shaped the destiny of theirs. I am immeasurably grateful to The Long Riders Guild for maintaining this oldest and greatest of horse traditions, and for doing it with such integrity and resolve."
Long Rider Douglas Preston
Author of Cities of Gold and Talking to the Ground
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Gérard Barré - created the world's first equestrian travel website and has ridden extensively through the Alps and the Jura in France. |
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Jean-Louis Gouraud - has published many previously "lost" equestrian travel accounts and rode from Paris to Moscow. Author of "Serko" and "Russie: des Chevaux, des Hommes et des Saints", and Editor of "Deux Chevaux pour un Cavalier". |
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Robin & Louella Hanbury-Tenison - contributed to the body of equestrian travel literature and made historically significant rides on several continents. Author of "White Horses over France", "A Ride along The Great Wall", "Spanish Pilgrimage", and "Fragile Eden". |
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Marshal Ralph Hooker - at 95 years old was the world's oldest equestrian traveler and made several record-breaking rides in the 1950s. Author of "Born out of Season" and "Guns and Badges". Now deceased. |
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Jeremy James - added to the body of equestrian travel literature and made two unique journeys in Eastern Europe. Author of "Saddletramp" and ""Vagabond" and "Debt of Honour - the story of the International League for the Protection of Horses." |
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Gordon Naysmith - made the only recorded ride in modern history from South Africa to Western Europe. Author of "The Will to Win." |
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Basha O'Reilly - attended the first meeting of The Long Riders' Guild, located and visited equestrian travelers throughout Europe, designed The Long Riders' Guild website and rode from Russia to England. Author of "Count Pompeii - Stallion of the Steppes". |
The Long Riders' Guild -
Connecting the world's equestrian travelers with the traditions of their past!