“Medicus” was the pen name adopted by Daniel Denison Slade, an American physician, born in Boston, Massachusetts, 10 May, 1823. After graduating from Harvard in 1844, Slade went abroad for the purpose of higher studies, and on his return in 1852 he settled in practice in Boston.

During the civil war he was appointed one of the inspectors of hospitals under the United States sanitary commission. 

Despite his medical success, Dr. Slade gradually relinquished his medical profession in favor of literary and horticultural pursuits, and in 1870 was chosen professor of applied zoology in Harvard, which chair he held for twelve years.  

In 1884 he was appointed assistant in the Museum of comparative zoology and lecturer on comparative osteology in Harvard.  

Though he is best remembered for his prize winning medical books, Slade also wrote this rare account of equestrian travel. Like his fellow New Englander, Captain John Codman, Dr. Slade was an advocate of the physical benefits of what was then termed equestrianopathy. “No exercise can compare with that of horseback riding,” he wrote. 

His short booklet, “Twelve Days in the Saddle,” recalls how in 1883 Slade and his daughters rode through primeval forests, alongside rushing rivers and ventured into the still unspoiled valleys of Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts. Yet in addition to this lovely story, Slade was wise enough to provide would-be equestrian travellers with a list of tips on how to make a successful journey. The “Maxims” provided by the good doctor still hold true today.

An English immigrant, J. Smeaton Chase (1864-1923) came to California in 1890 where he pursued a career as one of the state’s earliest social workers. Yet he never allowed his career to interfere with the life-long pursuit of his twin passions, equestrian travel and botany. Though Chase made many various horse trips throughout the American West, his book California Coast Trails describes his most famous journey, from Mexico to Oregon along the coast of California in 1910. The amateur scientist doesn’t merely ride along, he treats us to a treasure trove of observations, commenting on subjects as diverse as the architecture of the Spanish Missions, the hospitality of the people, and the beauties of a fabled countryside in the last days of its pristine natural glory. While Chase regales the reader with adventures, such as rescuing his horse from quicksand, the book is far more than a mere account of an equestrian exploration.

Then in 1916 Chase mounted up and rode into the Mojave Desert to undertake the longest equestrian study of its kind in modern history. The book of this journey, California Desert Trails, is one man’s love affair with the Mojave Desert.

“There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do,” she wrote, before setting out to ride alone across the Turkish plateaux to the distant Tigris River. Along the way she journeyed from Lake Van through desolate mountains, during which time she encountered Turkish governors, mad men, villagers and policemen, all of whom were baffled at her unhurried manner of travel. Never a quitter, the woman known as the “poet of travel,” climbed the notorious Annapurna mountain at the age of 86 and lived to be a hundred.

Edward Percy Stebbing - Like many of his English generation, Edward Stebbing was deeply involved, and affected, by the First World War. Though he inspected the Serbian front, his most important war time experience occurred in Russia, which he visited in 1917 between the fall of the Czar and the rise of the Bolsheviks. A keen political observer, Stebbing correctly prophesized that Germany viewed Russia as a potential bread basket and that it was in England’s best interests to protect her ally. “The object is to save the Russians from the Germans, for if we fail now the war will have to be fought out again in the future,” Stebbing wrote. His warning proved to be all too true, as Hitler later invaded Russia so as to seize its vast resources.

Stebbing was no mere political columnist. He spent many years living in India, where he served in Forestry Service. Once again his observational skills were employed, this time to write a book about the insect life of the Indian subcontinent. Upon returning to Great Britain, he became a professor at the University of Edinburgh. During his forty-year career, he led one of the earliest efforts to study the danger of desertification presented by the encroaching Sahara.

Yet it was thanks to Stebbing’s organization and participation in the largest mass equestrian journey in English history which led to him being named as a Historical Long Rider.

While doing research for The Guild’s Horse Travel Handbook, the Guild recovered a rare book entitled Cross Country Riding. Written by Stebbing in 1938, there are less than half a dozen copies of the book now in existence. In addition to sharing the wisdom gained from years of riding in both India and England, the author made the startling announcement that he had been inspired to write his book because of the immense success of “The Long Distance Ride.” A diligent hunt through a great many archives finally located a copy of Stebbing’s article  wherein he described how hundreds of equestrians rode from all points of England so as to gather in a grand ceremony in southern Britain.

Dated August, 1937, the story described how a host of British horse riders set out from eight starting points, bound for a central meeting place at Eastbourne. Not only were the editors of the sponsoring magazine surprised that more than twice as many people as expected decided to ride across Southern England, they also reported that one contestant came from as far away as Norway. Nor was an age a factor, as the oldest rider was 76 and the youngest only 11 years old.

John Mcdouall Stuart was one of the most important explorers and equestrian travellers in Australian history. A Scotsman with a military background, he arrived in Australia in 1839. After having explored around Port Lincoln and the Flinders Range in the 1840s and 50s, Stuart led his first expedition into Central Australia in search of legendary inland sea called Windjulpin. Stuart departed on horseback in 1858, accompanied by an Aboriginal guide and a man named George Foster. The hardy travellers made their way into barren country, relying on Stuart’s compass and navigational skills to keep them alive. At one point hostile Warramnuga Aboriginals attacked their horses with boomerangs and set fire to the grass around their camp. Though they only carried rations for four weeks, Stuart and his men rode for more than two months, covering more than 2,000 kilometres before finally being forced to turn back. Still undaunted, Stuart returned to the saddle in 1860 by riding to the centre of the Australian continent. He followed that with an expedition in 1862 when he reached the northern coast of the continent. However, the toil taken by the difficult and dangerous journeys undermined his health. He retired to his sister’s home in London and died in 1866.