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Historical Long Riders Discovered
Thanks to the extraordinary assistance from “Friends of The Guild” around the world, we are happy to announce the discovery of several more Historical Long Riders. Bjarke Rink, author of “The Centaur Legacy,” is fond of saying that history proves horses have repeatedly helped humans to individually improve themselves. The Historical Long Riders presented here are a vindication of The Guild’s belief in the inspiring influence of horses, as these equestrian journeys and personal accomplishments are a wondrous source of continued incentive.
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Daisy Bates was an Irish-Australian journalist, welfare worker and lifelong student of Australian Aboriginal culture. She migrated from Ireland to Australia in the 1880s. When an opportunity arose to start a cattle ranch in a distant part of the country, Daisy rode three thousand miles in her sidesaddle across the Outback. She spent the rest of her life championing the rights of the Aborigines, was the author of a book on the subject and was later awarded an OBE by the King of England for her charitable work. |
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Lady Elizabeth Craven was the youngest daughter of an English earl. A talented poet and playwright, she was married at seventeen to Lord Craven. The loveless marriage caused her to seek adventure. Separating from her husband in 1783, Lady Craven alternately rode sidesaddle, and made use of her coach, as she made a perilous journey across Europe. She visited Austria, Poland, Russia and Greece before making her way to the Ottoman court at Constantinople. In her later life she journeyed across France to Italy, under the personal protection of Napoleon, where she remained until her death in 1828. |
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Graham Greene was a 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 here to read an excerpt from The Lawless Roads entitled - The Long Ride! |
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Colonel Joseph McCracken rode 800 miles from Pennsylvania to Kentucky in 1963 at the age of 75. “There’s no better way to see the country,” he recalled. “The whole experience was a joy.” |
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In the mid-nineteenth century German-born
Heinrich Möllhausen made four extensive journeys across the
still unexplored frontier of North America. He made journeys with two
federal exploring parties and then accompanied a German prince onto
the prairies for a third time. In the fall of 1857 Möllhausen explored
the Colorado river and the Grand Canyon. When that portion of his
journey was completed, the German Long Rider set out to ride from
eastern Arizona to Fort Leavenworth via the Santa Fe trail. Upon his
return to Germany, Möllhausen wrote an account of this historic
journey. That story, translated for the first time into English, may
be viewed here:
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Hezekiah Prince was a respected builder and community leader in late 18th century Maine. In the winter of 1793 the young scholar made a remarkable journey across the newly formed United States, riding 1,200 miles from his home in Maine south to Virginia. During the course of this singular journey, Hezekiah met America’s first president, George Washington, who 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 here to read that diary. |
Click here to read about more incredible Long Riders of the past!