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What is The Long Riders' Guild? |
Recent events have impelled The Guild to issue a new definition of “What is the Long Riders’ Guild and how does one become a Member?”
After an extraordinary international effort, we are happy to report that every major equestrian explorer alive today belongs to The Guild, that more than fifty of these extraordinary equestrian explorers are also Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society and that The Guild website, at two-thousand plus pages, and still growing, and having now been visited by more than a million people world-wide, is the repository of the largest collection of equestrian travel information in human history.
Additionally The Guild's publishing arm, Horse Travel Books, ( www.horsetravelbooks.com ) publishes more than a hundred equestrian travel titles in eight languages, making it the world’s premier source of equestrian exploration wisdom. The Guild has now launched a new project entitled The Long Riders' Guild Academic Foundation, ( www.lrgaf.org ) whose mission is to provide an academic forum where every type of horse related knowledge is being investigated and published.
Sadly, these positive results have also encouraged the rise of unscrupulous behaviour by unethical individuals eager to exploit the allure of the horse, the confidence of the press and the trust of locals.
We are sorry to report that The Long Riders' Guild has recently been involved in a series of calculated incidents wherein people contacted us for advice, urged us to share our list of international equestrian contacts and hard won wisdom, then misused The Guild's trust by failing to acknowledge this support. Others have plundered The Guild’s website for information, contacted our Members for support without our knowledge and then announced unrealistic travel plans to reporters too naïve to question the basic tenets of the proposed fantasy journey. Some have falsified their travel records, broken the law, retained money donated to charities and abused or killed their horses. In a further effort to enrich themselves at the expense of the international equestrian travel community, many of the same people have gone on to write inaccurate books.
It is The Guild’s job to reassure the public that they can trust the word of a Long Rider, those brave equestrian Argonauts who take to the saddle to make a genuine life-changing equestrian journey.
That is why none of the people described above are admitted into The Guild as Members. This also explains why we tell the press, “if they’re not in The Guild, there’s a reason.”
Because of the increase of inappropriate actions, the senior Long Riders have agreed that whereas we will continue to offer as much assistance as possible to any would-be equestrian traveller, the organization has a collective right to ask these people to adhere to certain principles of ethical equestrian behaviour.
We will not tolerate the presence of a person who incorporates a horse into a deceptive, unethical or criminal act. In this way we hope to continue our academic mission by encouraging others to make exciting equestrian journeys, all the while reassuring the public and the press that being a Member of The Long Riders’ Guild remains an honour worthy of the hardship and danger involved in obtaining it.
What is The Long Riders' Guild and how does one become a Member?
The Long Riders' Guild is the world's first international association of equestrian explorers, and is an invitation-only organisation. It was formed in 1994 to represent men and women of all nations who have ridden more than 1,000 continuous miles on a single equestrian journey. Members currently reside in 39 countries. These Long Riders have collectively written more than a hundred books on equestrian travel and ridden on every continent except Antarctica. Thus the history, stories, legends, and knowledge stored on this website represent the largest repository of equestrian travel information assembled in human history!
Yet historically there has been no equestrian point of reference for such men and women. The nomads who once trod the earth scoffed at book learning and pyramid building. Consequently that staple of world knowledge, the accumulated equestrian travel experience of countless generations, now teeters on the edge of oblivion. During the darkest days of the 1950s fewer than a dozen people undertook an equestrian journey anywhere in the world.
In the later portion of the 20th century our numbers increased dramatically. However though more of us journeyed on horseback none of us were joined, none of us knew our tribe's history, or even the names of those champions who had ridden before our meek individual efforts. Names of legendary Long Riders like Peshkov and Tschiffely were swept aside by an age addicted to electricity and obsessed with speed. Those of us left rode lost and alone in a wilderness of ignorance.
Thus the Long Riders' Guild was formed to put an end to the manners and methods of the last century. Its goal is to search together for collective freedom and individual wisdom. Our organization seeks to ensure that our lost inheritance of equestrian travel knowledge will be available for future generations to claim and enjoy.
Because the records of mankind are imperfect and the memory of humanity unstable, this century we ride in a new direction, searching not only for adventure but also knowledge.
The Long Riders' Guild marks the first time in modern equestrian history that like-minded men and women are combining efforts to preserve a hitherto unmarked heritage and provide an international forum to discuss our mutual love of horses and travel.
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In the midst of space-age, high speed technology, a band of humans has slowed down the earth and sky sweeping past them by seeing the world from the back of a horse. They are called Long Riders. To learn more about a recent international meeting of some of these ardent equestrian travelers, adventurers, passionate explorers, and their documented journeys, click here. |
If we do not share one language, one disposition, one set of physical or financial conditions, or even the love of one breed of horse, our diversity accentuates not only our differences but the need for international equestrian unity.
Therefore though The Long Riders' Guild is by its very definition many things to many people it holds the following laws of equestrian exploration and long distance travel to be inviolate.
As Long Riders we categorically believe equestrian travel has no frontiers, political or otherwise. It is the heritage of every nation. Though we individually originate in every imaginable country, we as a group represent no specific nation. We will not be simplified by categories into sex, creed, allegiance to one horse breed, or lines drawn on a map. We are comrades of the saddle whose agreed upon international language is "horse." We believe the only valid definition of a Long Rider should be courage in the face of danger, resolve in the presence of hardship, and continual compassion for our horses.
Further, we acknowledge the inherent bodily perils involved in equestrian travel to both horse and rider. Yet we in no way condone or sponsor any expedition that knowingly subjects its mounts to needless suffering. The Long Riders' Guild has no obsession with mileage. Though our members have set an assortment of world records during the course of their equestrian travels, we do not encourage a needless quest for kilometers, nor the lightning flash crossing of continents. We encourage our members instead to undertake a life-changing equestrian journey that explores not only the unknown portions of the world, but their own souls as well. Indeed, being a Long Rider is more than just a matter of miles. It is a question of honour, dignity and behaviour.
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"Interdit aux Nomades"
("Nomads are Forbidden"). This recent photograph, taken in
France by Founding Member Gérard Barr Click on picture to enlarge. |
Knowing that our collective equestrian past nearly disappeared through neglect, we are determined to record those deeds of saddle-borne bravery and mounted daring which mark the passing of Long Riders throughout world history. An attention to the deeds of all equestrian travelers, though they be widely different in time, race, language, surroundings, and history, is now under way. We are resolved thereby to provide a clear and accurate historical record of all equestrian travel accomplishments. Any claims to having been "the first" or "the longest" on horseback will henceforth be rigorously investigated, and verified, by a panel of qualified Equestrian Tribal Elders.
Thus The Long Riders' Guild only recognizes these all important qualifications for membership for would-be Long Riders:
- a continuous ride of at least 1,000 miles.
- a determination to put the horse’s welfare above their own
- acknowledgement of the assistance of The Long Riders' Guild and a copy of the LRG logo on their website
- a willingness to describe themselves as Long Riders on their website and to the press
- at the conclusion of their journey, a readiness to share their individual experiences with would-be Long Riders
- It is The Guild’s job to reassure the public that they can trust the word of a Long Rider. Therefore, if the ride is for a charity, then the funds should be accounted for at the conclusion of the journey.
- The election of a new member to The Long Riders' Guild is conditional upon there being no legitimate objections from any current members.
No member shall make any commitment on behalf of The Long Riders' Guild without prior permission, nor use the trademarked term "The Long Riders" except as a description of him or herself. No member shall bind or oblige The Long Riders' Guild or any of its members to any matters outside the affairs of The Long Riders' Guild.
If it is discovered that any member has acted in any manner inconsistent with the good faith observable between members, or is found guilty of any conduct which injures the good name of The Long Riders' Guild, or threatens to bring about the dissolution of The Long Riders' Guild, or has falsified his or her equestrian achievements, is discovered to have intentionally neglected or injured his or her horse(s), or is not willing to help other equestrian travelers by sharing information, The Long Riders' Guild reserves the right to expel that person from The Guild.
If The Long Riders' Guild offers help and assistance to a prospective equestrian traveller, and that help is declined, The Guild is not obliged to invite that person to become a Member, even after he or she has made a journey of more than a thousand miles.
The Long Riders' Guild reserves the right to refuse admission to any person without giving a reason.
Those people who have undertaken equestrian journeys as either publicity stunts, or thinly disguised business trips, riding their horses merely to enrich themselves at the expense of their mounts will not be invited to join The Guild. If the senior Members of the LRG subsequently discover that an existing Member has broken any of the above rules, that Member will be removed immediately from The Guild.
However exclusion is not what The Long Riders' Guild is about. It exists to further equestrian exploration and travel worldwide. There must also be a place for people who are passionate about equestrian travel but for reasons of economy, responsibility, age, or geographical restrictions are unable to ride the mandatory 1,000 miles. For these special exceptions we offer the distinction of being an Associate Member. These cases will be decided individually based on an applicant's equestrian history.
Since its inception The Long Riders' Guild has pioneered the study of equestrian travel research and methodology. Using a world wide network of historical and equestrian contacts, The Long Rider's Guild has documented hundreds of equestrian trips, gathered vital information on more than 500 Long Riders, and confirmed more than a million documented miles traveled in the saddle.
There are currently nine Senior Long Riders, residing on six continents, who serve as the "Tribal Elders" of The Guild.
In addition, The Long Rider's Guild Press has gathered the largest collection of equestrian travel literature in the world, including more than 200 titles in various languages. Many of these titles are now for sale to the public through horsetravelbooks.com.
In closing, we invite other voices to join us happily and proudly as we work collectively to preserve an ancient global equestrian inheritance for future generations.
If you, or anyone you know, qualifies as a Long Rider, please contact us
The Long Riders' Guild -
On the road .... again and again .... always!