She Who Rides Horses: A Saga of the Ancient Steppe, Book One

By Sarah Barnes

Book Overview

Set more than 6,000 years ago, She Who Rides Horses: A Saga of the Ancient Steppe (Book One) begins the story of Naya, the first person ever to ride a horse. Daughter of a clan chief, bolder than the other girls but shunned by the boys because of her unusual appearance, Naya often wanders alone through the vast grasslands where her people herd domesticated cattle, sheep and goats, and hunt wild horses for their meat. But Naya dreams of creating a different kind of relationship with the magnificent creatures. One day, while out roaming by herself, she discovers a filly with a chestnut coat as uncommon as her own head of red hair. With time running out before she is called to assume the responsibilities of adulthood, Naya embarks on a quest to fulfill her vision of galloping with the filly across the boundless steppe. Unwittingly, she sets in motion forces and events that will change forever the future of humans and horses alike.

Based on extensive interdisciplinary research, She Who Rides Horses imagines an encounter between a girl and a horse that is both timeless and grounded in fact. First and foremost a story, filled with adventure, peril, love and betrayal, the saga of Naya and the red filly also portrays fundamental shifts that occurred when humans went from living as herders and hunter/gatherers, dependent on their own two feet, to becoming mounted nomads, capable of spreading their language, lifestyle and beliefs across a huge swath of Eurasia and beyond. The domestication of the horse altered the course of history, transforming power dynamics, impacting gender relations and accelerating the diffusion of new assumptions about the nature of the cosmos and the relationship between humans and the natural world that we are still living with today. This is how it may have all begun...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1736967339
• ISBN13: 9781736967331
• Release Date: March 2022
• Publisher: Heart Soul Horse Publications
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 to 21 years
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

She Who Rides Horses

She Who Rides Horses: A Saga of the Ancient Steppe is a good introduction to the new to me and talented author, Sarah V Barnes. I found this story to be an entertaining one. I thought it was an unique one and fun to see through the eyes of the first human to ever ride a horse during ancient times. It was a pleasure to be transported back in time by six thousand years and meet the strong willed daughter of a clan chief, Naya. I admired her bravery and determination. I found her character to be one that would be a good role model for present day young girls and woman. She proves to herself and others that it is okay to be different, have the ability to embrace yourself, follow your dreams, and do not give up. I thought it was wonderful book to read. I am giving She Who Rides Horses: A Saga of the Ancient Steppe four and a half stars. I recommend it for readers who are between the ages of thirteen and up and for fans of historical fiction. I am curious to see what the next book from A Saga of the Ancient Steppe will be like and to see Sarah V Barnes’ characters come to life again. I received a paperback copy of She Who Rides Horses: A Saga of the Ancient Steppe from the publisher but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.