Tschiffely's Ride: Southern Cross to Pole Star

By Aimé Tschiffely

Book Overview

No one knew they were looking at a hero and his two horses. Instead the local press derided him as "a lunatic proposing to ride overland to New York." The time was 1925. The place, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Standing on the threshold of equestrian travel history was a young Swiss Long Rider named Aim Tschiffely. Next to him were his two faithful Criollo horses, Mancha and Gato. Their collective goal was to ride more than ten thousand miles from Buenos Aires to New York. No one had ever attempted such a journey. Everyone thought Tschiffely was mad. Looking back on what would become the most famous equestrian journey of the modern age, it is difficult to believe that anyone doubted the abilities of the legendary Long Rider and his hardy horses. Yet the school teacher who became an equestrian explorer had been told he was too inexperienced, his horses too old, and the journey too difficult. What Aim Tschiffely was told was wrong. This is the story of the greatest equestrian epic of the twentieth century, a journey that came about because a man and his horses refused to quit - ever During the course of their travels Tschiffely, Mancha and Gato crossed deadly deserts, passed through jungles, traversed sky-high mountain passes - and rode on. They were assailed by vampire bats, mistaken for gods and navigated the Panama Canal - but rode on. Nothing stopped them. No one since has rivalled their accomplishments. Often imitated but never outdone, this timeless book remains the most beloved equestrian travel classic of all time. So saddle up for the ride of a lifetime. But beware: the story of Tschiffely's Ride has inspired five generations to take to the saddle in search of mounted adventure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590480112
• ISBN13: 9781590480113
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Long Riders' Guild Press
• Length: 564 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.0" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Tschifelly's Ride

This is a fantastic story. I read it when I was a kid, and still love it. It's a good read for an adventure traveller.

Tale of Two Horses

This is by far the greatest horseback travel ride ever accomplished. You can't put this book down from cover to cover. If you like this title you're sure to like the sequel "A Tale of Two Horses", the same ride but told by the horses themselves "Mancha & Gato"!

The most amazing story ever told...

well okay maybe not but I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Despite, or maybe because of, the simple matter-of-fact writing style this tale of an amazing, yet true, journey held my interest and I enjoyed every page. The book is basically a diary of Tschiffely's ride from inception to end, he writes simply of the trails taken, the hardships and joys and the people he met along the way. This is a tale of a bygone era when great adventures were undertaken without enormous budgets or near hysterical live reportage. Pages describe what must have been terrifying events with endearing understatement and the sort of modesty that most modern day heros cannot muster. Not only does this book put you into a different time and place but it encourages you to consider the possibilities within yourself.

FROM A TIME LONG PAST

FROM BUENOS AIRES TO WASHINGTON DC IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS ON HORSEBACK. A.F. TSCHIFFELY RODE TEN THOUSAND MILES FROM THE SOUTHERN CROSS TO THE POLAR STAR AROUND 1930. HE MORE THAN LIKELY WAS THE ONLY MAN EVER TO DO THIS AT ANY TIME; CERTAINLY TO WRITE ABOUT IT. REMOTE CITIES AND SEAPORTS, BACK TO THE PAST AND ON LONELY TRAILS DID THE MAN TRAVEL. TOUCHING FROM TIME TO TIME ON HARDSHIP, SOLVING PROBLEMS, CONFRONTING THE CURIOUS, HE AND HIS TWO HORSES HAD A GREAT ADVENTURE.

Very exciting adventure

It's a bold undertaking by a man who learned to live very closely with two horses. The horses were the resource that enabled him to succeed in this adventure of 10,000 miles from Buenos Aires to Washington DC. It's a page-turner!