Few places on Earth were more dangerous in 1983 than Peshawar, Pakistan. With a savage war being waged a few miles away between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen, Peshawar had become the new Casablanca. When she wasn't being bombed, her narrow streets hosted a swirling human cocktail of turbaned freedom fighters, tight-lipped foreign mercenaries, naïve foreign aid workers, cruel Pathan warlords, and more spies than ever lurked in Berlin. Riding through this fiery forge was CuChullaine O'Reilly. The journalist who turned equestrian explorer was already familiar with Peshawar and the surrounding lawless portions of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. A convert to Islam, the wandering horseman was unfazed by religious obstacles, fluent in the patois of the tribesmen, and able to partake of any local offering from luke warm goat fat to sullied ditch water. Setting off from Peshawar, O'Reilly began an equestrian odyssey into a mediaeval portion of the world devoid of mercy and machinery. His mission was to ride over some of the world's highest mountain ranges, thread his way through untamed tribes, and miraculously get back to war-torn Peshawar. Yet the adventure he sought demanded a high price. His horse died and was eaten by eager natives. He was kidnapped, tortured, imprisoned in Pakistan's most infamous prison, and met murderers, bandits, whores, and princes. Yet despite these setbacks, O'Reilly never lost hope that he would complete his mounted exploration of the remote and dangerous heart of Asia. Lavishly illustrated with dozens of drawings and maps, the resulting book was compiled from the field notes, maps and diaries the author brought back from his travels. It includes an in-depth glossary of native words, and the largest collection of ethnological, historical, political, sexual, and religious information ever gathered about life in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. "Khyber Knights" is thus a rare talisman against a world grown soft and predictable. Its pages burn with a bawdy portrayal of the darkest secrets of this cruel and beautiful region. It is a tissue of mishaps and romantic adventures, poetic passages and natural beauties, set to the echoing of horses' hooves. Told with grit and realism by one of the world's foremost equestrian explorers, "Khyber Knights" has been penned the way lives are lived, not how books are written. It makes every effort to rip the reader's nerves to rags with its ruthless devotion to the unvarnished truth about life in the North West Frontier. You do not read "Khyber Knights". You survive it!

Khyber Knights: An Account of Perilous Adventure and Forbidden Romance in the Depths of Mystic Asia

Literature & Fiction

O'Reilly, CuChullaine

Contemporary

Long Riders' Guild Press

There is widespread belief in a warm and comforting story which states the horse is a gentle herbivore. What if a Rosetta Stone had been found to unlock the dark secrets of the horse's past? An international multi-million dollar industry serviced by horse whisperers, glossy magazines and popular culture preaches that horses are meek prey animals who fear predators. What if evidence demonstrated horses have slain lions, tigers, pumas, wolves, hyenas and humans? Contemporary writers have successfully airbrushed murderous and meat-eating horses out of literature. What if Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes and Steve McQueen provided artistic evidence to refute that claim? Thanks to global equestrian amnesia, the crucial role played by horses in recent history has been lost to mankind. What if testimony revealed meat-eating horses had been used to explore the Poles and photographs had been discovered of Tibet's blood-eating horses? Deadly Equines is a revolutionary departure from equestrian romance. It is a fact-filled analysis which reveals how humanity has known about meat-eating horses for at least four thousand years, during which time horses have consumed nearly two dozen different types of protein, including human flesh, and that these episodes have occurred on every continent, including Antarctica. Various sources of corroborating data, including legends, literature, cinema, news stories, scientific reports and eyewitness accounts are presented for the reader's investigation. None of these items had been hidden. They were ignored, misinterpreted or, in some cases, censored. The result is the first exploration of the horse's hidden history, an alternative equestrian world populated by forgotten facts, overlooked evidence and astonishing stories. Amply illustrated, and containing a map of occurrences, this study challenges the reader to develop a new understanding of the horse, one based upon reason, not fantasy.

Deadly Equines: The Shocking True Story of Meat-Eating and Murderous Horses

Science & Math

Biological Sciences

For thousands of years we have travelled on horseback but until now no one has shown us the way.The Horse Travel Handbook, a field guide drawn from its parent edition The Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration, is the most authoritative work of its kind and contains the hard-earned wisdom gained by hundreds of Long Riders during centuries of equestrian travel. The concise, easy-to-use volume covers every aspect needed to successfully complete a journey by horse, including how to organize the trip, plan a route, choose the proper equipment and purchase horses. Traditional challenges such as loading a pack saddle, avoiding dangerous animals, fording rivers and outwitting horse thieves are covered here along with ingenious solutions to modern dilemmas like crossing international borders, surviving vehicle traffic and negotiating with hostile bureaucrats. This handbook covers all aspects of equine welfare including feeding, watering, saddling and health care. Technical details such as daily travel distance, where to locate nightly shelter and ways to avoid cultural conflicts are among the hundreds of specific topics examined. Equestrian explorers have special linguistic needs. Vital words such as hay and farrier are not found in standard phrase-books. A special appendix contains the Equestionary that provides images of objects and situations most likely to be of use when language is a barrier. Created by the founder of the Long Riders' Guild after decades of travel and study, this comprehensive book is filled with the indispensable knowledge needed to resolve problems, overcome hardships and avoid dangers while travelling. Just as importantly, it empowers readers to turn their dream into a life-changing equestrian journey.

The Horse Travel Handbook

For thousands of years we have travelled on horseback but until now no one has shown us the way.
The three-volume Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration is the most extensive study of equestrian travel ever created.
Former generations of horse travellers took the basis of their equestrian knowledge for granted. For centuries they passed on wisdom in an oral tradition, never foreseeing the day when horses would be replaced as the primary mode of transportation.
The result was the loss of humanity's collective equestrian travel wisdom. A treasure trove representing more than 6,000 years of cumulative human-horse travel experience was lost in less than 100 years due to global apathy. Thus as the 20th century came to a conclusion mankind knew more about the surface of the moon than it did about the once vital topic of horse travel.
The Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration offers every conceivable type of advice about equestrian travel such as how to plan a route, how to choose a travelling companion, how to find a road horse, how to load a pack saddle, how many miles to travel per day, how to feed and shoe your horse, how to cross rivers, how to negotiate borders, how to survive in traffic, how to deter horse thieves, etc.
Enriched by nearly a thousand images, the books contain the wisdom of more than 400 Long Riders. The Bibliography includes knowledge gained from more than 200 titles dating back hundreds of years.
This volume consists of The Preparation, The Horses and The Equipment. It counsels travellers on how to overcome hostility aimed by critics, plan a route and choose a companion. Finances and insurance are examined. Extensive chapters teach travellers how to locate, inspect and purchase suitable horses. The role of the pack horse is documented. A special study of Long Rider horsemanship provides surprising historical revelations. Feeding, watering, grooming and shoeing are carefully explained. Other chapters examine riding saddles, pack saddles, personal equipment and the use of support vehicles.
Created after decades of study by CuChullaine O'Reilly, the Founder of the Long Riders' Guild, this comprehensive series of books is filled with the indispensable knowledge needed to resolve problems, overcome hardships and avoid dangers while travelling. Just as importantly, it empowers readers to turn their dream into a life-changing equestrian journey.

The Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration Volume 1 - A Study of the Geographic and Spiritual Equestrian Journey, based upon the philosophy of Harmonious Horsemanship

For thousands of years we have travelled on horseback but until now no one has shown us the way. The Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration is the most extensive study of equestrian travel ever created. The three-volume series offers every conceivable type of advice about equestrian travel such as how to plan a route, how to choose a travelling companion, how to find a road horse, how to load a pack saddle, how many miles to travel per day, how to feed and shoe your horse, how to cross rivers, how to negotiate borders, how to survive in traffic, how to deter horse thieves, etc. Enriched by nearly a thousand images, the books contain the wisdom of more than 400 Long Riders. The Bibliography includes knowledge gained from more than 200 titles dating back hundreds of years. Volume II consists of The Challenges. This volume contains the most comprehensive investigation of equestrian travel problems ever compiled. Geographic difficulties include mountains, deserts, rivers, jungles and quicksand. Riding in extreme heat and polar cold are examined. Solutions are provided for manmade perils such as bridge crossings and tunnels. Information is provided on how to safely transport horses by ship, plane, truck and trailer. Modern ordeals such as hostile bureaucrats and aggressive motorists are scrutinized. The decision to carry firearms is carefully considered. Problems involving cultural traditions and the hiring of guides are resolved. Traditional concerns, including dangerous animals, poisonous insects and equine medical emergencies are fully documented. Special chapters contain extensive examinations regarding sore backs, colic and how to deal with equine mortality while travelling. Created after decades of study by CuChullaine O'Reilly, the Founder of the Long Riders' Guild, the Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration is filled with the indispensable knowledge needed to resolve problems, overcome hardships and avoid dangers while travelling. The three volumes are not about one country or culture. They represent the collective wisdom of humanity's travel on horseback. They are books of marvels that include precious stories, valuable ideas, forgotten history and endangered practical knowledge.

The Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration Volume II - A Study of the Geographic and Spiritual Equestrian Journey, based upon the philosophy of Harmonious Horsemanship

Volume Three For thousands of years we have travelled on horseback but until now no one has shown us the way. The Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration is the most extensive study of equestrian travel ever created. The three-volume series offers every conceivable type of advice about equestrian travel such as how to plan a route, how to choose a travelling companion, how to find a road horse, how to load a pack saddle, how many miles to travel per day, how to feed and shoe your horse, how to cross rivers, how to negotiate borders, how to survive in traffic, how to deter horse thieves, etc. Enriched by nearly a thousand images, the books contain the wisdom of more than 400 Long Riders. The Bibliography includes knowledge gained from more than 200 titles dating back hundreds of years. Volume III consists of The Journey, The Aftermath and The Epilogue. Practical matters such as Life on the Road are explained and emotional conflicts such as Saying Goodbye to Your Horse are addressed. The Epilogue investigates issues that confront us all as human beings. It is also a guidebook to the inner way. The wise Long Rider knows he is setting off on two journeys, the external and the interior, that he will be required to travel along the parallel streams which run through every equestrian journey, the practical and the philosophical. Both require careful study. The Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration doesn't just tell you how. It reveals why. Created after decades of study by CuChullaine O'Reilly, the Founder of the Long Riders' Guild, the Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration is filled with the indispensable knowledge needed to resolve problems, overcome hardships and avoid dangers while travelling. Yet the books never read like a dictionary of dry facts. They are highly readable volumes filled with entertaining and inspiring stories, quotes and anecdotes. Just as importantly, they empower readers to turn their dream into a life-changing equestrian journey. Consisting of every scrap of wisdom found in ancient tomes, the lessons learned from countless miles and the practical knowledge garnered from generations of horse-humans, these books represent mankind's collective equestrian travel heritage. Their message transcends nationality and time.

The Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration Volume III: A study of the Geographic and Spiritual Equestrian Journey, based upon the philosophy of Harmonious Horsemanship

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