If the terrain is suitable, then riding a horse is the ultimate method of travel. Of course, in extreme desert conditions, or in very mountainous country, camels, donkeys or mules may be more appropriate. The chapters on travelling by pack animal and camel, in Part 3, describe these methods clearly and give a great deal of excellent practical advice that is equally applicable to horses and which should be read by anyone planning a long-distance ride. This is especially the case if the decision is to take a pack animal or animals, since the care of these is as important as that of the animal you are riding yourself.

But for me the prime purpose of riding is the freedom that it can give to experience fully the sounds, smells and sights of the landscape through which I am passing; to divert on the spur of the moment so as to meet local people or look closer at interesting things; to break the tedium of constant travel by a short gallop or a longer canter in the open air, surely the closest man or woman can come to flying without wings.

One way to achieve this freedom is to have a back-up vehicle carrying food for both horses and riders, spare clothes, kit and all the paraphernalia of modern life, such as film, paperwork and presents. Often it may not be necessary to meet up with the support team more than once or twice a week, since it is perfectly possible to carry in saddle-bags enough equipment to survive for a few days without overloading your horse. In this way an individual, couple or group can live simply, camping in the open or in farm buildings. If a rendezvous is pre-arranged, the worries of where to stop for the night, whether there will be grazing for the horses and what sort of accommodation and meal awaits at the end of a long day in the saddle are removed.

Fussing about this can easily spoil the whole enjoyment of the travel itself, and it is well worth considering carefully in advance whether sacrificing the ultimate vagabondage of depending solely on equestrian transport for the serenity of mechanical support is worth it. It does, however, involve a certain amount of expense, although this may be less in the long run than being at the mercy of whatever transport is available locally in an emergency, and most significantly, as with ballooning, it depends on having someone who is prepared to do the driving and make the arrangements.The alternative is to use time instead of money and resolutely to escape from a fixed itinerary and desire to cover a pre-determined distance each day. This is quite hard to do, since we all tend today to think in terms of programmes and time seems to be an increasingly scarce commodity.

Where to go

After half a lifetime spent on other types of exploratory travel through tropical rainforests and deserts, I came to long-distance riding more by accident than design. My wife and I needed some new horses for rounding up sheep and cattle on our farm on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, and we bought two young geldings in the Camargue, where the legendary white herds run free in the marshes. Riding them home across France we discovered that the footpaths are also bridle-paths and there is an excellent and well-marked network of sentiers de grande randonnée. Thanks to this, we were able to avoid most roads and instead ride across country. It was an idyllic and addictive experience during which we rode some 1,600 km in seven weeks. Leaving the horses to graze each night in grassy fields, for which we were never allowed to pay, we either camped beside them or stayed in remote country inns so far off the beaten track that the prices were as small as the meals were delicious. This was an unexpected bonus of riding: the need to arrange accommodation around a daily travelling distance of no more than 45 km or so - and that, in as straight a line as possible, took us to villages that did not appear on even quite detailed maps but where the culinary standards were as high as only the French will insist on everywhere.

Later, we were to ride 1,600 km along the Great Wall of China. There we had to buy and sell three different pairs of horses, and my suspicions were confirmed that horse dealers the world over tend to be rogues. We were luckier with our mounts on similar rides in New Zealand and Spain, but with horses nothing is certain and it is essential to be constantly on guard for the unexpected. However, this only serves to sharpen the senses and when something really wonderful happens, such as reaching a wide, sandy beach on the coast, riding the horses bareback out into huge breakers and teaching them to surf, then you know it has been worthwhile.

Practicalities

This piece is meant to be full of practical advice and information, but I am hesitant to give it where horses are concerned. People are divided into those who are 'horsey' and those who are not. The former know it all already and do not need my advice. The latter (and I include myself among them, in spite of having spent much of my life around horses) have to rely on common sense and observation. It is, on the whole, far better to fit in with local conditions than to try and impose one's ideas too rapidly. For example, we learned to appreciate the superb comfort of the Camargue saddles that we acquired for our ride across France and we took them with us on all our subsequent rides. But in both China and Spain, I found that mine did not suit the local horse I was riding and, to preserve its back, I had to change to a local model, which was much less comfortable for me but much better for the horse.

And it is the horses' backs that should be the most constant concern of all on long-distance rides. Once a saddle sore develops it is very difficult to get rid of and prevention is by far the best cure. To begin with, it is wise to use a horse whose back is already hardened to saddle use. Scrupulous grooming and regular inspection of all areas where saddle or saddle-bags touch the horse is essential. Washing helps, if water is available, and a sweaty back should be allowed to dry as often as possible, even if it does mean unsaddling during a fairly brief stop when one would rather be having a drink and a rest oneself. A clean, dry saddle-cloth is essential (felt, cotton or wool), so find out what the horse is used to.

There are many local cures for incipient sores. I have found surgical spirit good, though it will sting if the skin is at all sore or sensitive. Three tablespoons of salt to half a litre of water will help harden the skin if swabbed on in the evening, but complete rest is the best treatment. The same goes for girth galls, although these should be avoided if the girths are tightened level and a hand run downwards over the skin to smooth out any wrinkles. A sheepskin girth cover is a good idea too, as it prevents pinching. If it is absolutely essential to ride a horse with a saddle sore, the only way to prevent it getting worse is to put an old felt numnah under the saddle with a piece cut out so as to avoid pressure on the affected part.

It is also vital to keep checking the feet, ideally every time you rest and dismount. Stones lodge easily between the frog and the shoe and soon cause trouble if not removed. Small cuts and grazes can be spotted and treated with ointment or antiseptic spray at the same time and a hand passed quickly up and down each leg can give early warning of heat or other incipient problems. Once again the best general cure is usually to take the pressure off horse and rider by resting, if necessary for a day or two.

While putting on a new set of shoes is a skilled business that should not be attempted by the amateur, it is invaluable to have enough basic knowledge of shoeing to be able to remove a loose shoe or tighten it by replacing missing nails from a supply of new ones, which should always be carried in the saddle-bag. I have had to do this with a Swiss Army knife and a rock, but it is much better to carry a pair of fencing pliers since these are essential in an emergency if your horse should get caught up in wire.

Your own footwear is also important on a long ride, since it is often necessary to walk leading your horse almost as much as you ride. Riding boots that protect your calves from rubbing on the saddle are useful, especially at the start and if you are using an English or cavalry saddle, but you must be able to walk in them. With a Western type of saddle and once your legs have settled down, it is better to wear comfortable walking shoes or trainers. Leather chaps, which can be found at most country shows, are also invaluable. The protection they give to legs both against rubbing and from passing through bushes easily outweighs the heat and sweat they may generate in a hot climate.

Choosing your horse

As Christina Dodwell says in A Traveller on Horseback, a valuable horse is more likely to be stolen and what you need is 'a good travelling horse'. Tschiffely, on the most famous of all long distance rides, from Buenos Aires to Washington in the 1920s, had two Argentinian ponies, which were already 15 and 16 years old when he acquired them. He covered 16,000 km in two-and-a-half years, covering about 30 km a day on the days he rode, but making many long stops and side trips.

Tim Severin started out on his ride to Jerusalem on a huge Ardennes heavy horse, as used on the First Crusade. In spite of suffering from heat exhaustion, it reached Turkey before being replaced with a more suitable 13-hand local pony. The ideal horse for covering long distances in comfort is one possessing one of the various 'easy' inbred gaits, which lie between a walk and a trot. We were lucky enough to use 'amblers' in New Zealand. These had been bred to have a two-beat gait in which the legs on either side move together, giving an impression a bit like the wheels of a steam engine. Once we learned to relax into the unfamiliar rhythm and roll a little from side to side with the horse, we found it wonderfully comfortable and the miles passed effortlessly and fast. However, even then we seldom averaged more than seven kmph.

Unless you are setting out to break records or prove a point, the object of a long- distance ride should be the journey itself, not the high performance of your mount. The close relationship that develops between horse and rider is one of the bonuses of such a journey, and as long as your prime concern is your horse's welfare before your own you won't go far wrong.

On a horse it is uniquely possible to let an intelligent creature do most of the thinking and all of the work, leaving you free to enjoy and absorb your surroundings. Birds are not afraid to fly near and be observed; the sounds of the countryside are not drowned by the noise of a motor or the rasping of one's own breath; and if you are lucky enough to have a congenial companion, conversation can be carried on in a relaxed and pleasant way. Notes can even be taken en route without the need to stop or the danger of an accident, especially if you carry a small portable tape recorder. This helps greatly in taking down instant impressions for future inclusion in books and articles which are surely the chief justification of pure travel. Photographic equipment can be readily to hand in saddle-bags, and much more can be carried.

Above all, those you meet along the way, whether they be fellow travellers, farmers or remote tribes people, are inclined to like you and respond to your needs.