Inspiration Everywhere - Why We Want To Go

We've backpacked and overlanded and trekked and cruised. Every trip has been wonderful, but it's left us with a hunger for true exploration. We'd been looking for a way to break out into true expeditionary travel but the idea for the Kyrgyz horse expedition didn't really crystallise for a long time

Our first inspiration was the 4 weeks we'd already spent trekking around in 2008. Every horse we rode was special and the goodbyes were hard. They were reliable, trustworthy, strong animals and we longed to bond with them the way the Kyrgyz did with their own horses. The air was fresh and sweet and scented with mountain herbs and every step seemed to uncover new and beautiful wildflowers. The landscapes either soared or stretched into infinity. Nothing was ordinary. It all felt remote, peaceful and so far removed from the crushing complexities of modern city living.

It wasn't until I stumbled across the world's best website for long distance horse travel that I considered a long, unguided ride might be possible in this region however. The Long Rider's Guild contains more inspiration than anyone should reasonably need to get motivated, prepared and enthusiastic. You'll find a website loaded with useful information and the stories of long riders who've risked all and mostly been richly rewarded on their incredible journeys. If you're thinking about a ride of your own, it's an absolute must-read. Not only that, but the guild's webmasters have been terrifically helpful and receptive. With the important proviso that you abide by the guild's very reasonable expectations not to injure or endanger animals unnecessarily, you could even become a member yourself, if you ride more than 1000 miles on horseback.

The clincher was reading the journals of our fellow Australian Tim Cope – a seasoned adventurer / explorer who rode 10,000 miles from Mongolia to Hungary. I won't go into the details of his extraordinary achievement, you should read for yourself on his website.