It’s amazing the places you can go and the things you can do when you’re a total horse nut.
This memoir by equestrian writer and endurance rider Merri Melde is an entertaining trot around the world – from the back of a horse.
She’s been everywhere, man, and lived the equestrian dream: riding and grooming racehorses in the US and in Ireland, galloping through the “Middle Earth” of New Zealand on a Lord of the Rings Horse, seen Egypt’s pyramids from the back of a mighty stallion, and much more.
Soul Deep is a collection of stories, of one woman’s travel through the horse world in its many, many facets. Her insider’s view with an outsider’s take on the world of Irish racing is brilliant. And the nerve-wracking fall of Zak the pack horse on a packing trip with the Forest Service is nothing short of petrifying.
Her journey continues into the world of endurance riding, and recounts her first win and other adventures in the sport, which will strike a chord with many.
As she says: “Endurance riding is the Great Equalizer. It makes all people Normal. In real life, you can be rich or poor, old or young, short or tall, snooty or timid, a CEO , the king of a country, or a poop-shoveler, but you’re all equal for one day when you’re riding on the back of a horse for fifty or a hundred miles.”
And “walking like a cripple after an endurance ride is rather like wearing a badge of honor. ‘Can’t walk, but I just rode a hundred miles‘!”
Merri may have hit the nail on the head when she says: “Try riding an endurance horse for therapy for physical and mental injuries. The more troubles, the sweeter the trail is.”
Already the author of several horse books, Merri’s latest work is an inspiring and entertaining ride through the horse world. We hope there is more to come.
You can order the book by clicking HERE.
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Merri Melde, a.k.a. The Equestrian Vagabond, is a horse photographer, writer, author, photojournalist, artist, horse packer, carriage driver, racetrack groom, spotted owl hooter, wildlife technician, Raven fanatic, trail builder, sound engineer, theatre techie, world traveler, owner of The Most Beautiful Horse On The Planet (Stormy), rabid obsessed endurance rider, and Tevis Cup finisher. But not all at the same time.
Merri has written for over a dozen magazines, and photographed for over two dozen magazines around the world, and traveled in over three dozen countries, sometimes seeking adventure and enlightenment, and often chasing horses. Visit www.TheEquestrianVagabond.com to contact Merri and see her published works.