In 1925, Aimé Tschiffely, a Swiss teacher at St George's College in Argentina, set out to ride 10 000 miles alone from Buenos Aires to New York City. The tale of the hardships his two Criollo horses, Mancha and Gato, and himself suffered along the way, is described in his subsequent book, Tschiffely's Ride.

After reading this book, what would possess anybody to try and repeat that journey? Marianne du Toit tries to explain her motivation to embark on the same journey in her book, Crying with Cockroaches, in which she vividly describes her own adventures and hardship.
"Ignorance," she explains, "is bliss. Had I known how difficult this journey was going to be, I would never have attempted it. Thank God, I did not have a clue."
Marianne is a South African living in Ireland and she describes her journey on horseback over two continents, from Argentina to New York. The trip lasted 21 months and she arrived in New York in March of 2004.

"This trip," she continues, "was the most important thing I have ever undertaken. It showed me that I am capable of a lot. It show me that I could do so much more than what I had thought possible. It also showed me that nearly anything is possible …"

Order Crying with Cockroaches (Liendi Publishing, 2006) from Horsebooks Unlimited. It is a riveting read!

Phone 011 315 5333 or e-mail horsebooks@tiscali.co.za

Hierdie is 'n praktiese handleiding met die doel, soos Boeta Slabbert dit self stel: "… om die benadering van perde-afrigters te verander – die manier wat hulle dink, sodat hulle na 'n perd kan kyk uit 'n perd se oogpunt."
Boeta beklemtoon verder dat dissipline 'n inte­gra­le deel van sy benadering tot perdeafrigting is.

"… eerstens, sover dit die afrigter betref, naamlik om streng volgens die voorskrifte en beginsels van die metodes wat beskryf word, op te tree en nooit kortpaaie te vat om te probeer 'tyd spaar' nie; en tweedens dissipline vir die perd deur hom nooit toe te laat om weg te kom met enigiets nie, soos om te loop voordat hy die bevel van die afrigter ontvang het nie, sy pas te versnel uit sy eie besluit nie, ensovoorts, reg van die begin af."

As hy egter van dissipline praat, beklemtoon hy verder, moet dit nie met wrede vernielsugtige metodes verwar word nie, maar op voorkoming en regstelling van slegte gewoontes voordat dit begin.

Dit is sy wens, sê hy, om 'n bydrae te lewer om 'n positiewe verhouding tussen ruiter en perd te help ontwikkel. Daarom ook dat hy 'n netwerk geskep het waarby kopers van hierdie handleiding kan inskakel om voortdurend met hom en ander in die netwerk in gesprek te kan bly en sodoende kan bydra tot die ontwikkeling van almal se perdekennis.

Om die handleiding te bestel, kontak Boeta Slabbert by e-pos heslabbert@gmail.com of skakel 082 871 6492.