England on Horseback – Foreword by Jeremy Irons

Jeremy Irons has written the foreword to the new book England on Horseback:

And excerpt from Jeremy’s foreword:

‘Make your way into the open air… watch as the shadows of the clouds move across the face of our Earth. And just maybe, peace might creep into your soul. Best of all, if you can, get out on horseback. Being at one with an animal can be the beginning of being at one with all things.’

Description of the book:

Travelling through England, and doing it on horseback, is to rediscover both the romance of the countryside and man’s relationship with both his environment and his horse. With twelve carefully crafted rides to choose from, from Dorset in the south west to Yorkshire in the north east, this specially photographed book will transport you back to a time before cars and tarmac roads, when life was simpler and slower. Escape down tracks that are carefully catalogued in the Domesday book, or past Thomas Hardy’s cottage and great stately houses, through Cotswolds villages and along beaches. Each ride contains a comprehensive map detailed the route and telling you how long it will take, places to stay (that welcome horses), essential kit to take with you and places of interest to visit along the way. In short, an inspirational guide book for the enterprising (or armchair) traveller.

Authors Zara Colchester and Charlotte Sainsbury-Plaice met when Zara tried to buy one of Charlotte’s horses. In the end Charlotte couldn’t bear to part with it and Zara’s long journey across country looked like a dead end. Instead, the two became great friends and in 2002 they set up Stately Rides (www.statelyrides.co.uk) bespoke holidays on romantic rides staying in private homes. Charles Sainsbury-Plaice is one of the world’s leading equine and equestrian photographers, booked regularly by Country Life, Horse & Hound and The Field.