A. F. Tschiffely (1895-1954)

Full name Aime Felix Tschiffely. Born in Switzerland in 1895, but also lived in England and Argentina.

Most famous for his epic 10000 mile long distance ride from Buenos Aires to New York with his two horses Mancho and Gato. The ride was to take three years and the three travellers encountered many perils along the way. Later Tschiffely was to settle down from his adventures in England for a while and become a writer, most famously writing about his long ride in Tschiffely's Ride. This story he also adapted for children in The Tale of Two Horses, fictionalising it and narrating it from the horse's viewpoint. He also wrote a book about riding the bridle paths of the slightly less dangerous English Countryside! I have included all 3 books below, although two are straight non-fiction.

Ever the adventurer, he then travelled back to South America many times, writing about his adventures there. He died in 1954 whilst undergoing a minor operation.

Much more information can be found on the author on his official website.

Pony Books:

TSCHIFFELY'S RIDE (Non-fiction)
(HEINEMANN [UK] 1933)
First published in the UK
Published in America in 1933 by Simon & Schuster.
Reprinted many times both in the UK and the USA, in hardback and paperback.
Reprinted in ppaperback by Pallas Athene in 2002.
Also a paperback edition published by Long Riders Press Guild which can be ordered print on demand (see collectors info section for more)
There are also Spanish and German language editions
SUMMARY: The real life story of the author's amazing 10000 mile ride. Although not fiction I have included it here as it is the basis for the pony story A Tale of Two Horses below.

A TALE OF TWO HORSES
(HEINEMANN [UK] 1934)
First published in the UK
Published in America  in 1935 by The Junior Literary Guild/Simon & Schuster
Reprinted a number of times in hardback in the UK and USA
It was revised in 1949 when it was published by Hodder and Stoughton and illustrated by Caney, the illustrations making it one of the most popular editions for collectors.
There was a paperback edition published by the Long Riders Guild Press and this is available by 'print on demand.'
SUMMARY: Pony point of view tale based on the author's real life experiences. Mancho and Gato, two wild Criollo horses are captured and tamed by a man who takes them on an amazing and sometimes terrifying long distance ride through South America to New York. Through all their trials, the man and the two horses become very close and learn to trust each other.

BRIDLE PATHS (Non-fiction)
(HEINEMANN [UK] 1936)
Reprinted in hardback
Paperback edition published by Long Riders Guild Press.
SUMMARY: The account of the author's journey around the bridle paths of England on a mare called Violet.
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Collector's Info:
Tschiffely's Ride is rarer than the children's version, A Tale of Two Horses. However it can be found without too much trouble in the UK and USA. A bit harder elsewhere.
A Tale of Two Horses, although not an extremely common title, is quite easy to find on the internet. Copies without jackets are fairly low cost.
Bridle Paths is also fairly easy to find in the UK, though harder in the USA and Australia.
The Long Riders Guild paperback editions of the books can also be ordered and printed on demand from Amazon.