In this one-year journal, a skilled horsewoman and adventurer takes her horse, Barranca, on a fleeting journey across the country—from the borderland of Arizona to the Berkshires of Massachusetts. When offered a glimpse into her world—which is deeply connected with the earth and its seasons, beauty, and sometimes even danger—the love between horse and rider is evident as the two traverse the country, whether stopping to pick apples right from the saddle or entering into the Cochise Stronghold. Full of emotion and visceral movement, in which forested hills and wide open grasslands become the trail of newfound experience, this personal account presents the horse as an intimate companion, mediator between soul and nature, and offers soul seekers a connection to their truer, more elemental selves.
In this remarkable one-year journal, skilled horsewoman and adventurer Laura Chester brings us into her world, where we deeply connect with the earth and its seasons, with beauty and sometimes danger.
While riding in places as far-reaching as Mexico, Australia, and India, Chester is always grateful to come home to the comforts of her familiar horse. As they cover the borderland of Arizona and the hills of Massachusetts, we get to know Barranca as intimate companion, mediator between soul and nature, whether entering the wilds of Cochise Stronghold or picking Berkshire apples from the saddle.
Carried along on waves of memory, released by the gaits of her smooth-moving fox trotter, this literary memoir takes us on a personal exploration as well—where family relationships are fractured by anger, jealousy, illness, and death. With the help of her big-hearted animal, Chester is able to retrieve the past and find forgiveness. For as she says—“Riding Barranca puts me in the moment, which is where I want to live.â€