data-animation-override>
“Unlike the flat line of North Dakota or Nebraska, on the beach, my eyes gazed across an unobstructed horizon that I cannot travel to with my horses. It’s like this in life. If you intend on moving forward, you can only go so far until you are forced to leave something behind, shed nonessentials, reconfigure, or change directions or you just go no further.”
Lady Long Rider by Bernice Ende, published by FarCountry Press, is available for purchase on her website, Ende Of The Trail.
Lady Long Rider is not just a book about Bernice Ende horse long riding. It is a journal of the transformation of a woman who needed more.
Bernice Ende started long riding (click through if you missed the primer!) when she was 50 years old, and a decade later continues to ride off into the sunset (or sunrise). With 30,000 miles under her belt and in the saddle, she has received recognition from, and membership to, the Long Riders Guild. Members are by invitation only and must have ridden 1,000 consecutive miles to enter into this unique organization. She received an additional commendation from the guild when she passed the 25,000 mile mark.
While horses have always been a part of her life, starting with a pony named Spot, Bernice decided to study dance and began a career teaching classical ballet in California, Oregon, Washington and Minnesota.
Due to a divorce and illness, Bernice moved from Seattle to her grandparent’s home state of Montana, where the saga of Lady Long Rider began: one fateful day, Bernice had a vision of herself riding horseback across a desert. It was a life-changing moment – and in the following months, the vision took form, beginning a journey one could only imagine. With her beloved dog Claire, who was her companion on 20,000 of those long rider miles, she set out to become Lady Long Rider.
Ende writes from so many different angles – as a woman, horsewoman, and explorer…not only of the earth but also the human spirit. She writes with the inspiration of someone who has seen the world as it truly is, who values the simplicity of life – yet is capable of literally weathering the storms.
I encourage women to read this book whether they are “horse people” or not. Ende is a woman of courage, moving forward despite the negative pushback she initially received. She trusted her instincts to follow her dreams and created her own path – and following that path that has meandered from one ocean to another, she truly inspires.
Lady Long Rider is published by FarCountry Press and can be purchased at her website, Ende Of The Trail.
