Life In The Saddle

Englishman Frank Collinson went to Texas in 1872, when he was seventeen, to work on Will Noonan’s ranch near Castroville. He lived the rest of his life in the southwestern United States, and at the age of seventy-nine began writing about the Old West he knew and loved. He had a flair for writing, a phenomenal memory, and a passion for truth that is evident in what he wrote and said. His writings for Ranch Romances, his letters, and transcriptions of his conversations have been arranged here in roughly chronological order, so that their importance for frontier history is readily apparent. Collinson ranged the West in his writings as he did in person, telling of the last tragic days of buffalo hunting on the Plains; clashes between hunters or cowboys and the Plains Indians; the character of trail drivers; and the definitive nature of violence, particularly at gun-point. J. Frank Dobie said of Collinson: "In the realm of frontier chronicles, the writing of educated Englishmen. . . men with the perspective of civilization, with imagination, and a lust for primitive nature, stand out. To this class of men belongs Frank Collinson."

A Life in the Saddle is an expansion on the account Rev. Davie Hogan left of his own life, which he entitled: Autobiography of David Hogan (1811-1899). The author will quote directly from this work in the following format, as in the following opening passage: I propose on this the 16th day of February A.D. 1899, in the 88th year of my life, to continue the work of writing a biographic sketch of my life, from a very imperfect, or partially kept diary. I will here state, this work is only intended as a manuscript for the information of my children, grandchildren, and those who in the future may be interested in the history this writing may afford. I have tried to keep as far from self-laudation as possible. I therefore pray that whosoever may consult or read it, if they think they see a spirit of exultation, they will account for it, on other grounds than intention of the writer. The rest of the text is comprised of quotes from other sources and background information researched and compiled by the author. Davie wrote for an audience with a base of shared experience and knowledge mostly lost to contemporary readers. The author has attempted to fill out Hogan's often terse or detail lacking account with the wealth of information on history, family members, and local color his ancestor neglected to include. By the way, the author, Brian Hogan, is Rev. Hogan's third great grandnephew.

For a time there were four bikes in Matt Seaton's life, a training bike, a track bike, a mountain bike and a racing bike. His evenings were spent doing the miles on the roads between South London and the North Downs. Weekends were taken up with Club meetings, road races and time trials - rides that took him to cold village halls at dawn and out onto the empty bypasses of Southern England.

Following on the hooves of her well-received book "Horse Tales from Heaven" Ondov offers 50 brand-new devotions gleaned from her years of working from the saddle in Montana.

Horses were at the heart of the Greatest Briton of them all, Sir Winston Spencer Churchill. They were his escape in childhood, his challenge in youth, his transport in war, his triumph in sport, and his diversion in dotage. This book traces all the ways horses affected his life, from the rough ride his mother had while returning from a shooting party that caused Churchill's premature birth, to the time spent riding through childhood, and as he grew into adulthood, when riding horses increasingly became the means of proving the courage that was to become the very core of his being. The book covers his riding in the Royal Military Academy, his leading a 1,200 horse gallop of the Oxfordshire Hussars at Yeomanry camp, his boar hunting in France, his playing polo into his 50s, and his purchase at the age of 75 a front running grey that won 14 races and triggered ecstatic scenes as his homburg-hatted, cigar-chewing owner gave V for Victory signs in the unsaddling enclosure.

'It doesn't matter if there are four thousand people watching or just four – you're a horseman, roughrider, entertainer. At that moment, rodeo has you bitten and it doesn't let you go. You just want another ride. I remember them all and how it all started.' Alywn Torenbeek's – the Kokotunga Kid – left his outback hometown at fourteen, looking for adventure. He took with him a bushman's spirit, an uncanny natural ability for horseriding and a determination to succeed. By the time he was 21, he was a national and international rodeo champion. When fate put an end to his roughriding career, Alwyn went on to be a stockman, drover and station manager. A devoted family man, he was encouraged to take up endurance riding by his great friend, the legendary R.M. Williams, and is still competing more than four decades later. A riveting tale of adventure, romance, tradegy and mateship. Alwyn's story is also a tribute to the outback and the characters who make it special. From Winton to Wanganui, this is the ride of a lifetime. 'A non-stop adventure and an amazing insight into a by-gone era.' Queensland Times

The ultimate guide to living well with this chronic, at times debilitating, autoimmune disease. Lene Andersen has 40+ years of living with RA and is working as Community Leader for HealthCentral.com's RA site. She has amassed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of how to manage the many challenges of life with the disease. Your Life with Rheumatoid Arthritis covers medication and treatment options, questions of opioids and addiction, down-to-earth tips to manage side effects, and techniques to control the pain that is often part and parcel of RA. This is an informative, honest and often very funny book. It offers hope, comfort and help to empower both the newly diagnosed and those who have had the disease for years.--P. [4] of cover.