• • • TRACEY'S LATEST RIDE • • •
Her new book 'Riding by Faith Across Southern Europe'
will be out later this year!
(see 'Books' for details)
Santiago De Composela

Having travelled from Thiva, near Athens to Arohova and Delphi, winding westward through the mountains to Nafpacktos and turning north west to Kapsoahi on Lake Taihonia and I am now in Preveza. I left Thiva, near Athens, two weeks ago and travelling across Greece has been quite a challenge; negociating dangerous, fast roads and winding mountain roads and camping in olive groves with my two Greek ponies Joana (the grey) and Ermis (the bay). I have decided to take a horse truck/ferry to Italy as the roads are too dangerous going north to Albania.

2nd July - Eventually after 9 days I have the necessary papers to take the ponies on the ferry to Italy. One needs a lot of patience in Greece, but thank God I got them just before a government workers’ strike! Now I am almost at the port of Igouimenitsa and leave for Italy on Tuesday. Last night, a kind vet provided me with food for the horses. I was also invited by an Italian truck driver for spaghetti cooked on a stove in his very smart and big truck- delicious! I learnt my first word in Italian "Graci" a taste of Italy to come!

The meeting on the road with Panagiotis, the vet WAS one of those divine appointments - as we are both Christians … so we had lots to talk about! (He speaks English). He checked out the ponies (Joana needs to see a dentist) gave me some veterinary supplies and helped me catch the ferry.

July 8 - ITALY, spent last night with a lovley Italian family. We enjoyed Italian pizza and the local wine of the region. They saw us travelling down the main street of town yesterday in the heat of the day and invited me home to their beautiful 17th century Italian house where the ponies are resting and they are helping me with the route through Italy.  It is so hot and humid, I thought Italy would be cooler than Greece but it does'nt feel like it. It feels hotter!

bloodTestJuly 14 - ITALY  west of Bologna, nr Reggia Emilia. Grounded for a week as Italian law requires horses have a Coggins blood test. Also I needed to pay even more in vet fees as it is also law now to have a page in horses passports stating "they are not for human consumption!" I thank God I met a great Scots lady Moira, who invited my ponies  to her riding stables and has been helping me with all the bureaucracy, translationing and getting set for the next part of the journey. Once I am legal to travel through italy, as it is 38°C and (over 100°F) here, I am setting my sights on the mountains /Alps!!

PaoloMeeting great people is one of the best parts of travelling by horseback! In Italy, people on bicycles would escort me along my way often through a maze of roads, tracks or little villages to where I wanted to get to …..!

Outside the tourist information in Pont St. Martin in northern Italy I met Paolo and Barbara. They invited us to the barn where they kept their horses (Paolo escorting us on his bicycle!) and then home to the family where I had a very welcome shower and pizza!

I really enjoyed northern Italy as we had the opportunity to leave the busy roads and follow tracks through the mountains and the Alps.

glacier1st August – Switzerland - Crossed over Col du Grand Ferret into Switzerland, just down the other side of the mountain from Italy. Now everyone is talking French, so my brain cogs are turning to remember my school French!

When I left Greece I was just getting the hang of some Greek words but oh, Italian is a beautiful sounding language, who can’t help but fall in love with Italy.

Only spent a few days in Switzerland but we felt it! Climbing steeply up and down around Mt. Blanc. On several occasions I had to unload the pack off Joana and drag it up as the climb was too steep and narrow for her to carry it. In the dark we arrived at the Fenetre d’Arpette 2665 metres and camped, rather perched there, in the cold night (thanks for the extra coat Paolo!) before journeying down to Col de Forclaz and up over Col de Balme into France!

France - Met another photographer, John and his wife Anne and tied up the ponies outside their house for breakfast! Futher down the valley near Chamonix I was buying bread and my ponies were enjoying a baguette (“ils aiment le pain francais!”) when a family invited me to lunch, and a shower, while the ponies did a good job mowing their neighbour’s long grass lawn.

A few days later I met up with my long time great friend Ali, with whom I rode through New Zealand. The ponies stayed the first days of their holiday at Francois and Anne Marie’s home.

Next month we travel through France.

20th September
Continuing my ride / walk from Geneva with my good friend Ali. Having been unable to avoid the fast and busy roads of Greece and Italy I am appreciating riding through tranquil rural French vineyards, orchards and diary farms.

26th September
BlessingA stop over in Le Puy as Joanna had a swollen hock and was been treated by a local vet. Le Puy is a beautiful city shaped by volcanic erruptions. The statue of Virgin Mary, the grand cathedral and the chapel of St. Michael all crown the city sky line. This attractive city with its narrow cobbled streets, has been the main departure point since the 10th century for the pilgrim path to Santiago de Compostella in Spain. Before the pilgrims leave Le Puy they can receive a blessing from the priest , so I took my Greek horses with me, before we departed as a ”pelerin de Saint –Jacque de- Compostelle” travelling the historic Pilgrim way of Saint James. Now Joanna is sound again this is the way we will follow.

8th October
ConventJoined up with some fun French cowboys and have stopped for a few days rest at an old convent called Convent de Maley, where there is plenty of grass for the ponies. The last few days have been very dry with not enough grass for them at night although I did have grain. The thing is, Joanna, despite being in better shape to carry the pack can only carry so much grain and then we run out. So I am continually on the look out for grass and grain.

CattleThe Aubrac region is very attractive. With its granite stone walls it reminded me a lot of being home on Dartmoor! With the granite stone walls. One of the differences is the pretty Aubrac cattle with the the tunes of their bells across the hilly landscape dotted with large granite boulders, seemingly just dropped out of the sky.

 
tops
I was warned the climb was steep over the Pyrenees from St.Jean Pied de Port, to us who had literally to scramble over boulders in the Alps it was a nice walk with spectacular views. I love the high places and we camped right up there on the mountain border between France and Spain.
Pamplona: We met the Australian High Commissioner, who kindly took some pictures and helped me out when I was stopped by the police!
In Burgos I met Cibele a Brazilian and David, an inventor from North America who took some photos of us outside the cathedral where El Sid, his wife and his horse are entombed. We both laughed when I suggested he try to include the top of the cathedral in the photo as I did the circuit for the third time! I meet so many good people who willingly and patiently took pictures for me and would retake them until I got what I wanted.
Camino De Santiago: This is a famous pilgrim trail which thousands, I mean tens of thousands of people walk every year. It was good to travel it in October and November, when there were just enough people to get to know as our paths crossed in various places. In Spain alone we followed over 800 kilometres of tracks and roads. Although we did have to go right through the middle of some major cities with cars on every side! Oh, what a treat to walk along country paths instead of the busy roads we had experienced in Greece and Italy.
Getting into trouble with the police again! Sometimes it’s better not to speak the language – when you’re in trouble. My Camino friend Ricardo trying to smooth the way for us in the famous Plaza Obradoiro.

I bet the police didn’t make trouble for the pilgrims finally arriving at Santiago after travelling thousands of miles hundreds of years ago!
Finistere Finish! Arrive at the finish of my adventure across Southern Europe with my two little Greek horses in North West Spain in November. Now they are back in Devon dressed up in rugs against the English winter! Albeit mild so far! I am now busy compiling my latest book ‘Riding by Faith Across Southern Europe’, which will be published later this year.

The Spanish ministry vet said “it is not possible to take your ponies to England.” But I refused to leave my ponies in Spain. “All things are possible with God.” My ponies were coming home, even if I had to walk all the way back though Spain and France through the winter and then somehow get over the English channel.

Well just as all through Southern Europe God was keeping His eye on us and we all arrived home to Dartmoor safely and the ponies are enjoying regular meals and gaining weight!

Tracey grew up on a farm in South West England where she now has her base producing cards, calendars and books. After completing art college she worked and sketched the animals in a travelling circus and then travelled through Europe and North America, teaching horse riding before qualifying as a photographer in South Wales. For five years she worked as a freelance photojournalist for magazines, during which time she interviewed Royalty at Buckingham Palace, and she rode the length of New Zealand.

She started her card business twenty years ago with six local Dartmoor postcards while living in a caravan with her dog. Her faith and her love of horses, adventure and photography has given her opportunities to travel to many places including Africa, Tibet, Israel and Russia. Tracey has ridden horses from the top of Scotland to Lands End, around Southern Ireland and Wales recently across North America. She has documented these adventures in three beautiful photographic books. The first was the original New Zealand book, followed by the Ireland story on her Highland ponies. Riding by Faith Across America is about Tracey's exciting journey riding her two Quarter horses from Mexico to Canada. Her latest release is a new edition of the New Zealand book, which included and additional ride on her Palomino horses. She completed her latest adventure through Southern Europe with her two little Greek horses last November and this book will be published later this year.
Please Note: the pictures are representative of picture content not quality and are of low resolution for faster transmission across the World Wide Web.
All photographs © 2003 T.E.R photographer