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On a Hoof and a Prayer
by Polly Evans
Subtitled, Around Argentina at a Gallop, this is Polly Evans’ account of achieving her dream of learning to ride a horse at the tender age of 34 – in rather unusual circumstances. She travels to Argentina and saddles up among the guachos. Overcoming battered limbs, a steed hell-bent on bolting and an encounter with the teeth of one very savage dog, Polly canters through Andean vineyards and gallops beneath snow-capped Patagonian peaks. She also survives a hair-raising game of polo and a back-breaking day herding cattle.
Taking a break from riding, Polly delves into Argentina’s tumultuous history: the Europeans’ first terrifying acquaintances with the native ‘giants’; the sanguinary demise of the early missionaries; and the gruesome drama of Evita’s wandering corpse.
On a Hoof and a Prayer is the stampeding story of her journey from timorous equestrian novice to wild cowgirl, full of ponies, painkillers and peregrinations, told in a gently self-mocking style that endears the reader to her from the start.
In paperback at 12.50 euros
