Inspired by tales of the Australian Light Horsemen and Jerimiah Johnson, Pete set off in search of "connection" with horses and adventure in strange lands. In doing so he met the love of his life, a dog, and horses that left him forever changed. Pete's preparation for his journey began in January 2018, and he hasn’t worked in anything resembling a “real job” since, choosing instead to work at a Warmblood stud in Australia, endurance race in Mongolia, and ride in Cambodia, the Caucuses and US before returning to New Zealand to work with racehorses. After heading to Mongolia in July 2019, Pete and his partner Luisa crossed 13 countries in 780 days; arriving in Germany in October of 2021 where he now works as a saddle maker and outfitter for long riders. This book contains the advice Pete wished he could hand the man he was three years earlier; with every book and resource he read prior proving to be both outdated, and often full of unhelpful opinions that set him up for endless failure on the steppe. This book contains universal formulas and facts in a simple, blunt, and unapologetic guide for those that wish to venture into the wilds on horseback. Long riding is hard, and this book tells it how it is. So why would buy this book over other horseback travel books? The world has changed very fast in the last 20 years, and I fear I may be one of the last long riders. So much information has been lost, and the horse community has changed from straight shooting cowboys, to people overly worried about offending others while self-promoting their sales based agendas. Every lesson is softened to be inclusive, and the harsh realities of the life as a long rider are made to sound appealing and romantic only. This book is honest. Its honest about the contributor’s failures and successes alike, but most importantly about just how many failures resulted from the expert advice received before even beginning. There is far too much information being thrown about by those that don’t do, so they teach and sell. This book is simply about putting your horse first and learning the essential facts you need to consider as a long rider. Numerous Tevis Cup, Mongol Derby and Kupkari competitors have shared their advice in “The 21st Century Cavalry Manual”, as have vets, farriers, Arabian breeders, horse trainers and most importantly fellow long riders and the horsemen of the middle Asian steppe. I strongly feel this is by far the best resource of its kind for long riders, and those dreaming of taking a leap into the unknown and riding off into the sunset. With over 120 images and simple calculations as well as instructions on how to construct your own long riding equipment, it goes above and beyond any other book of its kind. But most importantly it discusses mental and emotional health, as well as ways to both physically prepare both yourself and your horse for a long ride. The 21st Century Cavalry Manual took me a mere 14 days to type and publish, simply because I have lived this book every day for the last three years. With my partner beside me we’ve lived through wild dog attacks, traffic, snowstorms, thunderstorms, swarms of stinging insects, bear encounters, wolf attacks and have had horses both lost and stolen. None of this is second-hand information, nor has it been written years on with the rose-coloured glasses of hindsight tempering the experience. In the hands of a physically capable person in control of their emotions, its my sincere hope this book will help its reader go from novice to a long rider in no more than six weeks. Its suitable for any equestrian, saddle trampers keen to do overnight trip, hunters, would be adventurers right through to experienced long riders. I sincerely hope all readers enjoy it as much as I enjoyed living these experiences and writing of them afterwards. There's no swearing, so it's suitable for any age but does contain adult themes.