Around the World in 730 Days

Basha and CuChullaine O'Reilly are the Founders of the Long Riders Guild, dedicated to exploring the world on horseback. It is in this capacity that they are planning for the adventure of their lives: a journey around the world!

The two year adventure will take them to 11 countries and cover 12,000 miles. But riding around the world is only part of the goal. En route, they will be working with scientists and horse owners to collect hair samples from every known horse breed. The goal is to create the first complete equine DNA chain.

Even though the project is still in the planning stages, Basha has already received samples from such remote areas as Mongolia and Afghanistan. The Master List of Breeds will be updated daily and posted on their web site, www.theworldride.org.

In addition, while en route with the use of GPS technology, CuChullaine will link their locations with a Long Rider map of the entire route so that children from around the world can follow their progress. Ultimately, the goal is to link humans and horses via the saddle and the internet, to demonstrate the power of the common language of "horse."

No strangers to adventure, Basha and CuChullaine have completed numerous long rides and all the details of their adventures can be found on their web site. But this epic journey will be the first continuous around the world equestrian expedition and represents the merging of the spirit of adventure, long associated with the horse, and modern technology.

The route as it now stands begins in Paris and heads east through Germany and Austria and Hungary via the Steppes. From there they will travel through the Ukraine, through Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan and then head to Siberia. From Russia the plan is to fly to Canada (with their horses) and follow the Trans-Canadian trail. They will then fly back to Scotland, through England and ultimately back to Paris. They each plan to use one horse for the entire trip.

I urge you to read more on their web site, especially about how to contribute to the DNA project. This is an exciting project to follow!