The Bridleway: How Horses Shaped the British Landscape

An exploration of how the British landscape has been shaped by equestrianism, how horses have captured our wild imaginations, and how they have become part of our nation's ecosystems.

Most of us have enjoyed walking on a bridleway at some time or other, but we rarely stop to think about how these old routes came to be. These ancient networks criss-cross the British countryside and are so familiar to walkers and riders that they have become almost invisible as we meander our way along them. From atop a horse, Tiffany Francis-Baker provides readers with a new perspective on bridleways and a glimpse into their intriguing history.

Revealing how deep-rooted horses have been in British culture for thousands of years, Tiffany unravels how these ancient pathways became scattered across British landscapes. She explores how our landscape was shaped by equestrianism, how horses have captured our wild imaginations and how they have become part of our nation's ecosystems.

Horses are the only domesticated animal that we elevate to pets or entertainment or classify as vehicles, machinery, or tools of farming and conservation. In their hybridity as part-domesticated, part-fiercely independent, horses can teach us a lot about our landscape and our place within it. And they can help us to understand nature through a different pair of eyes. As a nation, we have allowed them far deeper into human society than any other animals, except dogs and cats. In her new book, Tiffany investigates why this animal, in particular, has captured Britons' attention so much and explores how horses have shaped Britain's landscape, history and heritage.