Prepare for a equestrian surprise. If you think this book is another one of those tired 19th century tales about a heroic white man making his way through a tract of nameless jungle - then think again. For herein lies the tale of the most unlikely horse hero of that bygone era. According to his own pen, young British Subaltern George Younghusband was, "sick of the pomps and vanities of this civilized world of ours." Though stationed in colorful India, Younghusband decided to spend his army leave by exploring southern Burma on horseback. In early 1887 the adventurous, if inexperienced, equestrian explorer set off with a Ghurka orderly, a Madrassi cook, an interpreter known as "the Archbishop" and of course the hero of this tale, Joe the Burmese Pony. There is no tale in all of equestrian travel literature which paints a picture of a more loveable scamp than Joe, this delightful four-footed rascal. With his keen eye, Younghusband regales his readers with remarks on the customs of the country. "The whole of our baggage was not more than two respectable mule loads but it made me positively weep to see a great brawny elephant looking quite injured at having to carry a load that one of our regimental mules would have smiled sarcastically at." Yet this is no story of brawny elephants. It deals instead with Younghusband's Burmese pony, who despite his diminutive size, gave the professional horseman more than he bargained for. "Having been a cavalry soldier for some years, and rather fancying myself a decent rider, I had never viewed this small atom of horse-flesh otherwise than in the light of a means of conveyance when I was tired. However, he very soon knocked all that nonsense out of me, for he went off like a streak of lightning, stampeded the two elephants, who immediately devastated the village, and shed my goods on the roofs of houses." What follows is the good-hearted tale of a young man, discovering an enchanted country, aboard a once-in-a-lifetime horse. "That pony of mine is quite the wickedest pony in Asia, " Younghusband recalled. "He is only 12 hands high but contains all the mischievousness of fifty children. When I am in a hurry, he hides behind a tree. Do I want to give him his grain? He goes and stands on the far side of a quagmire. When I want to go slow, he runs away. When I want to go fast, he pretends to be lame. Is my dinner cooking on the fire? Off he goes and tips it over. When I have a basin of water to wash in, darned if he doesn't drink it. Have I tied him up with everything I possess? He eludes it somehow. Am I dead tired and fast asleep? He sticks his nose into me." the Long Rider lamented. Complete with pencil drawings done by the author, this delightful book takes the reader on a mounted journey complete with the requisite adventures, but with the added delight of a pint-sized hero you'll never forget.