Humorous travel writing is usually a male domain but in this hilarious, madcap adventure, Polly travels to Argentina to be transformed from timorous equestrian novice to whooping cowgirl whilst at the same time delving into the country’s deep and rich history.
At the age of thirty-four, Polly Evans decides to fulfil a childhood dream – to learn how to ride a horse. But rather than do so conveniently close to home, she goes to Argentina and saddles up among the gauchos. 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 Polly’s journey from timorous equestrian novice to wildly whooping cowgirl. It’s a tale of ponies, painkillers and peregrinations – not just around present-day Argentina, but also into the country’s glorious and turbulent past.
Polly Evans studied modern languages at Cambridge University before working for a London publisher. After four years she moved to Hong Kong to become a journalist on the city's biggest weekly, before embarking on her epic journey around Spain - the subject of her first book, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE TAPAS. Her latest book KIWIS MIGHT FLY is also published by Bantam Books.
