A Fisherman in the Saddle

A Fisherman in the Saddle is a meditation on joy; it is a return to those things that have given me the greatest pleasure in life – horses and fishing. Both have been lifesavers in their time, like medicine in their effect.

Horse riding is cheaper than seeing a shrink and I find contemplation or meditation as a by-product of riding or fishing, life enhancing.

This book was born out of the death of a horse, Sebastian. To commemorate him I started writing and soon found all my other horses appearing on the pages of this book, like milestones to my life. They carried me into beautiful landscapes on three continents and offered solace when everything else failed. When I am in the saddle I'm home, wherever I may be.

And the sea has never failed to provide fish and the best kind of companionship. I have always been seawitched.

If you love the outdoors and find solace under the sky, then this book is for you. And if you love horses and landscape, or the sea and fishing, then you will find a bonus here.

* * *

Praise for A Fisherman in the Saddle.

"This is story telling charged with raw emotion and always a deep appreciation for the sheer beauty and the enduring magic of nature which transcends politics, implosion of families, emigration. Horses, the author says, became 'my nation, my friends, my identity, my medicine. When I am in the saddle I'm home.''
Robyn Cohen, The Cape Times.

"Every now and then a gem of a new book lands on my desk: sometimes but rarely a diamond. This is one. I laughed. I cried. I was deeply moved. This is among the best books I have ever read about fishing, horses, growing up, the pain of maturity, leaving one's homeland and the things that make up the richness of life."
Dave Bristow, Getaway Magazine.

"The ability of horses to help and heal is boundless. In A Fisherman in the Saddle, Julian Roup explains how he feels about horses. 'The feeling of elation, of freedom, of excitement was indescribable. It was like being given wings and the gift of flight. I was hooked for life.'  I know the feeling, and I hope many others discover it for themselves."
Octavia Pollock, Country Life.