Aimé Félix Tschiffely

Aimé Félix Tschiffely (May 7 1895 – January 5 1954) was a Swiss-born, Argentine professor, writer, and adventurer. A.F. Tschiffely (as he was better known) wrote a number of books, most famously "Tschiffely's Ride" (1933) in which he recounts his solo journey on horseback from Argentina to Washington DC, an epic adventure that still marks one of the greatest horse rides of all time. Tschiffely was a household name in the United States during the 1930s, meeting with President Calvin Coolidge and appearing in National Geographic Magazine and earning a lucrative living from his popular book sales.

A.F. Tschiffely was born into an old Swiss family in Berne in 1895 where he was educated and became a teacher. An adventurer at heart, he left Switzerland to teach in England in his early 20s, but found a new passion as a professional footballer and boxer. He then moved to Buenos Aires where he settled into teaching again, but still found time on long vacations for adventure riding horses and exploring the surrounding pampas. He made many friends among the ranchers and learned a lot about horses and outdoor travel.

In 1925 at the age of 30 he decided to undertake a journey by horseback from Buenos Aires to Washington DC. At the time (and even to this day) most would assume this could not be done. Newspaper at the time declared "Impossible! Absurd! The man must be mad!". He wrote about his ride in a bestselling book called "The Ride" or "Tschiffely's Ride" in which he recounts his epic three year journey from 1925 to 1928 on two native Criollo horses named Mancha (meaning "Spotty") and Gato (meaning "Cat"), direct descendants from horses brought to Argentina by conquistador Pedro de Mendoza in 1535 (the first horses brought to the new world). These horses were of the best Spanish stock (at the time, the best in Europe), which had gone feral in the pampas. They were legendary for their toughness, intelligence and stamina.

After "Ride" Tschiffely became a famous successful author and moved with his wife Violet to London where he continued to write more books, one of which was a biography of his friend Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham who had died in 1936. In 1937 he returned to South America and made another journey, by car, to the southern tip of the continent, recording his experiences among the natives and the changes brought on by modernity in "This Way Southward" (1940).

Works

*"Round and about Spain" (1952).
*"Bohemia Junction" (1951). A biography of 40 years of travel and adventure. ISBN 1590480155
*"The Tale of Two Horses" (1949). The story of "The Ride" from the viewpoint of his two horses, Mancha and Gato. ISBN 1590480120
*"Ming and Ping" (1948).
*"This Way Southward" (1945). Recounts his journey by car to Tierra del Fuego and emotional reunion with his two horses Mancha and Gato. ISBN 1590480147
*"Coricancha (garden of gold): Discovery of Peru and conquest of the Inca empire" (1943). See also Coricancha.
*"Don Roberto: The Life of R B Cuninghame Graham" (1937). London: William Heinneman Ltd.
*"Bridle Paths: the story of a ride through rural England" (1936). Travels through Britain on horseback, a poetic look at a now-vanished Britain, as it was before the advent of suburbia changed it forever. ISBN 1590480139
*"Tschiffely's Ride" or "The Ride" or "Southern Cross to Pole Star" (1933). ISBN 1873429703

References

* [http://www.southamericanpictures.com/collections/tschiffely/tschiffely.htm Tschiffely's Patagonia]
* [http://www.justacriollo.com/pages_en/decouvertes_en/tschiffely_en.htm Tschiffely, Mancha et Gato, Heroes of the Pampas]