The Pony Express did not last long in American history, but it has certainly captivated people's interest through books, movies, and television. I thought the author had an interesting idea to follow the Pony Express on horseback in modern times. I did enjoy this book and I have recommended it to some friends to read.

As someone who fascinated by the pony express as a child I enjoyed this modern day memoir about someone who rode a horse along the trail. It kept my attention from page one.

I may have misinterpreted what this book was about. It held a lot of information., some of which wasn't about the west or the pony express. I thought it would have contained much more history of the Pony Express itself. It was still interesting, although I did begin to feel for the horses. I thank NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advance peek.

An interesting account of a modern ride along the pony express trail. Many fun facts about the history and culture of the western USA.

THE LAST RIDE OF THE PONY EXPRESS by Will Grant is subtitled "My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West" and it offers fascinating facts while providing quite a travelogue on horseback between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. Grant is accompanied by two horses, Chicken Fry (love that name!) and Badger on a series of adventures that trace the route of the Pony Express (see map). Readers will be astounded to learn that the Pony Express was in operation for only about 18 months, from April 1860 to October 1861, completing no more than 150 round trips. Introducing readers to hosts such as the head of the National Pony Express Association, locales involving river crossings, and origins of words like mustang, Grant weaves in numerous tidbits and reflections on how the West has changed, even recently. He notes, for example, that "between 1970 and 2020, the number of dairy farms in the US fell from 648,000 to 32,000." Musings on the impact of the Western frontier on the national psyche and the "fabling" inspired by the short-lived Pony Express balance descriptions of potential danger and also glimpses of humor. Grant is a former cowboy and horse trainer who began a journalism career in 2008 with many of his stories involving horses, including exploits in Mongolia, Arizona, and Kyrgyzstan. I am looking forward to more adventures from him. Both informative and entertaining, THE LAST RIDE OF THE PONY EXPRESS received a starred review from Booklist. 4.5 stars

I thought growing up that I pretty much spent my summers in the saddle, but I don’t think I’ll ever top the horseback riding miles logged by Will Grant in his quest to better understand the Pony Express.

In the summer of 2019 Will & his two horses, Chicken Fry & Badger, began their journey in Missouri & 2,000 miles later they ended up in California. Will is both a horseman & a writer, & his curiosity about what it was really like for riders tasked with transporting the mail through treacherous landscape prompted him to retrace their steps. This book details the trip but also showed me so much more about how the Wild West has evolved over time, from the environment to the culture to the people themselves.

I loved the blend of old west & modern-day, & enjoyed a Man from Snowy River reference (a favorite of my horse-crazy childhood). The variety of people Will met along the way & the experiences he had (like helping pull a newborn calf into the world) were fascinating. Though I didn’t always 100% agree with his perspective on societal changes I did like learning about the adventures he’s had over the course of his life that have led him to believe what he does.

Thank you to NetGalley & Little, Brown & Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting read for me! As someone studying history, the Pony Express is something that pops up from time to time. It was really cool to see Will Grant take us on a modern day journey, exploring the history and modern day representation of it in such a close, intimate way. You could really feel like you were making this journey right alongside the author.

Definitely an interesting one to read, and will for sure be one that I recommend!

Will Grant set out to ride on horseback the route of the Pony Express going from Missouri to California. While original riders made the route in days, Grant took several months, and his leisurely pace enabled him to take in the people and issues of the modern day West. He provides beautiful descriptions of the landscape and keen insights of people he encountered along the way, along with enlightening discussions of environmental, economic, and political issues. We also learn a lot about the logistics of making this kind of journey, and the reader can't fail to be impressed by Grant's care for his two horses. Of course, there is plenty about the Pony Express, which most people probably don't realize only ran for 18 months due to the high cost of operating the service.

Entertaining mixture of history nature writing and personal recollections. I enjoyed reading this book from beginning to end. The pony express history was fascinating and new to me. The discovery of it’s remnants along with the caretakers was moving.
The horses also emerged as stars in the narrative. I only hope that the finished book will contain illustrations of the horses the scenery and the characters in the narrative.