Born an Easterner, then transplanted to France and England, Pam Asheton has since migrated steadily westwards and now lives NW of Cochrane, Alberta which is, she comments, “close enough to satisfy a serious addiction to backcountry and high wild places.”  Her backcountry equestrian guidebook, just recently published, has received rave reviews from top equestrian publishers and journalists.

She began riding aged eleven in France and Germany, learning early the benefits of classical riding.  Later, she qualified with the British Horse Society, obtaining first her British Horse Society’s Assistant Instructor certificate and then the highly prestigious Instructor ’s ticket.

Pam was a regular at the top-level Harrogate Equestrian Centre, and later coached freelance to riders, from Pony Club national and European qualifiers, Young Riders, and adults even (!)  interested in being seriously competitive to national and international levels – and competing herself in eventing, show jumping and dressage. 

Sliding sideways into managing restaurants, hotels and backcountry lodges, adrenalin, she admits, was a definite hook.  They won Good Food Awards, rated four-star upwards and the outside catering (now more commonly known as event planning) had a client list second to none.  In the end, though, mountains and always the horses, walked her into different lifestyles – professional freelance journalism and photography - sometimes linked, sometimes not, to horsemen and women, of land stewardship, and of the connection with wild places that touch the heart.  Assignments over the years included both hard news and feature copy for the WEEKEND TELEGRAPH (UK), SOUTHAMPTON ECHO (UK), PETERSFIELD POST (UK), HAMPSHIRE CHONICLE, WEST MEON NEWS, DAILY TELEGRAPH (UK), HORSE AND HOUND, HORSE AND PONY, EVENTING, YACHTS AND YACHTING, COUNTRY LIVING (UK & USA), WESTERN HORSEMAN, ALBERTA COUNTRY, WESTERN HORSE REVIEW, ACREAGE LIVING, AVENUE, CANADIAN COWBOY COUNTRY, HORSES ALL, CALGARY HERALD, HORSE SPORT, Cochrane EAGLE, WESTERN WHEEL and other magazines, including corporate media coverage, research and editorial.

Over four consistent years she wrote the bi-weekly ‘EQUESTRIAN DIARY’ for the Cochrane EAGLE newspaper, (and is now strongly supporting conservation and land stewardship issues with weekly column WALKING THE LAND, in addition to national magazine features).  Working at re-starting challenging horses, she wrote about, and listened to clinicians from Canada and the United States, increasingly fascinated horse language and psychology.  Her own influences stem particularly from renowned coach and outstanding eventer Lucinda Green, and Jon Evans, another national event rider who was strongly influenced by his own trainer from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna; definitely the Canadian Chris Irwin, Kiwi Bert Elstob and a few others besides. 

Currently Pam’s contemplating “one last shot” at the world’s classic long-distance rides, including Dartmoor’s Golden Horseshoe which, she remarks,” is an obsession dating back to childhood.”  She specializes in re-starting difficult horses, particularly the no-brakes variety, and strongly believes in solution based centred rider teaching where horses find their niche, competitive or otherwise, too.  Research for her next book (fiction - and a new experience) has her legging across Alberta’s high wild places, Montana and, hopefully, the faraway open spaces of South America.