Dead Poets Society meets Stand By Me as 5 real 12- and 13-yr.-olds ride their bicycles 5,000 miles across America. They want to see if their country is as wonderful as their teacher says it is.

It has been said that any man, no matter how small and insignificant the post he may have filled in life, who will faithfully record the events in which he has borne a share, even though incapable of himself deriving profit from the lessons he has learned, may still be of use to others,--sometimes a guide, sometimes a warning. I hope this is true. I like to think it so, for I like to think that even I,--A. S. P.,--if I cannot adorn a tale, may at least point a moral. Certain families are remarkable for the way in which peculiar gifts have been transmitted for ages. Some have been great in arms, some in letters, some in statecraft, displaying in successive generations the same high qualities which had won their first renown. In an humble fashion, I may lay claim to belong to this category. My ancestors have been ...

By telling this story, I hope to introduce incidents that have occurred in my life, but hopefully, in random order, to make it more enjoyable. Please, if you would bear with me, I would like you, the reader, to continue with me to the end. It could just be worthwhile continuing to the last page. For your participation, I thank you.

Each day I wake to see the light of day. Be it a good day or a not-so-good day or a bad day, I realize it is the best day of my life, and I will rejoice in that day. I will not worry about yesterday or tomorrow. Yesterday will never come again, and tomorrow will be twenty hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-nine seconds away. The closest I will ever get to tomorrow is twenty three hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-nine seconds. With life, all things are possible. If I have life, I must LIVE.

He may 'smoke like a chimney, drink like a fish and eat like a sparrow' but Noel Harris rides like a true champion. And he has outlasted many of his competitors, still leading them home in his late fifties after having notched up over 2000 wins. Along the way he has gained the loyalty of owners and trainers, the respect of fellow jockeys and the admiration of race-goers. He has also had a few beers, a bit of fun and lots of laughs, enjoying life and loving racing. Colourful - including green hair on occasions - and sometimes outlandish, Noel has stood out for his singular riding style, his optimism, commitment, sense of humour and straight-shooting sincerity. Racing is a game of wins and losses, highs and lows, and in this book, Noel takes us on the rollercoaster, from growing up in a racing family and apprenticeship days in a wild and scary Singapore, the rides and races of the NZ and Australian racing calendars, and the trials, tribulations and triumphs of staying at the top. Noel gives us the goods on the horses, owners, trainers, jockeys, races and officials, friends and family - the emotions, experiences, anecdotes and accolades of a long and successful career.

Each of the All in the Day's Riding twelve chapters highlights a riding theme, from rodeos to round-ups. You'll read stories about drifting with the herd in a blizzard, Dusty's quest for the perfect horse, and the partnerships that form between cowboys an