Equitrekking Video Podcast on iTunes

Check out my new video podcast in the iTunes music store. For free, you can get tips on great horseback riding destinations and great horses around the world, behind the scenes of our PBS travel series, and more.

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Capitol Reef National Park, UT

Today I went riding in Captiol Reef National Park with Pat Kearney of Hondoo Rivers and Trails, who has been leading riders for over 30 years in this part of Utah. Pat has great horses and is super knowledgeable on the area and its history. I rode Sawdust, an 8-year-old buckskin Quarter Horse Thoroughbred mix. Sawdust was an angel on our ride, especially considering it was her first ride since winter! We actually drove through a snowstorm down scenic Hwy 12 to get to Capitol Reef. The scenery changed a lot along 12, which is classified as a Scenic Byway, and a great road to meander along, stopping at the scenic lookouts along the way.

As we rode, Pat told me all about the Native Americans, outlaws and Morman pioneers who rode through and settled Capitol Reef, called “Land of the Sleeping Rainbow.” The colors of the rocks and cliffs here are striking. We rode to petroglyphs created by the Fremont people, ancient Native Americans who lived in the area. Pioneers saw it fit to sign in here too and Pat told some stories from their journals. Surrounded by tall canyons on each ride of us, we were riding through a spot where people still move cattle. This park has a lot of history. Butch Cassidy is thought to have hidden out here, Native Americans, pioneers and now we have the chance to see it all on horseback.

Morgan Horse Video Clip online

I have just posted a Morgan Horse video clip on Equitrekking.com. We shot this in Vermont. We visited the University of Vermont Morgan Horse Farm and interviewed the farm's director Steve Davis. We also interviewed Kathy Furr at the National Museum of the Morgan Horse. Check it out!

Rio Frio Cave, Belize

Today Ronnie, a guide from Blancaneaux Lodge, took me on a nature hike to Rio Frio Cave. The cave is on the way to Caracol, another big Maya site. We passed some armed guards on the way. Apparently, at some point, some tourists were robbed at gunpoint on the way to Caracol, so now they send escorts with some tourists to get them safely there.
I felt like Indiana Jones as we hiked to the cave. Ronnie pointed out different trees and their uses, including the Sapodilla tree from which chicle is harvested. Found in tropical rainforests, the chicle from this tree was harvested to make gum products like Chicklets.

At the large entrance to Rio Frio Cave, stalagmites hung from the ceiling. The cave is interesting as you can see clear to the other side. Ronnie tells me that caves, like this one, were sacred to the Maya. They believed that it was a gateway to Xibalba or the underworld. Sacrifices would have been carried out here, making it a little eerie to walk into the cave.
Next, we got back on our horses and rode to a secluded waterfall on horseback. We rode through a secondary forest, where a guide from Blancaneaux pointed out plants used to build the thatched roofs that are so popular in Belize. We ate beside the falls and could have gone swimming, but I opted not to today. I would be heading for the pool back at the lodge once off horseback and enjoying a great pasta for dinner.

Blancaneaux Lodge, Belize

Owned by famous director Frances Ford Coppola, Blancaneaux Lodge is a beautiful, Hollywood-esque resort in the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve in Belize. The horses are wonderful here and though the forest has been decimated by a beetle in recent years, there are some beautiful natural swimming holes and waterfalls to which you may ride.

The resort is eco-friendly. The Privassion River provides hydroelectric power to the resort. Fruits, vegetables and flowers are grown in a beautiful organic garden. There are two restaurants from which to choose. One has Guatemalan food and the other has Italian. Horses are born and raised at the lodge. They found that they were not able to get the type of horses that they wanted in Belize so have started to breed horses here at the stables themselves. In Belize, the Mennonite community uses a lot of horses and Belizeans do too. When the rainy season comes, many dirt roads turn to mud, so horses, not cars, are used to get around.

We headed out with Eddie on a ride to Big Rock Falls. These waterfalls are beautiful and secluded. After a long ride there, we tied up our horses and hiked down to the falls to swim in the cool waters.

Virginia Hunt Country Stable Tour

The weather was just perfect as my friends and I set off for Upperville, Virginia to begin the annual Hunt Country Stable Tour, a self-driven once a year tour that would take us into some of Hunt Country’s most illustrious stables and training facilities. We started at Upperville in the morning, planning to work our way back to Middleburg in time for lunch. I knew that we were in for some beautiful farms and horses, but didn’t expect the diversity of demonstrations and other animals that we would see on our day in Hunt Country.

Trappe Hill Farm was our first stop. Located a ways down a side road off of Route 50, this farm has about 30 horses, which are trained for racing (on the flat and steeplechasing), foxhunting and endurance riding. They also had a couple of foals that were adorable. Though we missed the swimming demonstration, there is a pond outside where the horses do swim. On the tour, the Northern Virginia Animal Swim Center and Stables also has a pool, used for conditioning and rehabilitating horses.
Though Trappe Hill was our first stop, I already wanted to stake a claim to one of the lawn chairs in the shade of a willow tree beside the pond and spend the afternoon in this calming environment. It’s being on an idyllic farm like Trappe Hill that made my friends and I want to leave the city behind!

Next we headed down the road to Fox View Farm, where a crowd had gathered to see Laura Cramer and Sandra Conchar, the National Side Saddle Champion for 2006, jump fences riding side saddle. That was pretty neat to see, as I have seen photos of people riding side saddle before, but never seen them jump in person. It seems like one would feel so unbalanced and up close looks like a difficult discipline. A crowd gathered at Fox
We also visited the beautiful stables at Rokeby, owned by the Mellon family. This farm has produced Derby and Belmont winners. The stables are very open and clean. Horses here have views of bright green rolling Virginia grassland and lots of fresh air. They also produce some spectacular cheese in their dairy and beagles for beagling, a sport from Great Britain. Ah to be a horse at Rokeby!

Before dining at the historic Red Fox Inn in Middleburg, we made one more stop at Heronwood Farm, where the main attraction for us wasn’t the horses. At Heronwood, besides breeding award-winning thoroughbreds, they breed alpacas. You know, those funny looking animals whose hair is used to make warm sweaters and scarves.

All in all, the stable tour was definitely more than just thoroughbred farms, it was a quirky and diverse and a beautiful way to spend the day.

Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Video Clip

In light of the recent public concern over the health and safety of thoroughbred race horses, we thought that this month would be a good one to highlight some positive stories surrounding former thoroughbred race horses. On a recent trip to Kentucky to film a new Equitrekking episode, we visited the Secretariat Center, a Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Facility, and met a very special horse, King D. In this online video clip, Suzanna Thomas teaches us about her work at the center and how horses like King D are getting a second chance at a career away from the horse-track and a second chance at life. Watch "Secretariat Center" Video On Our Homepage...

Costa Rica Cabalgata

Today we rode in a Cabalgata with Monica, Esteban, Sebastian and a few other riders from Centaura. These fundraising horse days happen every weekend during the summer all over Costa Rica. People gather in a fair like setting and pay a fee to have food, refreshments, entertainment and horseback ride with hundreds and thousands of local people through local farms and land. Our Cabalgata was in the small town of Los Lirios and consisted of a couple hundred people on horseback. There was music, great food and it was quite the wild ride.

The nice thing about a Cabalgata as Monica explained to me is that everyone rides together, regardless of social status or class. Whole families, young and old, ride their horses with each other.

The start of the Cabalgata reminded me of a state fair or amusement park. There were rides for kids, cotton candy, grilled meats, churros and more. People were singing karaoke and prizes were raffled off.

We got on our horses and began the ride down the road. Local farmers open their lands so that riders can cross during the Cabalgata. I was on Perla, a beautiful bay horse that is very smooth. People act crazy in the Cabalgata and they also drink heavily while riding. Motorcycles and mixed with cars and horses, something that I wouldn’t normally think would be good for the horses, but they are totally used to it and nothing seemed to phase them at all. Motorcycles raced by me on Perla and she didn’t even flinch. These are like super horses. They are really well trained and tough, but also very responsive and ready to ride. I was riding Perla, as I had ridden all of the horses here, without a bit, which is really nice and helps to keep the horses responsive.

My favorite lady was this older woman, who was dressed up in black pants and sandals and carrying her purse with her as she rode. You see all kinds at the Cabalgata, including the drunken man who fell off his horse and the children, dressed to the nines in their western wear. I saw dancing horses, who were trained to trot when music was played and since music was a major part of the day as well, these horses were trotting around.

Monica has been to lots of Cabalgatas, so many that she has lost count. She brings her whole family and they ride together, which is nice. The Cabalgata is like no trail ride in the U.S. Yes, it doesn’t exactly follow the safety rules of riding, but it’s a great event that brings communities together for a good, fun cause.