Virginia Riding and The Radio

This weekend, I ventured down to Northern Virigina to ride with my step-mom, Diane, on her sister Peggy's farm. I also had my third appearance on Jane DeGrow's The Travel Queen Show on Michigan Talk Radio. Jane DeGrow is a fellow horse and travel lover, so we always enjoy talking about new places to ride and sharing tips. You can listen to the show online. I'm in hour one, so please tune in.

The weather on Friday was bitter, so instead of riding, we visited with two of Peggy's pregnant mares, Mirror and Jazz. Mirror is certainly a pregnant prima donna and received lots of treats from us. Peggy breeds Dutch Warmbloods and has a great set up at Night Fall Farms in Warrenton, VA. Their family grew up in the area, so Diane grew up riding horses in Warrenton and showing hunter and jumpers.

Peggy is into dressage, so on Saturday, when Diane and I rode Summer, a ten year-old Dutch Warmblood, and Diablo, a three year-old, I rode in a dressage saddle. I had a little trouble adjusting to it at first, and will remember to bring my saddle next time. Diane took it easy on Diablo, who is almost four, still young, and just starting with some training.

Driving back north through Warrenton, I took it slow, so that I could admire the many horses and horse farms from afar and also cruise through downtown. Granted, I took a few wrong turns on the way back home, but that can be one of the best parts of traveling- discovering something that you never knew was there before.

Ireland Horseback Riding

We are busy planning our next set of film shoots for this spring. In May, we will head to Ireland to film two new episodes. We filmed our very first episode in Ireland and are excited to return to discover more riding opportunities, because there are A LOT in Ireland.

On our first film trip, we visited Clonshire Equestrian Centre outside of Adare, where Sue Foley (a champion hunter competitor who has won at the famous Dublin Horse Show), gave us some training tips. You can read about it here and watch a video clip on our homepage.

We also interviewed legendary horseman and Willie Leahy and visited the Dartfield Horse Museum to learn about Irish Sport Horses, Connemara Ponies and more.

Finally, we visited a small B&B, Ballycormac House, where John Lang took us trekking through Tipperary County and Ireland's lush green countryside.

Many of you have probably taken a trip to Ireland or know someone who has. If any of you have been to great riding destinations in Ireland, please let us know. Also, let us know if there are other places that you would like to see on Equitrekking.

For those of you who are new to the blog, please check out the destinations we have visited in the past months including: Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, the Georgia Coast, the Carolinas and Vermont. Happy Trails!

Happy New Year

Happy holidays and Happy New Year! I spent this holiday season with family in Connecticut, which was great because it meant I was closer to the stables where I ride and got in a few lessons. It didn't really feel like Christmas this year, because it was so warm. The New England horses must be confused with the weather switching from winter to spring-like temperatures so often this winter. I know that I am!

Besides having a good time riding, I also received a few thoughtful gifts that I will share with you. After admiring an equine print by Diana Madaras on my recent riding vacation in Tucson, I was surprised to find the colorful horse print under the tree. Very cool! Madaras' art is different because she combines her passion for animals and art AND uses her art to support a non-profit called "Art for Animals" that helps animals who are homeless, ill or abused.

My uncle used the holidays as a chance to remind me to wear a helmet when riding through a framed cartoon that will be hanging on my office wall. I brought myself a book called "Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior" which a few friends have recommended. The book is written by Temple Grandin, an animal behavior expert and associate professor from Colorado State University who is also autistic, and Catherine Johnson, a science writer. The book is supposed to give greater insight into how animals think. I'll let you know how it is.

Hope that you all have a Happy New Year!