North Hatley, Driving a Horse Drawn Sleigh

Jacques Robidas got Mimi and Jackie, two Belgian Draught horses, ready for my driving lesson. I would be learning to drive a horse drawn sleigh- so nice in the winter snow! We took off at a good clip into the forest. Jackie and Mimi are related, Mimi being Jackie’s daughter, and get along like two peas in a pod. I had driven a cart in Vermont, so knew a few of the commands (haw go left and gee go right), but we stuck to staying straight on the trails for my first lesson. It is exhilarating to guide the horses and to hold that much power and be able to control it with your reins and voice. As a snowstorm blew in, we were able to get the full experience of being in a horse drawn sleigh.

For dinner, Jacques’ wife cooked up a delicious pastry filled with buffalo meat, zucchini, broccoli, couscous, salad with smoked salmon, bred with fresh homemade pesto, and cake for dessert. Everything was made with organic ingredients, making me feel healthy after a day on the trails.

After a cozy night in my cabin, I awoke to another great meal. Breakfast consisted of eggs, pancakes, potatoes and ham and spinach, black tea, and toast. We toured around the town, seeing a covered bridge and other New England architecture of the area.

Win a Trip to Iceland

We are excited to be giving away airline tickets to Iceland and a Grand Prize Trip to ride horses in Iceland, courtesy of our sponsor Icelandair. This is an ongoing contest. We will be picking one winner each quarter for four quarters (that means that you and a friend can fly to Iceland for free) with a final grand prize trip (for the winner and a friend) to ride horses and soak in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.

You may find out more and sign up to win at Equitrekking.com!

Mont Tremblant Dogsledding

Dogsledding is hard work. Who knew! I stood on the back of the sled with my guide, from Adventures Banquise, who was commanding the dogs. You have to balance yourself on these boards on the back of the sled and really shift your weight as you travel, especially around the turns. Nine huskies, led by Flipper, took us on a wild ride through the woods, across a vast lake and back. I was even able to lead at one point, with one foot on the break, so that we didn’t fly too fast. I was also in a mini accident near the end, when we took a turn and went off the trails and I was thrown from the sleigh into about five feet of snow. Pouf!

Ranch Mont Tremblant, Quebec

Josée and her husband started Ranch Mont Tremblant, a Western style guest ranch in the ski area of Mont Tremblant, 18 years ago. The ranch has a mountain lodge-like atmosphere, with warm fireplaces in the main lodge, which like all of the five buildings on the ranch property, was once a barn. Josée and her husband started small with the ranch and has continually expanded, moving horses and guests from barn to barn as they grew.

After a big breakfast, I didn’t want to leave the warm fire, but meandered over to the barn with Josee to meet my horse for the ride and my riding partner, Daniel Locas. Daniel would be riding Yanni and I would be on Judy, a mixed breed. Judy loved to go fast, but also listened very well, making her a pleasure to ride. We headed out onto the snowy, well groomed trails around the ranch, past the frozen Black Banks River with views of the beautiful Laurentian mountains all around. We varied groomed trails to choose from, but were also able to do some winter backcountry riding, off the trails. For a brief stretch, Yanni and Judy ploughed through the snow, leaving giant tracks in what was a pristine snow area. It was truly wild and cool!

For dinner, I had the best French onion soup that I have ever had. It really warmed me up after walking trotting and galloping on snowy trails in the mountains.

North Hatley, Quebec

Today we went horseback riding in an area of Quebec known as the Eastern Townships. This part of Quebec is close to the U.S. border and many of the townships were originally settled by Loyalists to the crown, who sympathizing with Britain, fled the Northern most colonies. The town of North Hatley is set on a beautiful lake. This sleepy hamlet is surrounded by small ski resorts and filled with French and American influences. Jacques Robidas, who offers horseback riding packages in North Hately, welcomed us for exceptional and healthy food and wonderful winter horseback riding. Jacques focuses on centered riding, and welcomes guests to learn to really connect with horses and wellness.

Jacques has about 20 horses and several cabins for guests looking to stay and ride in the area. I rode Tom, a 7-year-old Canadian mixed breed. Tom was wonderful and a good looking black horse. Jacques keeps his riding trails groomed in the winter and the horses have studs on their shoes, so that they can keep their traction on the snowy trails. We took off into the quiet woods, past an old sugar cabin and towards a large field, where we could try some faster trotting and cantering. Many of the trails are forested and many guests see deer and other wildlife along their trek. We were filming and thus only saw a few birds, as I think that we were too loud and lively and scared away the deer!

Wildcatter Ranch Trail Ride, TX

I just spent a couple of days riding and eating at Wildcatter Ranch outside of the small town of Graham, Texas. I was able to ride a couple of different trails with some nice trotting and cantering, as well as take part in a wild cattle drive. I say that it was wild, because we had fresh cattle, who hadn’t been worked a lot on horseback. A group of four of us led by the head wrangler Jay Brewer and trainers Casey and Kirsten were attempting to separate out about 20 of them from a crowd of 80 and ended up running through woods, prairies and even across a small stream, as we attempting to round them up.

My favorite part was making some noise and waving one arm to keep those wily cattle moving as our group of four moved them about. My horse for my stay, Rocket, was given that name for a reason. He was pretty laid back, but can run once you got him started… Wow! An eight-year-old Paint Horse, Rocket listened well and had a bit of attitude that I liked. He usually played well with the other horses, until we were cantering and he kicked his back legs into the air, attempting to take out Casey’s horse, the horse behind us. That kind of thing always happens so fast that you can hardly believe that it has happened, except that we caught it on high definition video, so you can actually see Rocket trying to rock the horse in back of us. Rocket and I kept our distance from Casey’s horse for the rest of the day.

Riding at the ranch is diverse. We headed through fields of tall grass and mesquite trees, towards hills of oaks and up to a point where you had great views of the Brazos and Cooper Rivers. There’s a lot of history in the area relating to Native Americans, 1920’s wildcatters looking for oil and the early frontiersmen who lived and worked here in Texas. You still ride by old oil tanks that are sprinkled throughout this part of Texas.

I am enjoying the fact that everything is bigger in Texas here, by eating awesome big steaks at the Wildcatter, staying in a big comfy room with a large roaring fire (ideal after a day on the range), riding on big ranches and taking in the big Texas horse culture. Stay tuned for more from Texas and beyond. Also, stay tuned for more adventures as continue filming 13 new episodes for Public Television.