tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286224782008-06-26T19:57:36.215-05:00EquiSearch.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671815112903432584noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-82499807232632645812008-06-23T09:16:00.003-05:002008-06-23T09:22:30.083-05:00

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. Check out the Equitrekking: Travels with Darley Podcast and subscribe.

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-46938769401908713952008-06-20T05:21:00.002-05:002008-06-20T05:23:54.663-05:00

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

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-83643791614326242842008-06-17T12:06:00.002-05:002008-06-17T12:09:28.256-05:00

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!

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-40619486278673111402008-06-17T10:43:00.003-05:002008-06-17T10:53:47.219-05:00

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.

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-24285978444389789682008-06-13T08:01:00.002-05:002008-06-13T08:04:04.738-05:00

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

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-3343732369448322812008-06-04T07:20:00.002-05:002008-06-04T07:22:37.520-05:00

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

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-86741888177550626102008-05-29T07:54:00.002-05:002008-05-29T08:01:32.813-05:00

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,

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-34350031091344027522008-05-21T10:00:00.001-05:002008-05-23T07:43:27.933-05:00

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

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-22446279216036703812008-05-19T09:45:00.000-05:002008-05-19T08:34:06.764-05:00

Today Monica and Sebastian of Centaura and I rode at the base of the very active Arenal volcano. We rode through rolling farmland dotted with cattle, who would feel the heat if Arenal were to have a major eruption. The area is pretty developed as a tourist attraction with hot springs, which we would visit, hotels, shops and even a Burger King. We stuck to the natural side of visiting the volcano

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-87377761552475050502008-05-14T07:00:00.000-05:002008-05-14T07:00:02.956-05:00

Today, Catalina, Esteban’s sister, and a guide for Serendipity Adventures, took me out tree climbing. We hiked into the rainforest to this giant Fichus tree named Abraham, so named because he watches over the entire forest. I would be climbing up 120 feet (think a 10-12 story building) to a large platform that would take me into the forest canopy. Climbing up was like climbing the rope in gym

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-28232027600204007872008-05-09T09:00:00.000-05:002008-05-09T09:00:01.855-05:00

Today, we went to a frog farm that is not open to the public with Esteban of Centaura. The owner, raises rare frogs, but the neat thing is that the frogs are left to hop along in the rainforest, so if you walk quietly through, you can spot many of these neon colored frogs . We stealthily walked through the rainforest in search of these small frogs. Beside the trails, there were a lot of them.

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-58931494209051846022008-05-06T21:43:00.003-05:002008-05-06T21:51:53.200-05:00

13 episodes of Equitrekking are starting on Sunday, May 11th in the Washington, DC area (reaching parts of Northern VIrginia and from DC to Baltimore, Maryland) on WHUT, Channel 32, on Sundays at 2:30pm! The series kicks off with Coastal Ireland this Sunday. Please tune in. You may read a quick interview from the DC Examiner about the upcoming series and check your local listings for other dates

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-23547173459087732672008-05-06T14:55:00.000-05:002008-05-06T14:55:02.008-05:00

Today, we took a sunset beach ride on the Central Pacific Coast, which was beautiful. Monica and Sebastian of Centaura and I headed off through flat marshland and pastures on the way to the beach. I was on Pinata and Monica rode Perla. The Pacific beaches are a bit more calm and less rocky than the Caribbean side beaches. Cantering and galloping along the beach is a freeing experience, once you

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-19584128032200734512008-05-04T14:40:00.000-05:002008-05-04T14:40:00.773-05:00

Today was my first riding day in Costa Rica. We started at the farm and Esteban of Centaura helped me pick out the horse that I would be riding. The horses here are different breed mixes. Some have more Paso Fino in them then others, meaning that they are gaited and very smooth. After trying a few horses, I settled on riding Pinata, an Appaloosa mixed with Peruvian Paso. Pinata is a wonderfully

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-47487853937039395982008-05-01T08:00:00.000-05:002008-05-01T07:28:41.110-05:00

We’re riding from the Pacific Coast to the interior with Centaura, a horseback riding adventure travel company run by Monica and Esteban, a Costa Rican husband and wife team, and Serendipity Adventures, an adventure travel company that offers a plethora of outdoor adventures around Costa Rica. Centaura’s horses are amazing. They are well trained, responsive and riders can have their pick based

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-63564618436058429102008-04-27T06:48:00.005-05:002008-04-27T06:59:57.308-05:00

We're in Kentucky, filming a half hour episode in various destinations across the state, including Lexington. I just left the Rolex Three-Day, one of the most exciting equestrian sporting events in the world. The horses and riders in this competition, especially Karen O'Connor and her horse, Theodore O'Conner, are truly amazing. I can't imagine the exhilaration they must feel as they take on

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-59906495771661542502008-04-14T14:23:00.000-05:002008-04-20T08:25:42.831-05:00

I haven’t been skiing in years. As a child, we used to go every winter, but I definitely did not have confidence in my abilities going out today at Mont Tremblant. So, I took a lesson, and it was like riding a bike. It was great. Braham, my instructor went through the basics again with me. He picked a nice, easy, long trail. On a normal run, it would have taken us 20 minutes to get down.

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-41646886056560837142008-04-09T08:30:00.000-05:002008-04-09T22:54:04.502-05:00

In Montreal, we were fortunate enough to be able to visit the mounted police in Quebec’s Mont Royal Park, which is like New York’s Central Park. There are twenty Canadian horses that the park police use when patrolling, not only the park, but the entire city. The horses and their stables are well taken care of. They ride all year round in the park, except when it is very, very cold and sleeting.

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-80463459054989447252008-03-28T08:20:00.001-05:002008-03-28T12:56:57.736-05:00

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

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-80349448545014287002008-03-24T09:27:00.002-05:002008-03-24T09:34:20.123-05:00

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

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-68333098789422538712008-03-23T14:26:00.003-05:002008-04-04T08:37:07.241-05:00

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

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-60197215709090871472008-03-23T08:32:00.007-05:002008-04-14T14:57:43.895-05:00

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

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-57432301717908652842008-03-18T23:03:00.000-05:002008-03-18T13:25:49.746-05:00

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

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-79356358603588431332008-03-13T10:13:00.000-05:002008-03-13T21:22:00.802-05:00

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

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28622478.post-16496808697883531902008-02-29T10:12:00.000-05:002008-02-29T12:31:11.428-05:00

We next went to the Fort Worth Stock Show (FW SSR), reputed to be the oldest stock show in the country. I was interested in seeing the Pony of Americas show, where ponies of all coat colors, including one that looked like a Dalmatian, were shown on a lead line. The little girls who led them were dressed in glitzy Western outfits. The stock show runs all month with lots of animals- cattle,

Darley Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06983029886353806838noreply@blogger.com