Backcountry Riding in Alberta

During my research on riding in Alberta in preparation for an upcoming Equitrekking film shoot, I was fortunate to be able to speak with Pam Asheton, author of “Alberta Backcountry Equestrian One-Day Trail Guide” and a former British Horse Society certified teacher and rider with over 30 years experience.

I just posted my interview with Pam here, Backcountry Riding in Alberta. It has some helpful suggestions for Alberta trails and backcountry safety tips.

Icelandair Grand Prize Trip Countdown

For the past year, we've been giving away free round trip plane tickets to Iceland, courtesy of our sponsor, Icelandair. Well, now it's time to pick the Grand Prize. Only seven days remain until we pick the Grand Prize winner, who receives roundtrip travel on Icelandair to Reykjavik, Iceland (winner and companion - 2 tickets) to ride horses on a Viking Horse Safari for 2 provided by Ishestar, a Blue Lagoon Tour for 2 and more.

Find out more and sign up at Equitrekking.com

Mongol Derby

I've heard from Long Riders in the past who have taken amazing treks on horseback. To be in The Long Riders Guild, one has to have "ridden more than 1,000 continuous miles on a single equestrian journey." That's no small feat!

Yesterday, a friend emailed me about The Mongol Derby, an extreme horse race this summer (starting Aug 22) in Mongolia. 25 riders are going to race 1000 kilometers through Mongolia. They'll be riding those strong, tough Mongolian horses and changing horses every 30 to 40 km. The website makes it sound downright dangerous, which if you could imagine, it probably is. I know I'd love to ride in Mongolia, but trust me, when I go it will be a much more leisurely ride.

Equitrekking Bloopers

Just added new, never before seen Equitrekking bloopers from the PBS series to Equitrekking's YouTube Channel. Check it out. Also, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @DarleyNewman. Tweeting can be addictive.

Athens, Ohio Equitrekking marathon

Athens, Ohio, tune in all this week at 7:30pm for an Equitrekking marathon on WOUB, Public TV from Ohio University, to watch Equitrekking episodes from Belize, Texas, Southern Quebec, Utah and Costa Rica.

Dressage in Spain Videos on Equitrekking.com

We've just posted three new video clips on Equitrekking.com including "Dressage in Spain Part 1 and 2, where I had a dressage lesson at Epona in Andalucia with Vivi Garcia. I rode a beautiful white Andalusian horse named Napoleon. It was a challenge, but amazing to feel the movements when I was able to cue Napoleon (with Vivi's help).

There's also a video on riding in the Alpujarras, a beautiful mountainous area of white washed villages.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @darleynewman. We just designed a fun background.

Equitrekking Season 4 DVD Released

Equitrekking's season four DVD, featuring horseback riding adventures in Southern Spain, Alaska, Central Turkey, Scotland, Wales and Quebec City and Beyond is now available. You may order online at ShopDarley.com or WMHT's website, a PBS station in New York. It's a two-disc set of beautiful episodes.