Equitrekking Season FIve Sneak Peak

We are hard at work editing the new fifth season of Equitrekking for its spring debut on Public Television. Here's a preview of the horse adventures you may watch in 2010.

In Equitrekking's Fifth Season, host Darley Newman takes travelers to Uruguay, Jordan, Alberta, Turkey and beyond to experience horses, history and culture.

Special highlights of the Jordan episodes include an interview with HRH Princess Alia at the Royal Stables in Amman, riding horses with the Bedouin in the Wadi Rum Desert, exploring the ancient city of Petra by horse, camel and on foot, floating in the Dead Sea, Mount Nebo, Madaba and Wadi Mujib.

In Equitrekking Uruguay, Darley rides with the gauchos at three different ranches, horse rides on the beach, visits Montevideo and Punta del Este and explores local customs and history in this small South American country.

Equitrekking Alberta takes viewers to the Canadian Rockies on a pack trip into Banff National Park, riding to high altitudes with a longtime outfitter in Kananaskis, to a historic ranch outside of Calgary and to the Calgary Stampede.

Equitrekking Turkey finds Darley exploring the ghost town of Kakakoy on the Mediterranean Coast, hiking the chilly waters of Saklikent Gorge, exploring the Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace in bustling Istanbul, and horse riding and eating local cuisine in Cappadocia.

Red Church, Turkey

Today we visited the Red Church, a historic 6th century church that my friend Ahmet Diler of Kirkit Voyage is working to save. Ahmet took us on a tour and we interviewed him about his efforts. Since we at Equitrekking are into preserving historic structures (we like to visit them ; ), we were especially interested in this beautiful church. The church has caught the attention of the World Monuments Fund who in 2008 listed the Red Church on its watch list of the 100 most endangered sites.

I particularly like the setting. It's right outside of one of my favorite villages in Turkey, Guzelyurt. The church stands alone amid these beautiful open fields, cut by old stone fences. Beside the church lies an old pilgrimage road that leads from Istanbul to Jerusalem. It's quite a setting and the architecture of the church is spectacular. Here's more information on Ahmet's efforts.

Next stop Jordan

Our crew is busy getting ready to travel to Jordan for a two-week film shoot. I just took a break from my research. We'll film two episodes that include horseback riding in the Wadi Rum Desert, Bedouin culture, visiting Petra, a feature on Arabian horses at the Royal Stables, the Dead Sea and more. I am so excited. Immediately after, we'll travel back to Cappadocia, Turkey to film a second episode that includes Cappadocia, Istanbul and Turkey's Mediterranean Coast. Stay turned for some exotic blog postings from the desert in the coming weeks!

Equitrekking Bloopers and Tweets

I've just added some fun Behind the Scenes and Bloopers videos to Equitrekking.com and EquitrekkingTV on YouTube.

In honor of our Director of Photography Greg Barna getting nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Single Camera Photography for Equitrekking, check out the Greg Barna video on YouTube. You'll see a bit more about how we film Equitrekking on horseback.

In Belize, we had an interesting experience finding medicinal remedies on horseback with local Albert Garbutt, so that's up on YouTube as well.

Finally, I had to add this clip from filming in the underground city in Guzelyurt, Turkey at Equitrekking.com and YouTube. When the lights went out and I was two stories underground, my heart definitely skipped a few beats.

Also, I've just started Tweeting. You may follow me on Twitter @DarleyNewman.