Back hurting? Moving a bit gingerly the day after a ride? Yoga stretches may be just the answer for better flexibility both on and off your horse.

YogaFit instructor and medical massage therapist Risa Jackinsky has developed a yoga program specifically for riders in partnership with the Mind and Body center at Hidden Creek Ranch in Harrison, Idaho. She is pleased to share a basic stretching program with Equitrekking.

Jackinsky grew up conditioning endurance horses. Her long-time passion for movement ... ...

We spent a night at Hacienda Pinsaqui, one of three centuries old Haciendas in Ecuador's northern Highlands for riding, fabulous food and a day at the famous Otavalo market. The drive from Quito was impressive in itself, winding through magnificent mountain farmlands. Pulling up to the whitewashed Spanish colonial Hacienda with its exquisite 200 year old gardens transforms you from the 21st century to the 18th, where a romantic bygone lifestyle awaits. Everywhere at Pinsaqui, the horse prevails. ... ...

The Pantanal is the world's largest wetland. It stretches 140,000 square miles throughout southern Brazil and into its bordering countries of Bolivia and Paraguay. Teeming with wildlife, it is home to 95 species of mammals, 165 species of reptiles, 263 fish species and 665 species of birds. During the rainy season, flooding is rampant and a significant portion of the land mass is underwater. Cattle ranching is the number one industry in the Pantanal and the Pantaneiro cowboy the backbone ofthat ... ...

Yes ma'am, mounting up to ride in the land of the bible, and the view from the back of a horse is mighty fine.

Horses have been part of the Holy Land's history since ancient times. Yet recreational riding in modern-day Israel is a relatively new industry, and by all reports, it's a sport that is booming. Riding clubs are popping up all over the country. Cowboy competitions are drawing crowds and people are paying attention to the importance of breeding for major competitive disciplines. Reining, ... ...

Sergeant Stephen Cava is my guide at the stables, a tall affable soldier in his mid-twenties, who had the honor of riding in President Reagan's funeral. He is from New Jersey, and like most of the riders in the Caisson platoon, had little riding experience before joining the army.

Volunteers for the Caisson platoon need to be soldiers first, says Cava. We prefer that they have no riding experience. We put each solider through an intense ten week training course. Training begins on the ground learning ... ...

Photo Credit Spanish Riding School, Vienna

Tradition, history and grandeur reign supreme at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Dating from the 1500s it is the oldest riding school in the world, and home to the world famous Lipizzaner Stallions. The horses are trained and presented according to the highest principles and purest form of the classical art of riding. This extraordinary training has been handed down exclusively in an oral tradition from rider to rider for over 450 years, transforming ... ...

Cowboy luxury

Our few days at the Bar W Ranch in Whitefish, Montana offered surprising experiences at every turn. First was the lodge. This wasn't a rustic mountain lodge, by any means. It was originally a luxurious home, nestled on a 100 acre state of the art Arabian horse ranch, with its own private lake that backed up to a 3200 acre state park, and thousands of national forest acreage just a trailer ride away. We had the master suite with a Jacuzzi tub that overlooked the pastures, pine forests ... ...

By, Susan Seligman

Working in conjunction with Walter Reed Army hospital and North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) trained therapeutic riding instructor Mary Jo Beckham, the Caisson horses have been put into service as therapy horses. The effort has gained national attention and a new lease on life for wounded soldiers returning from Iraq.

"The therapeutic riding program has brought out Natasha", says Mary Jo Beckham. "Here's a photo of the first day of the program. Natasha ... ...