RRI is pioneering adventure travel trips bring humanitarian aid to people in the beautiful and neglected villages of Rajasthan, in northern India. These trips are open to the public, meaning that those with an adventurous spirit and a desire to help others through service, can gain more than just a riding vacation through India, they can gain a new perspective, while helping others and seeing the world. In a recent interview, Alexander Souri shared with me his passion for helping others and his ... ...

In a recent interview, Diana Madaras tells us what drives her to paint animals and help them through her charity “Art for Animals.”

When I returned from that trip, the desire to paint was so strong that I knew I had to change my life and began plans to sell my marketing company. In 1996, three years after the trip to Greece, the sale of the company was consummated, and I became a full-time professional artist.

When I visited Sea Island last summer, I took a tour of their new equestrian facilities, which were almost complete. By the end, I was picking up real estate guides and ready to move on down. That was before the riding! Guests of The Cloister, The Lodge at Sea Island and members of the Sea Island Club can take nature tours on horseback through the island's varied ecosystems, including salt marshes and dunes. Beach riding on Sea Island is fantastic, because the beaches are not normally cluttered ... ...

Well, I am sitting here with a sunburn after a very full day of beach riding on Sea Island. During my ride, Sarah, who was leading our small group of three down a wide sandy beach under a bright blue sky, said that it couldn't get any better than this. I have to agree.

Sea Island is one of the barrier islands off of Georgia's coast in a grouping known as the Golden Isles. The Sea Island Resort has been welcoming guests to the island retreat for generations, and people have been riding on the island ... ...

Today, I began my travel adventures on the East Coast, riding horses from the state of Georgia to the state of Vermont and filming for the Equitrekking™ television series.

Equitrekking is the first travel television series to explore the globe on horseback. Our new six-part series begins broadcasting nationally on Public Television in 2007. We're filming in high definition, in order to capture the beauty of the horses and scenery of each place that we visit.

We've already filmed in Ireland, New ... ...

Today was fantastic! I spent the day touring Georgia's Cumberland

Island with naturalist Fred Whitehead, who has an intimate knowledge of the island's "wild" horses and varied ecosystems.

Roughly the size of Manhattan, Cumberland is a small island off the southern Georgia coast and boasts 17.5 miles of pristine beaches. It is no more developed today that it was in the early 20th century, as large landowners and now the National Park Service have tightly regulated development on the island for over ... ...

I just got back from riding with Stacia Hendricks, a naturalist on Sea Island, who took me out for a nature ride on the beaches and into the varied ecosystems of Sea Island. I rode Charlie, a very large Belgian Draft horse. At almost 18 hands high, I would certainly be getting a bird's eye view of things during our journey.

We rode over the Black Banks River and hit the wooded trails that lead to the wide, sandy beaches of Sea Island. There is a rich diversity of bird life on Sea Island. We passed ... ...

Steve Davis, the Director of the University of Vermont Morgan Horse Farm, is a bundle of energy, whose passion for Morgans is evident from his handshake. We were joining Steve for a tour, and I was interested in meeting a foal or two.

Steve took us over to UVM Opie, a three-month old bay colt, who will be auctioned off in UVM’s yearly raffle in October. After seeing Opie, I purchased 10 raffle tickets.

Steve has been working at the UVM Morgan Horse Farm for over 34 years, so has had a hand in naming ... ...

If you ask a Cherokee tribal member how long they have lived in this area of Western North Carolina, they will say that they have always been here, that the Creator put them here. If you ask an archeologist or Dr. Barbara Duncan, like we did, she will say that evidence dates the Cherokee as having been here for thousands of years. No matter what you believe, the Cherokee have been in Western North Carolina for a long time. They have deep rooted traditions and culture and a great history with horses. ... ...

Today we enjoyed riding in the Great Smoky Mountains with tribal members from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. I rode a Tennessee Walking horse, which was a first, and really liked its smooth gliding gait through the shaded mountain trails.

Forrest and his wife, Ashley, who train Tennessee Walking horses and are lifelong riders, let me, Doug and Chip (our crew) borrow horses for the ride. We would be riding and filming, which would be a logistical challenge on steep and rocky mountain trails. ... ...

So today, I took a break from the saddle to explore downtown Asheville's arts, restaurants and shopping and spend the afternoon rock climbing at Chimney Rock Park. No, I have never gone rock climbing before, and yes, I am still in one piece. It was a lot of fun and certainly a challenge.

Asheville is a nice mix of urban culture in a small area. We used the Chestnut Street Inn as our jumping off point. The Chestnut Street Inn is owned by a young couple, Eddie and Jesse, who had great recommendations ... ...

Today I went horseback riding on the Biltmore Estate, enjoying the grounds, trails and horses from an insider's perspective. It was a hot day in Asheville, NC, and with dry roads, we kicked up a lot of dust as we headed over to the equestrian center.

If you want to ride at the Biltmore, you can enjoy over 100 miles of surrounding Appalachian trails and many choices. Anyone can take a Western style trail ride at the Biltmore. Riders can also bring their horses to board at the stables and enjoy thetrails, ... ...

I am frequently asked to speak or write about safety for riders. Of all the tips I offer for anyone anywhere, the most basic applies to every rider every time you saddle up: Wear a helmet. Read more.

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 ... ...

"Sometimes you wonder why they all bunch up into cities, when there's all of this,” observes Ron Schaefer, head cowboy at Rancho de la Osa, as we look out over miles of high desert and the small twin border towns of Sasabe, Mexico and Sasabe, Arizona. We had raced on horseback against the setting sun, Ron in the lead, eager to show me this view in the afternoon light from atop the highest peak in the area.

At that this time of day, the beautiful setting sun filters through the mesquite trees and ... ...

Bryce Canyon National Park is a place that I’ve always wanted to explore. I was fortunate to be guided by “The Kid,” a black Quarter Horse who’s ridden the Rim Trail a thousand times. That’s the kind of guide I want when I am seeing a new place. A veteran - an expert - someone in great shape and knows exactly what potholes to avoid on the trail to get me safely through the journey. It seems I had found the perfect horse for the job. At a juncture by the Queen’s Garden, where the canyon ... ...

I take a deep breath and stare at the glacier-capped Wind River Mountains. My Quarter Horse Hank has probably seen this view a hundred times, but he stands quietly while I try to take it all in. I’m at Wyoming’s T Cross Ranch, riding out amongst the low sagebrush and honey colored grass and feeling at peace with the world.

My cell phone can’t intrude because it doesn’t work here. I don’t need to check my email and there is no pressure to hurry back to the ranch for the 6 o’clock news. ... ...

On a recent trail ride in the town of Cave Creek, outside of Phoenix, Arizona, the need to preserve riding trails, not only in natural areas but in our own backyard, was once again brought to my attention. Riding with trails preservationists and Cave Creek residents Terry Smith and Don and Cathy Peterson, who have mapped trails in the Cave Creek area and beyond, I was struck by their passion for incorporating horses and western lifestyle into their community. It made me wonder what more we can do ... ...

Everywhere I travel, someone has a different and sometimes a remarkable take on how to ride and how to communicate with horses. I always listen to what each person has to say about their horses before I mount up. People train their horses in different ways. Whether they cluck to get their horse to change gears or give a slight nudge with their legs or both, they are communicating what they want to their equine partner. Some people use more subtle cues, but no matter how different they seem, theyall ... ...

If you’ve ever been on a roller coaster, then you have a small inkling of what it feels like to ride a cutting horse. It was my first time and I was holding onto the horn of my saddle for dear life as Leana with Style an eight-year-old championship cutter, threw me around the area while she chased a black cow. Leana with Style is trained to go after that cow, and I was trying to stay on her back while not getting in her way.

I was participating in Dream Week at the Colorado Cattle Company, a ... ...