Equitrekking Episodes
Carolinas
There are over 100 miles of Appalachian trails surrounding the Biltmore Estate which we explore on horseback, much as guests of George Vanderbilt would have during the Gilded Age. The Biltmore Equestrian Center focuses on natural horsemanship, which helps riders learn how to communicate with their equine partners. We see some resident horses in training and learn why natural horsemanship is a powerful method of understanding horses. ...
Colorado
At the Colorado Cattle Company in Northern Colorado, we participate in “Dream Week,” learning to ride championship cutting horses with cutting horse expert Teddy Johnson. ...
Georgia Coast
On Sea Island, we experience many people’s dream of riding horses on the beach, take a nature ride with naturalist Stacia Hendricks and try what the island natives call swim riding. ...
Spain
We begin our adventures at Cortijo El Esparragal, an estate and working farm outside of Seville that dates back to the Bronze Age. We ride prize-winning Andalusians on the farm to learn about the purpose and history of the Spanish Vaquera style of riding. Next we enjoy a sunset ride outside of Segovia and visit the castles and Roman aqueducts in the central region of Segovia. ...
Vermont
We visit the Mountain Top Inn outside of Killington to explore the area’s trails and learn the art of driving with two large Clydesdales. ...
Wyoming
Equitrekking begins at UXU Ranch for scenic and challenging riding on surefooted horses in the Shoshone National Forest. We ride by the majestic hoodoos and up to high elevations to take in views of colorful canyons, glaciers and mountain tops. ...
California Wine Country
The diverse beauty of Sonoma is experienced riding through Redwoods, a vineyard, crashing waves on Northern California beaches and the golden meadows of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. ...
Coastal Ireland
We ride the mountains of the Cooley Peninsula and discover the medieval town of Carlingford. We ride the Smuggler’s Road and go beach riding and surfing in Donegal. In Connemara, we ride to mythical Omey Island, check out Galway and learn about the Connemara Pony, the area’s native breed. ...
Hawaii's Big Isand
We ride with paniolos, Hawaiian cowboys, at Parker Ranch and Kahua Ranch, both working cattle ranches in Waimea, the Big Island’s cowboy country. Next we venture down into Waipi’o Valley, the Valley of the Kings, one of the most remote and sacred spots on the Big Island and home to a unique breed of wild horses. ...
Iceland
From hot pots to horse drives, we experience the smooth gait of the Icelandic horses on rides with farmers and an Icelandic champion rider, traveling to lava fields, lakes and waterfalls. ...
Irish Countryside
We explore some of Ireland’s most popular and historic sights, including the Ring of Kerry, a Celtic tomb in County Clare, Mount Juliet Estate, the Irish National Stud, and the monastic settlement of Glendalough. ...
Maui
We ride from the summit to the floor of the crater of a volcano at Haleakala National Park, explore the cowboy town of Makawao and nearby Piiholo Ranch, learn about ancient Hawaii in the rainforests of Kipahulu, and take a sunset ride in the West Maui Mountains. ...
Virginia Hunt Country
American history comes alive as we tour historic Virginia Hunt Country. We visit Middleburg and attend a steeplechase, ride amid Longhorn Cattle at Marriott Ranch, learn to play polo, experience Civil War history on horseback and meet Civil War rein-actors. ...
Arizona
We travel from Northeastern Arizona down to the border of Mexico, as we explore the diversity of this southwestern state. Down by the border of Mexico, we ride at a 300-year-old hacienda style ranch in the high Sonoran desert with a real cowboy guide. We ride to the highest peak in the area to take in views of the rolling hills of Mexico. Outside of Phoenix, we ride old gold mining routes and pan for gold with a modern day prospector in the Bradshaw Mountains. Next, we ride from a horse friendly bed and breakfast into the town of Cave Creek. This town is unique, as you can ride your horse instead of driving a car into town. We tie up our horses to a hitching post at a cowboy hangout for lunch, where we learn to cook a peach cobbler, Dutch oven style. Finally, we’re led through snow covered Canyon de Chelly with Navajo guide Lee Bigwater, taking in the petroglyphs and cliff dwellings left by the Ancient Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi. ...
Belize
We visit the Cayo and Mountain Pine Ridge Districts of Belize, exploring Maya sites and caves and a variety of jungle lodges. Who knew that you could find a horse ranch in Belize? We ride some of the 100 horses at Banana Bank Lodge, a farm and ranch near the capitol city of Belmopan, with former Montana resident John Carr. Next we take on the jungle with Albert Garbutt, who points out medicinal plants that Belizeans use to treat everything from diabetes to sunburns. We climb high at the ancient Maya city of Xunantunich, near the border of Guatemala, before exploring Rio Frio Cave, where the Maya scarified everything from precious stones to humans. Blancaneaux Lodge, owned by famous director, Francis Ford Coppola, welcomes guests to experience an eco-friendly, self-sustaining resort in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. At Blancaneaux, fruits and vegetables are grown in an organic garden, the Privassion River provides hydroelectric power to the resort and horses are born and raised. We take a ride to Big Rock Falls, where we escape the heat of the jungle by taking a dip under a cool waterfall. At Mountain Equestrian Trails, we ride into the jungle to a wide field of wildflowers, great for riding fast on horseback, and a small, secret waterfall. At night, we fall asleep to the sounds of nature in our eco-friendly jungle cabana. ...
Costa Rica
We discover Pacific Coast beaches and the fertile farmland and lush forests of the San Carlos Valley as we ride Costa Rica. Mixing horseback riding with tree climbing and hot air ballooning, we capture the true spirit of adventure in Costa Rica. Riding gaited Paso Fino and Peruvian horses, we make a trek to the famously furious Arenal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. As smoke billows off the flowing lava, we ride among lava rocks from the 1968 eruption. Next, we travel to the beach, taking in Costa Rica’s extreme biodiversity as we spot scarlet macaws, crocodiles and iguanas, right alongside the road. We live every rider’s dream by taking a sunset ride on the beach, before heading back to San Carlos to climb a ten-story tree! Next, we enjoy getting in touch with the local culture, by riding in a Cabalgata, a horse festival where hundreds and sometimes tens of thousands of local Costa Ricans open up their farms so that riders can pass through them in a wild trail ride. We visit a frog sanctuary to view rare frogs, like the red-eyed tree Frog, and ride horses to a spot where howler monkeys make their home in the trees. Finally, we hear the rainforest wake up as we fly above it in a hot air balloon at dawn. ...
Kentucky
Kentucky is a state well known for its horses. We discover wildflowers, the old mill site and rolling green hills on the trails at Shaker Village on horseback. With Shaker Village’s naturalist, we get the rare chance to ride horses through the center of this well-preserved historic village. We learn about Kentucky’s agricultural past on a ride on smooth Tennessee Walking horses with a local resident, who is proud of her multi-generational farm and its heritage. We take on the trails at Land Between the Lakes and Barren River State Park in Western Kentucky, imagining what this land looked like at a time when Native Americans and buffalo roamed the tall grasslands of Kentucky. In Lexington, we see diverse breeds at the Kentucky Horse Park and attend a fast-paced, world-class equestrian competition. We also visit a Thoroughbred rehabilitation center, where horses from the racetrack are rehabilitated so that they may find new homes. We meet a very special horse, King D, who has made a positive change and is on the road to finding a new home. ...
Southern Quebec
Who knew you could horseback ride through the winter snow in Quebec? We explore snowy trails by horses, skis and dogsleds in the Eastern Townships, St. Alphonse-Rodriguez and Mont Tremblant. We learn about the French, British and American influences in the Eastern Townships by riding with Jacques Robidas. Jacques leads us through snow-covered trails on horseback, before teaching Darley how to drive a horse-drawn sleigh. As snow cascades down, we experience the picture perfect horse-drawn sleigh ride. Next, we explore the city of Montreal, sampling some French pastries in Old Montreal and getting an insiders look at the Canadian horses in Mont Royal Park, akin to New York’s Central Park. We’re introduced to Diablo, a stunning, black Canadian horse who patrols the park and the city. In Mont Tremblant we take a ski lesson, which ends in the picturesque village. We taste poutine, a Québec comfort food, before experiencing an exciting dogsled adventure. At Ranch Mont Tremblant, we ride in the backcountry, experiencing the thrill of sinking into powdery snow off the trails. Finally, we visit the family owned Ranch 4 Saisons, where we horseback ride and slide in this hilly area. ...
Texas
We explore Texas Hill Country, Fort Worth and North Texas, as we ride with modern day cowboys to learn about Texas horse culture. At Wildcatter Ranch, we feed giant longhorn cattle, before attempting to drive a wild group of fresh cattle across a stream. We explore the rich oil history of this area with guide Jay Brewer, who gives a genuine feel for this area where he grew up and that he loves dearly. Since everything is bigger in Texas, we learn how to season a big Texas steak- the best part being the taste test- at Wildcatter Ranch’s restaurant. In Texas Hill Country, we ride at two different ranches to experience the trails in the Hill Country Natural Area, a popular place for locals and visitors to ride horses. We head to Fort Worth to attend the Fort Worth Stock Show, see the twice-daily cattle drive through the city streets and visit the National Cowgirl Museum % 26 Hall of Fame. ...
Utah
We take on Utah’s great outdoors as we ride at national and state parks throughout the state, including Bryce Canyon, Snow Canyon, Capitol Reef and Antelope Island. We begin the episode on a ride into beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park to see the stunning hoodoos, sprinkled with a frosting of snow. We learn about the history of the pioneers as we wrangle bison on historic Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake. Antelope, bison and a variety of wildlife roam this island, now a state park, with views of the stunning snow covered Rocky Mountains and Salt Lake City. After taking our time to drive scenic Highway 12, and we ride in lesser-visited Snow Canyon State Park through desert-like expanses with lava flows and towering white sandstone canyons outside of the city of St. George. Next, we experience Native American history on a ride to see petroglyphs and other rock art in colorful Capitol Reef National Park. ...
