Ireland- Mount Juliet Cross Country

I was back at Mount Juliet Estate today, a beautiful old Irish estate in Thomastown, Ireland. Up until the 1980’s, not too long ago, Mount Juliet was a private residence, complete with a staff of around 100. Last time I rode here was when we filmed Equitrekking Irish Countryside, in… Read more »

Ireland- Ring of Kerry Mountains and lakes

  I’m back on the Ring of Kerry equestrian vacation ride, which we filmed for Equitrekking’s Irish Countryside episode. Today we’re riding by the mountains and lakes, high above the main road. Stephanie, our riding guide, is taking Julie and I through this beautiful area of Ireland on strong Irish horses. I’m on Aladdin,… Read more »

Ireland- The Burren and Cliffs of Moher

  Bertie and Nicola, our hosts in County Clare for the Galway & Clare Riding Adventures, took us to the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular natural wonder on Ireland’s coast. If you ride on the progressive or post to post Galway Clare Riding Adventure, you can take on a six… Read more »

Equitrekking in “USA Today”

  I'm in Ireland, but had to interrupt my Ireland postings to show you an article that just came out in the Travel section of USA Today, 10 great places to go horseback riding. I was interviewed about my top picks for 10 great, accessible day rides in the United States.… Read more »

Ireland- Galway & Clare Riding with Darley and Julie

Julie and I arrived for the Galway County Clare Riding Adventure at An Sibin in time to get in a brisk walk. This is my second visit to An Sibin and I was excited to see that the neighbors still have their collection of gnomes and other decorative artifacts just down the road.… Read more »

Ireland- First Day Driving from Shannon

Julie Snyder, Equitrekking Travel's Preferred Provider of Travel Services, and I are exploring Ireland, riding horses all over the country. It's a good way for Julie to get to know each equestrian vacation that we feature on Equitreking Travel better, so she can match riders more accurately and both of us to… Read more »

Short Equestrian Vacations Can Actually Increase Your Happiness

by: Equitrekking host Darley Newman Can't get away for a whole week to take a riding vacation? There are lots of new flexible horse riding trips that allow you a shorter time in the saddle in Vermont, Ireland, Virginia, North Carolina, Alaska, Colorado and beyond. Shorter vacations are ideal for busy… Read more »

Vermont Icelandic Inn to Inn Ride

  By Ed Machak Photos by Ed Machak and Chip Ward A novice dressage rider with no real trail riding experience, mounted on a strange horse, in the pouring rain, with water already trickling into my boots before we've left the paddock I began to question the wisdom of this… Read more »

Vermont Icelandic Inn Ride, Day One

We were troopers today, riding on our first day of the Icelandic inn-to-inn ride in buckets of rain. I rode Kristall, a well trained and super fun Icelandic. We had a lot of fun, even in the rain. The Icelandic Horse Farm is located in Fayston, Vermont, in the Mad… Read more »

Vermont Icelandic Inn Ride, Day Two

Thank goodness we had a beautiful day of sunshine today. I spent the day riding with the same group plus a few other riders who joined us in the morning and afternoon. I am now writing at the Mad River Inn, the inn owned by Karen Winhold, who runs the Icelandic… Read more »