Equitrekking Travel Trivia

Nex Mexico

Before he brought the Double E, owner Alan Eggleston was an airline pilot, and before that, a surfer.

Before traveling New Mexico to ride, Equitrekking host Darley Newman was told by her uncle, “Don’t spend too much time out West. You might not want to leave.” This proved to be true. Darley was reminded of her uncle when she walked into her cabin at the Double E Ranch. Hanging on the wall was the very same painting by Bev Doolittle, the famous Western “camouflage artist”, which hangs in her uncle’s dining room.  Though Darley had stared at the painting during countless family dinners at her uncle’s, it wasn’t until she went to the Double E that she finally saw the hidden animals and Native Americans dispersed among the dogwoods.

The Equitrekking New Mexico episode was the pilot episode for the Equitrekking series on PBS. It broadcast in New Mexico on KNME-TV, New Mexico PBS, to great ratings, helping launch Equitrekking nationally.

Jordan

Atallah Swalhen, who leads the riding tours in the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan, is a world-class endurance rider, competing in Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Endurance Events. According to the FEI, “Endurance Riding is a competition to test the competitor’s ability to safely manage the stamina and fitness of the horse over an endurance course in a competition against the track, the distance, the climate, the terrain and the clock.” Arabian horses are known to do well in these events because of their stamina and endurance abilities. Atallah and his horses have these qualities.

The horses at Jordan’s Royal Stables in Amman certainly get special treatment. Verses from the Koran and turquoise blue faience beads hang over each stall. These are meant to protect the horses from evil.

Equitrekking’s host Darley Newman is not one to take an afternoon nap. She lay down on a soft blanket set atop the sand after eating a fresh batch of Bazelleh, a tomato based pea stew, cooked over an open fire for lunch in the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan. Full, warm and tired from the morning ride and her travels, she began to doze off. Atallah, her guide, fell asleep, along with the rest of the film crew and riders. Just as Darley rolled over to check on the horses grazing in the desert, she noticed a string of camels walking across the sands in the distance. She grabbed her camera and began to shoot away, glad that she decided not to fully nap. She didn’t want to miss anything on this exotic desert adventure.

While touring the Royal Stables in Amman, Darley interviewed HRH Princess Alia, an equestrian, Arabian horse judge and President of the Royal Jordanian Equestrian Federation. This special insider’s segment will appear in the Equitrekking Jordan episode spring of 2010. The Royal Stables tour is included in the Jordan Bedouin Trek & Classic Tour.

While traveling through the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, you may be lucky enough to meet Marguerite van Geldermalsen, author of the book “Married to a Bedouin” who happened to be in Petra the day Equitrekking was filming. She sells jewelry and her book at a souvenir stand near the amphitheatre. In 1978 Marguerite was traveling through Petra, when she met and fell in love with Bedouin Mohammad Abdallah. Marguerite was a 22-year-old New Zealander. She married and lived with Mohammad Abdallah for 25 years in a 2,000-year-old cave, birthing three children and learning Arabic. Her book sheds insight into Bedouin life through a foreigner’s eyes. It makes for an interesting read for those visiting Petra.

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. It’s high salt and mineral content is said to have curative properties. A great photo idea is to bring your local paper and get someone to snap a photo of you floating on your back and reading the news in the Dead Sea. Equitrekking host Darley read the Jordan Times as she took a float.

Turkey

Ahmet Diler, who owns Kirkit Voyage and the Turkey horse tours, has a passion for horses and kilims, flat, tapestry woven rugs or carpets produced in Turkey and other Middle Eastern Countries. His family’s store in Avanos has a museum with beautiful, antique kilims that he has collected all over the Middle East.  Some are 800 years old.

Ahmet Diler, who runs Kirkit Voyage and the Turkey tours, is working to save the Red Church, a historic 6th century church outside of Guzelyurt. 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. 

The town of Avanos, where Kirkit Voyage is headquartered in Turkey, is a well-known pottery center. By the banks of the Red River, the longest river in Turkey, potters get the special red clay that they use to make their pottery. If you dine at Kirkit Pension on your stay in Avanos, you may get to try Testi Kebab. To make this interesting dish, you take the traditional kebab ingredients-- meat and vegetables- and place them inside a small clay pot. Covering the pot with a kind of bread paste, you then cook it. It comes out like a personal meal in a cute pot. If you dare, you can break the pot open with a knife or hammer to claim your meal! 

While filming in an underground city with Ahmet Diler in Turkey for Equitrekking’s Central Turkey episode, a member of Equitrekking’s crew tripped the lights in the underground city. Darley, Ahmet and the film crew had to climb out from two stories underground, avoiding holes in the floor, to reach daylight. They all survived unscathed.

Uruguay

In the Uruguayan countryside, it might be difficult to get a morning latte, but you can certainly get a morning mate. Mate (pronounced mah- tay) is the national drink of Uruguay. It’s like a strong tea that tastes similar to an oolong or green tea. It’s made by steeping the leaves of yerba mate, a plant that is a species of holly, in hot water. Many people in Uruguay drink this highly caffeinated drink all day long. It is sipped through a metal straw called a bombilla. The straw has a sieve at the end and the cup is filled with leaves and then hot water is poured in. Because so many people drink mate, you can fill up your mate thermos at the gas station, where they have hot water dispensers that are made to fit thermoses. The gauchos especially like to drink mate. So ask for mate anytime of day!

When one finishes a cup of mate, the straw may cause a loud sucking sound. This is not rude, rather welcomed. Watch Equitrekking’s Uruguay episode premiering spring 2010 for mate etiquette and to hear Darley slurp her way to the end of a cup of mate with Alicia Morales, and look for upcoming clips online.

Alicia at Estancia La Salamora likes making homemade aperitifs to enjoy in the afternoon as a snack or before dinner. Her specialty is a sweet alcohol (similar to cachaça from Brazil) of fermented sugarcane that is mixed with local fruits and herbs and left to sit for several months. Alicia usually serves this sweet infusion with chorizo and cheese for a special Uruguayan treat.

Torta Frita is a type of pastry that Graciela from El Charabon loves to serve with afternoon tea-- but only if it rains! This light, flat, funnel cake like sweet is traditionally made on rainy days. The upside of it raining on Darley’s visit to El Charabon was that she got to try Graciela’s Torta Frita. Darley ate three of them. (see Graciela’s Torta Frita recipe)

Alicia at Estancia La Salamora explained that many people in Uruguay don’t consider a meal “a meal” unless there is beef on the menu. She explained this as Darley and the rest of the Equitrekking crew were served a big plate with a multitude of meats and homemade sausages. The crew knew they wouldn’t be lacking for protein on their Uruguay adventures. 

Ireland

Donie O’Sullivan, owner of Killarney Riding Stables, was involved in the selection and training of horses for the famous Tim Severin Crusader project and the locally filmed Oscar winning movie “Ryans Daughter,” in which he had a small part.

If you’re riding the Ring of Kerry in Ireland, you may notice a lot of “punk rock” sheep, sheep with multi-colored marks on their shoulders and backs. Food coloring is used to dye the sheep's fur, so their owners, who let them roam the hills, can identify them. It washes off so the wool can be used to make lovely sweaters. This paint mark is called a raddle.

Aoife O’Sullivan of Killarney Riding Stables, studied Irish folklore. On your ride she may tell you local legends or point out things like Hawthorn Trees. The older generation of people in Ireland believe that you shouldn’t cut one of these trees down, because they are sacred to fairies, who guard them. If you cut one down you’re bringing bad luck and bad health onto you and your family.

Niall Connolly at Ravensdale Lodge in Ireland takes pride in his horses, as he should. He’s the fourth generation to grow up on the farm at Ravensdale Lodge. Equitrekking host Darley rode a jewel of a horse named Jesse. After happily cantering through the woods, up a mountain and over an old stone bridge in an area that looked like a jungle from the movie "Romancing the Stone," Darley asked if she could take Jesse home.

Near Ravensdale and outside of Carlingford, the Equitrekking film crew visited an ancient burial tomb, the Proleek Dolmen or portal tomb. No one knows how the ancients placed the top stone, which may weigh between 30 and 46 tons, on top of the stone formation. It is quite a mystery and truly amazing. Locals say that if you throw a stone and it stays in place on top, your wish comes true. Darley tried a few throws, but was unable to land a wish.

Horses have been bred at Ballylinch Stud on the grounds of Mount Juliet Estate since the early 1900’s, when the famous racehorse, The Tetrarch, also known as the spotted wonder, retired to stud there in 1914.

Virginia

Don’t be surprised if you hear something go bump in the night at Marriott Ranch. Hester, the resident ghost, is said to walk the halls of the stately James Marshall Manor House. Built in 1814 by James Marshall, the brother of then Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, this Federal style manor house and its surrounding buildings have an interesting history. In 1939, a Belgian Baroness escaping the Nazis lived in what’s now called the Baroness Cottage. When J.W. Marriott took over the property, Roy Rogers and Presidents Reagan and Eisenhower, other world leaders would come to experience life on the range at Marriott. 

Debbie Johnson, the resident historian at Marriott Ranch, believes that cattle have been on the property since the early 1800’s.  “If you think about it, it makes perfect sense,” said Debbie. “They are natural grazers and they help to keep the lawn moved, so when you have 4200 acres, it really useful to maintain the property and today, we have about 1200 head of cattle.”

Alaska

As a star in Equitrekking’s Alaska episode, Bree Bardarson, and her very tall black 16-year-old Percheron Quarter horse mix, Max, really got noticed. A woman in Tennessee who watched the Equitrekking episode fell in love with Max. She fell so in love that she flew to Alaska to try to buy him from Bree. Bree wouldn’t sell Max, who’d helped her get out of many bear encounters unscathed.

Bree Bardarson of the Alaska pack trip has a favorite salmon restaurant in the Seward area, Exit Glacier Salmon Bake Restaurant. If you are accustomed to farm-raised salmon, you’re in for a treat at this locals salmon bake. The salmon is pink, fresh and tasty.

In Alaska during the summer, it’s bright almost 24 hours a day. Hotels usually have thick curtains to help hide some of the light for travelers who aren’t used to this get to sleep at night. If you’re riding with Bree on the Alaska Horse Riding Vacation, she’ll help you take advantage of the sunlight on your pack trip into the Chugach. If you like sleeping in the dark, you might want to bring along an eye mask on this adventure.

While filming for Equitrekking’s Alaska episode, guide Bree Bardarson took Darley through a marshy area and to the beach by Seward, where they had a short canter before heading to a farther beach to see the hundreds of Arctic Tern. The Arctic Tern is a bird that flies all the way from Antarctica to Alaska, approximately 25,000 miles, to lay their eggs, have their babies and then fly back. That’s a long trip! These birds aggressively protect their eggs by dive-bombing any potential predators. They did this when Bree’s dog and Greg, Equitrekking’s cameraman, got too close. Greg almost lost his hat.

Bree Bardarson, the Alaska Horse Riding Vacation guide, is athletic in and out of the saddle. In Seward every 4^th of July since 1915, there has been a race from downtown Seward up and down a mountain-- Mount Marathon. The race is a mile and a half up and a mile and a half down the mountain, which is treacherous. There are ditches, cliffs and waterfalls to conquer. Protective gear like a helmet, elbow pads, gloves and goggles are recommended. Bree has run the race a few times.

Iceland
Icelandic horses are able to move in special ways. In addition to the walk, trot and canter, Icelandic horses can also tölt, a four beat gait, similar to the running walk found in America’s Tennessee Walking horses or the Paso Fino. The tölt is smooth. It has helped the Icelandic people get around their rough, terrain for centuries. If you ask, an Icelander may demonstrate the smooth glide of the tolt by tolting with a full pint of beer, as an Icleandic farmer did in Equitrekking’s Iceland episode. Icelandic horses may also pace, a fast paced racing gait.

Though Icelandic horses are pony-sized, it is unadvised to call them ponies. Icelanders are immensely proud of their horses, which have been kept pure and bred for strength and resiliency for over a thousand years. Icelanders protect their breed. Once an Icelandic is taken out of the country, it cannot return.

In a traditional Icelandic horse drive, riders travel with multiple horses in hand. This way, they can change mounts and keep a good pace over longer distances.

At the famous tourist attraction, Gullfoss, a large waterfall on Iceland’s Golden Circle route, the Equitrekking crew encountered a “horse parking lot,” a paddock just to park the horses close to the falls. Darley herded horses with local farmers to this paddock and then was able to grab lunch at the restaurant and gift shop and see the waterfalls. Now, that’s eco-friendly transportation.

Until the 19^th century, horses were the sole mode of transportation around the rugged land in Iceland. Many people have compared Iceland’s terrain to the surface of the moon. The landscapes have been cut by giant glaciers and charred by hot molten lava. In fact, NASA sent Apollo astronauts to Iceland to prepare them for missions to the moon’s surface.

You can’t visit Iceland and not soak in a hot pot. Geothermal baths are a major part of Icelandic society. The hot pots in Iceland are like pubs in London and coffee houses in the U.S.  These whirlpools are a hub of activity - a place to see and be seen, meet potential mates and discuss everything from the weather to hot business deals.

Alberta

If you travel to Alberta to attend the Calgary Stampede, perhaps with Homeplace Ranch, there’s a very unique experience at Buzzard’s Restaurant in downdown Calgary. Besides the really good food, you can try well-prepared Prairie Oysters, known by some as Rocky Mountain Oysters. These were once a delicacy in Alberta, but today may end up as a segment on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel. You might be able to guess where they come from. They are bull testicles. If you are one for not letting things go to waste, then prairie oysters might be something you’d like to try. Darley tried them sautéed with rum, butter, brown sugar, walnuts and served them atop corn bread with strawberry sauce and strawberries. She also tasted prairie oyster meatballs. It was most likely a one time taste test for her.

Aspen trees surround Homeplace Ranch in the foothills of Alberta’s cattle country. You cannot only ride through a forest of Aspen, you can taste Aspen smoked steak cooked over an open fire at a ranch BBQ. Some of the horses, which are allowed to roam the ranch and act as lawnmowers, may hang around you while you do.

Warner Guiding, which runs the Banff Pack Trips, has been leading rides for a long time, so they’ve got experience organizing their stationery camps in the wilderness of Banff National Park. Since there are no roads, there are no vehicles to take supplies in and out of these camps, where guests stay during their wilderness adventures. People called “packers” must ride with a string of horses and mules packed with supplies into camp. These packers also carry out trash or whatever needs to be taken away from camp.  Mystic Camp is the closest camp to civilization and it’s still three hours by horse. The cook at Mystic gets her meats and those items that need to stay cold brought in frozen by a packer. When the frozen foods arrive, she immediately buries them in her insulated ground box to keep them cool for the week. She keeps a list for each time her packer comes to camp and is meticulous in thinking ahead to what she will need, as running to the store is a much bigger ordeal when camping in Banff.

Spain

Vivi, the daughter of Fernando and Jane who own the Spain Training & Trail Riding tours, has been studying dressage her entire life, including four years at the pretigious Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez, studying under Olympic medalist Rafael Soto.

While filming in Spain for Equitrekking Southern Spain, Darley's lips were well moisturized after partaking in an olive oil tasting in Priego de Cordoba, a town known for its olive oil farms. It was almost like a wine tasting. Darley took small sips of various olive oils placed in small blue, glass cups. The cups are blue, so that the color of the oil doesn't affect your judgement when tasting different colored oils. Darley was told to warm the glass in her hand before each taste in order to bring out the flavors of the oil and then smell it to take in the oil's aroma. Darley was happy to discover the very different tastes each oil had and promptly brought home a few bottles of Spanish olive oil, which she still uses on salads and as a dip for fresh bread.

Costa Rica

Many Costa Ricans call Cabalgatas horse days. Residents open up their backyards or farms so that hundreds or ten of thousands of participants can ride their horses through them, stopping for food and drinks along the way. It’s a giant, wild trail ride where motorcycles and trucks mix with horses and riders of all ages and walks of life. The fees that you pay to ride for the day go to help the community. The ride is crazy, because at a Cabalgata, food is not the only thing that is consumed heavily. While filming the Cabalgata in Costa Rica, the Equitrekking crew laughed when they saw one older woman carrying a black leather purse on her forearm while riding.