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Home » Fun Stuff » Page 19

Clos des Amis Wines Bruce Freeman

February 13, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

Clos des Amis Wines

As part of a podcast production involving the Ojai Valley Cowboy School we had an opportunity to meet and chat with a fellow student, Bruce Freeman.  Bruce, we discovered is a winemaker and bottles Clos des Amis wines.  After a wonderful afternoon of horses and cowboys we sat around the fire.  It’s not often one gets the opportunity to chat with a winemaker and I asked for an interview.  Bruce was kind enough to tell us a little about his wines.  We tasted a little of the Chardonnay and it was wonderful.  For more information, check out Clos des Amis.com

Filed Under: YouTube Tagged With: Fun Stuff

Guest Blogger Equitrekking Travel

February 5, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

Guest Blogger Equitrekking Travel Expert Darley Newman

When I had the opportunity to interview Darley Newman, Producer of the Emmy Award winning travel show on PBS Equitrekking, earlier this year, I jumped at the chance.  Darley has a wealth of knowledge and a life of adventure as she travels the world looking for places people can enjoy with horses.  I asked Darley for an article my readers could use to plan an exciting vacation.  Darley came up with three great national parks where you can experience the wonders of nature from the back of a horse.

Three Great National Parks for Horseback Riding

By Darley Newman

Being a conservation minded traveler and horsewoman, I relish the chance to explore America’s wild spaces on horseback and have been privileged to ride and film in many of our great National Parks as I travel the world for my TV show Equitrekking®. Horseback riding is a great way to experience the remarkable landscapes, wildlife and adventures in National Parks as far flung as Maui and as close to home for me as North Carolina.

There are many advantages to seeing these natural spaces on horseback. Riding horses, you may feel more at tune with nature and the environment. By riding with local guides, you can learn things that aren’t in the guidebooks and not published on the internet, like the horse traditions of the Cherokee in the Great Smoky Mountains or the Navajo in Canyon de Chelly. I also really like being able to share my adventures with an equine friend.

Here are several wonderful parks through which I’ve been fortunate to ride that you can saddle up to explore as well.

#1 Bryce Canyon National Park

Equitrekking TravelIt helps to have a good equine partner for any trail riding, but especially in areas that are new to you with challenging terrain. In Bryce Canyon National Park, one of my favorite National Parks, I was paired up with a veteran mount named “The Kid,” a 10-year-old black Quarter Horse Thoroughbred Cross who knew the trails well. As you descend into the canyon on the Rim Trail, there’s a drop off on the other side that can make a rider nervous. The Kid gave me confidence as we descended amid the wild hoodoos that define Bryce’s landscapes.

Hoodoos are pinnacle shaped rocks that have been sculpted away by the elements over time. Abundant in Bryce Canyon, part of the fun of riding here is picking out shapes within the eclectic hoodoos. My guide Tawn, who’d ridden the Rim Trail countless times, had his own vision for each formation we spotted, including boats, seals and castles. Hearing Tawn share stories of local myths and legends, brought the hoodoos of Bryce to life.

Paiute Native Americans, who lived in the area for centuries called the hoodoos of Bryce, The Legend People, believing that they resembled people who had been turned to stone as a punishment for bad deeds. 19th century settlers, who harvested timber in the canyon, had other ideas about the maze-like formations of hoodoos.

Equitrekking TravelSome of these weathered rock spires tower as high as a ten-story building. Riding here, you’ll often look up, so packing sunglasses or having a brim on your riding helmet is a good idea. The skies were a beautiful bright blue for the first half of my day of riding in Bryce. Exceptional air quality, along with the park’s isolation from development and high elevation, can grant over 100 miles of views.

You’ll want to be prepared for the changing altitudes in Bryce. In particular, keep yourself and your horse well hydrated. Pack layers, because the weather can change quickly. While I started the day with blue skies, I ended it with massive cloud cover.

You can saddle up in Bryce with Canyon Trail Rides or bring your own horse or mule to take on the trails. If you do plan to ride here on your own, you’ll need to coordinate with Canyon Trail Rides, who runs regularly scheduled rides in the park.

#2 Capitol Reef National Park

Equitrekking TravelOften overlooked for Bryce and Zion, Capitol Reef National Park in South Central Utah is a great place to discover on horseback, especially if you can ride out with local outfitter Pat Kearney, who has a vast knowledge of the land and its history. Less visited than some of the other U.S. Parks, Capitol Reef showcases dramatic geology and history, much of which is unreachable by modern roads.

The park’s dome-shaped cliffs and canyons have been compared to the U.S. Capitol, granting the park part of its name. These tall sandstone cliffs have created a barrier to travel, just as a reef is a barrier for sailors, so the park is aptly named “Capitol Reef.”

Large sandstone canyons reveal the earth’s geologic progression, defined in the Waterpocket Fold, almost 100 miles where layers and layers of earth have been thrust upwards, collapsing over each other. This fold in the earth occurred tens of millions of years ago, perhaps when the continental plates were colliding to form the great Rocky Mountains.

Equitrekking TravelRiding horses may put you in the mindset of some of the famous outlaws who are thought to have hidden out in Capitol Reef, like Butch Cassidy or the cowboys of the 19th and 20th centuries who used the land here as winter grazing areas, camping out for weeks at a time. Rock art in the form of petroglyphs also sheds light on the park’s human history. The Fremont people, a group of hunter-gatherers lived in this area from around the 7th to the 14th centuries. Later in the 1800’s Morman settlers would form a tight community here, using the Fremont River to sustain life. Their orchards and the old one room schoolhouse still remain.

If you want to explore Captiol Reef National Park on horseback, you can book a camping or inn to inn ride with Pat Kearney (http://www.equitrekkingtravel.com/destinations/view/utahs-canyonlands-national-parks-horseback-riding/ )or bring your own horse. Check the National Park Service website for the most up to date information. (http://www.nps.gov/care/planyourvisit/horsepack.htm) Currently, overnight camping is only allowed for horses and riders with advanced reservations within the Post Corral at Equestrian Staging Area in the Waterpocket District.

#3 Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Equitrekking TravelThe most visited of our national parks, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park rests along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. There are several horseback riding stables in the park that lead visitors on guided rides or you can bring your own horse. There are around 550 miles of trails open to equestrians in the park and dozens of backcountry horse camps, making for abundant and diverse trail riding. The park also boasts wondrous biological diversity and is designated as an International Biosphere Reserve by United Nations.

Forrest Parker and members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians guided my ride through the Great Smoky Mountains, telling me the history of the Cherokee in these mountains and making the riding experience much more intimate. It was a plus to ride smooth Tennessee Walking horses here, as some of the trails can be steep, rocky and narrow.

On our outing, I found an abundance of shade and water, which made for easy going on the horses. We passed by beautiful rushing streams, mossy covered boulders and colorful wild flowers, including blue phlox and the magnolia tree’s delicate white blooms. Though we had no encounters, there are an estimated 1,500 black bears that reside in the park boundaries.

History buffs may enjoy the park’s old log barns and houses, as well as at the nearby Oconaluftee Village, which replicates an 18th century Cherokee Village. In planning your adventures here, definitely check out the National Park Service website for the Great Smokies, (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/horseriding.htm) which has more extensive information on riding and camping here, including the option to reserve horse camps online.

About the Author

Darley Newman is the host and producer of the Emmy-winning Equitrekking TV show. She travels the world horseback riding with local people and sharing her knowledge of places you can ride, too, at Top20Ranches.com, EquitrekkingTravel.com and Equitrekking.com.  

Listen to our Audio Conversation

Listen to our podcast with Equitrekking Travel Expert, Darley Newman on the Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship.

Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: Equitrekking, Fun Stuff, horse, Inspiration, Travel

Ojai Valley Cowboy School Video

February 3, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

Ojai Valley Cowboy School Video

The Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship was invited to spend an afternoon at the Ojai Valley Cowboy School.  Jeff and Jay Ohaco, Vaquero Boone Campbell and Laura Fullilove have created a unique environment to spread the cowboy lifestyle.  The cowboy school is set up to cater to the needs of their students.  If there is a particular topic you need help with, say roping, they can tutor you on that.  If you want to explore your inner chuckwagon chef, the group is set up to demonstrate the intricacies of Dutch Oven cooking.  Need to know how to set up a tepee?  Pack a bedroll?  Or, maybe you need help knowing when and how to use your spurs.  This group can help.

In this short video we offer just a small taste of what the Ojai Valley Cowboy School has to offer.  To learn more about the school listen to our extended interviews on the Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship

Filed Under: YouTube Tagged With: cowboy, Entertainment, Fun Stuff, Horsemanship

BuckarooGirl Adrian Brannan

January 13, 2015 by John 2 Comments

BuckarooGirl Adrian Brannan

BuckarooGirlLast year I was fortunate to cover the Horsemen’s Reunion in Paso Robles. The evenings festivities included a concert for a charity and a chance for live music. Adrian, known as the BuckarooGirl came on stage. A girl with pretty blonde hair and a big guitar. She told stories and sang everything from the foot stomping Buckaroo Barbie to the ballad Branding Pen of my Father. When I looked into her background as a potential guest, I was constantly impressed by how much she has accomplished in your youthful twenty-three years. We sat down for an hour and could only cover a portion of her life. She’s a wonderful storyteller, full of energy and life.

Adrian grew up in the country, lived in Scotland for a time, and has studied opera.  She writes her own songs, has a fashion blog with her sister Lizzie, does YouTube videos, and has a league of followers on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!  We caught up to her on Winter break from college (yeah, she goes to school too!) and she talk about her origins and the important things in her life. Adrian told us what it was like to make an album at 14 (Highway 80) and then to follow it it with Boots and Pearls.  She also tells why the music in her latest album Buckaroogirl is so important to her.  She’s was generous with her time and one thing is for certain, she is not afraid to speak her mind.  You can find all her albums on Buckaroogirl.com and CDBaby as well as iTunes.

adrian buckaroogirlThe Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship

Each week on the show we talk about some aspect of owning a horse. It could be feeding or supplementation. It could be bits and bridles, tack, or cowboy boots. We cover training problems, or competing in shows from ranch sorting to trail classes. We talk about farriers and horse chiropractors.  And, we travel to places we think you would like to take your horse. That’s what the Whoa Podcast is all about. Today’s show is very special to me. I really love music – it’s a big part of my life – I can’t play a lick, but it can lift my mood, bring back a memory, or just help past the time. I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate more of it in the show.

Contact Us

We have well over 80 episodes up now and you can find them all for free on iTunes, with our Android App in the Amazon store, and now Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are distributed.  Get the Stitcher app and let us know how it works.  It’s Free.  You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com.  Please join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter – just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast.  We really love getting your feedback.  Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show.  You can email us at: John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #044

http://traffic.libsyn.com/duhpodcast/Buckaroo_Girl_Podcast.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: Country music, Entertainment, Fun Stuff, music

Earn Your Spurs with Alyssa Barnes

January 6, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

Earn Your Spurs with Alyssa Barnes

webheadunleashAlyssa Barnes is a Montana cowgirl who has a mission to help you find your “Inner Cowboy”.  She founded the Earn Your Spurs website to share all things cowboy and Western.  Earn Your Spurs has grown so much, Alyssa has branched out to podcasting.  The Earn Your Spurs podcast has had many great guests and is growing fast.  From movie stars like Alex Cord to magazine writer Lori O’Harver covering the National Finals Rodeo, the Earn Your Spurs podcast is entertaining and informative.  I particularly enjoyed the episode with rodeo clown JJ Harrison.  JJ really offered and insight to what it means to be a rodeo clown.

Growing up the daughter of a horse trainer, Alyssa was exposed to horses from an early age.  And, she has had an opportunity to meet many people in the horse world.  Her interview style is light and conversational, and with the long format of the Earn Your Spurs podcast, Alyssa is able to get some wonderful stories out of her guests.

Earn Your SpursNow Alyssa is expanding the Earn Your Spurs podcast to add a new twist.  Her latest project is Cowboy Q & A.  If you have a question about cowboys, horses, fashion, really anything at all, you can ask your questions and Alyssa will provide you with the perfect answer.

The Earn Your Spurs podcast is available in iTunes and Stitcher and I hope you give it a listen.  I know you will enjoy it.

 

Contact Us

We have well over 80 episodes up now and you can find them all for free on iTunes, with our Android App in the Amazon store, and now Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are distributed.  Get the Stitcher app and let us know how it works.  It’s Free.  You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com.  Please join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter – just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast.  We really love getting your feedback.  Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show.  You can email us at: John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #043

http://traffic.libsyn.com/duhpodcast/043_The_Earn_Your_Spurs_Podcast.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: Entertainment, Fun Stuff, horse, Horsemanship

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