Happy Trails: Recent Episodes
Jessica Isbrecht
Happy Trails, the podcast for trail riders, is an entertaining and informative platform for horse enthusiasts to share trail riding experiences and ideas.
In this episode, I had the pleasure of exchanging stories with Verena Sutherland, who recently embarked on this captivating adventure. Let me take you through her journey to Mongolia and the impact it had on me. A Spontaneous Adventure Verena’s journey to Mongolia was as spontaneous as they come. A Facebook connection with Callie King… Continue reading Riding Reindeer in Mongolia with Verena Sutherland
Since 2013, Samantha (human), Sage & Fremont (horses), and Juniper (dog) have logged thousands of trail miles exploring Nevada by foot, hoof, and paw. They have completed three long-distance treks across the state and are members of the Long Riders’ Guild, an international association of equestrian explorers.
Samantha has been called Nevada’s Trail Boss. She is passionate about Nevada and public lands, and loves to explore (with or without a horse). She manages Nevada Horse Trails and serves as the State Coordinator for the American Discovery Trail – the nation’s only coast-to-coast trail for hikers, bikers, and equestrians.
She has taken many long rides with her horses over the years, and in this episode we dive into some of her adventures. Including the time she participated in the Pony Express reride.
Samantha enjoys sharing the trail with others through workshops, articles, and other events. She lives outside Reno with her herd of three horses, one dog, three cats, and one pig. You can learn more about Samantha’s work on her site, Nevada Discovery Ride.
Support the PodcastIf you enjoy the show and would like to support the project, there are a few ways you can help.
Buy Me a Coffee -where you can make a small contribution to help me offset the costs of an editor.
Bangtail Clothing -ETSY shop with my horse inspired designs on t-shirts and gifts.
RideClimb on YouTube -subscribe to our YouTube channel to help us reach our monetization goal! We now have video for the show!
As the director and trainer of Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy, Stefanie Skidmore brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise related to gentling wild horses. Stefanie is a visionary leader who combined her academic background in animal behavior and with her understanding of human psychology and behavior. This unique combination enables her to foster strong, healthy partnerships between wild horses and their human companions.
Stefanie and her team aim to “Inform & Inspire.” They gentle and find suitable homes for once free-roaming wild horses, embark on backcountry pack trips, and share their journey to ignite awareness and respect for the American Mustang and our public lands. Their goal is to encourage compassionate, informed stewardship of wild horses, wildlife, and wild places, ensuring they are enjoyed by present and future generations. Gentling wild horses is a beautiful practice and art.
To reach Stefanie for information or to reserve a spot in an upcoming horse packing workshop, send an email to info@wildhorseoutreach.org
Support the PodcastIf you enjoy the show and would like to support the project, there are a few ways you can help.
Buy Me a Coffee -where you can make a small contribution to help me offset the costs of an editor.
Bangtail Clothing -ETSY shop with my horse inspired designs on t-shirts and gifts.
RideClimb on YouTube -subscribe to our YouTube channel to help us reach our monetization goal!
Part 1 of the My Nomadic Life Series covers the ins and outs of traveling with horses in our fulltime digital nomad lifestyle. I’ve spoken about our lifestyle on the podcast before and it always makes people curious. I decided to dedicate an entire episode to answering questions that I’ve received from podcast listeners, blog… Continue reading My Nomadic Life Part 1, Traveling with Horses
Damara Mullens is probably one of the most well known trail riders in the West because of her social media presence. She loves riding in beautiful places and sharing her photos. She has collected detailed information on nearly all of the horse camps in California. She freely shares this knowledge on HorsePoor4Ever.com and in her… Continue reading Riding in California with Damara Mullens
Fall is one of the best times of year to ride. The heat of summer is replaced by crisp, frosty mornings and cool breezes during the day. The changing of the seasons not only brings beautiful colors to the leaves, but also hunters in search of game. Horses and hunters can share the land as… Continue reading Hunting Season Safety
In this episode, Micahlynn Kaza breaks down her Top 10 favorite trails in Colorado. Micah is the Founder of Top Horse Trails, a highly detailed trail directory. She built it out of a passion for helping to get more horses out on trails and helping new riders get into horses.
Have you ever wished a trail ride wouldn’t end? Then, you may want to consider long riding; which is simply long distance travel on horseback. It’s not competitive, it’s not timed, and there are no limits. It’s just an adventure. My guest today is long rider, Samantha Szesciorka. She has completed two journeys across Nevada… Continue reading Long Riding with Nevada Discovery Ride
In this episode, Jess talks about her lifestyle as a digital nomad with horses. She talks about how and why she chose this life. She details her travels of the first year and the lessons she learned along the way. Jess is then joined by Michelle Murphy and her daughter, Scout. This mother/daughter team travels… Continue reading Traveling with Horses Full Time
From rainforest to high desert, Oregon has it all! In this episode, guide book author Kim McCarrel joins us to delve into what makes the Pacific Northwest special. Also, Jess tells her story of traveling through Oregon this summer. Kim is an avid trail rider who has been mapping and writing about trails in the… Continue reading Riding in Oregon
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride in Alaska? Well, my guests, Frank and Claudia Sihler can answer that! With a plethora of public land available there’s no shortage of places to ride and camp. However, only certain areas are actually developed for recreation. Riding in Alaska is great for those… Continue reading Alaskan Adventure
Good hoof health is essential for all horses not just those in high performance events. Today’s episode will take some of the mystery out of hooves and hopefully inspire you to learn more and perhaps take up the rasp yourself. My guest, Paige Poss is the owner and creator of Iron Free Hoof and co-creator… Continue reading No Hoof, No Horse
Robert Eversole is the creator of Trailmeister, an online guide to trails and horse camps around North America. He created www.trailmeister.com over a decade ago after dealing with the frustration of scouting trailheads when no information was available. With over 3,700 trails listed, the site continues to grow. Users contribute trail information, GPS tracks, and… Continue reading Riding and Packing with Robert Eversole
There’s not much travel going on at the moment with the Covid-19 pandemic but that doesn’t mean we can’t dream! Today’s guest, Krystal Kelly tells me about her recent trip to Ireland where she and her husband spent two months riding and camping as they made their way across the island. She has produced five… Continue reading International Travel: Riding in Ireland
I’ve always loved an underdog story so I was immediately intrigued when I learned of a miniature horse competing in endurance. Kricket and her owner, Jen have accomplished amazing things out on trail and have some very entertaining stories to share. I had a great time interviewing Jen for this episode of the podcast. I’m… Continue reading A Very Unlikely Trail Horse
On this episode of the podcast, Jess speaks with Holley Groshek, Executive Director of Equine Land Conservation Resource a non-profit dedicated to preserving lands for equestrian use. The US is losing 6,000 acres of open land every day, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Large open spaces and contiguous tracts of land are… Continue reading Stewardship and Preservation
Everyone wants a great horse; athletic, obedient, and game for anything, but it takes a lot of training to get there. It’s not easy to build the perfect horse and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, something that’s usually in short supply. Now that we are all quarantined and sheltering in place, this… Continue reading Ten Essential Skills for Trail Horses
My guest, Kathy Burns overcame personal trauma by immersing herself in nature while traveling the country, camping and riding. She is the author of SHLEP: Finding Healing on Horseback in the Lower 48 States. In the book, she describes her experiences traveling solo with her dog and horses, while healing herself on the trail and… Continue reading Finding Healing on Horseback
On this episode of Happy Trails we discuss trail riding and camping in southern Arizona. The state draws horse travelers from all over North America. They flock to the land of the sun to escape harsh Winters in the north. First time visitors to the desert are usually concerned by the idea of encountering cacti… Continue reading Southern Arizona Trail Riding
I grew up on a farm in rural New Jersey. Horses have always been my passion. I was riding before I could walk and even though I spent most of my life focused on competition I’ve always loved trail riding. There’s just something about it. Being alone with your horse surrounded by the beauty of… Continue reading Happy Trails Preview