Happy Trails Podcast

19/08/2024

I'm so excited to share this episode of the podcast! It is the first time I did a video interview.

My guest is Samantha Szesciorka of Nevada Discovery Ride. In this episode, Sam and I chat about the stunning riding opportunities in Nevada, how to find places to ride and camp, her long riding experiences, tips for staying safe on the trail, and her exciting adventure participating in the annual Pony Express Re-ride where she joined fellow equestrians to reenact the mail delivery system of old American west!

In this episode of Happy Trails, I sit down with Samantha Szesciorka, a long trail rider, mustang rescuer, and all-around great human being. I hope you enjoy...

30/07/2024

Newest Episode! Gentling Wild Horses with Mustang Trainer, Stefanie Skidmore

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 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.

Learn about gentling Wild Horses with Stefanie Skidmore, the director and trainer of Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy. Tune in here!

11/07/2024

💥PODCAST UPDATE 💥

I'm coming back folks! Sorry for the long absence. A new episode is in the works.

This video is a personal message for my supporters and fans of the show. Thank you all for checking on me over the last two years. I truly appreciate it!

05/07/2022

Episode 17 My Nomadic Life Part 1 has been released! This is the first of a series that I decided to do on our lifestyle as fulltime nomads with horses. Hope you enjoy!

Part 1 of the My Nomadic Life Series covers the ins and outs of the fulltime digital nomad life while traveling with horses.

05/12/2021

Lots of great destination suggestions in this episode!

Damara loves riding in beautiful places and sharing her photographs. We discuss some of her favorite destinations in California and beyond.

25/11/2021

The 3-day long Adventures on Horseback Virtual Workshop is coming up on November 29 to December 1.
Seventeen other amazing horsemen from around the world (including the late Bernice Ende- Lady Long Rider) will be presenting on topics related to traveling and adventuring on horseback. I will be speaking about the basics of endurance riding, conditioning, and my experiences competing on non-Arabians.
Viewing the workshop is free but there's also an option to upgrade. Please use this affiliate link (https://bit.ly/3obaaPq) to register so that I get credit for bringing participants and a commission if you purchase the All Access Pass (only $67).

21/11/2021

30/09/2021

It's International Podcast Day! I wanted to give a shout out to Glenn Hebert, creator of the Horse Radio Network and host of Horses in the Morning, for inspiring me to start the Happy Trails Podcast. Thanks, Glenn!

21/09/2021

Episode 15: Hunting Season Safety

Fall is the best time to ride! Don't let hunting season hold you back. Give this episode a listen for great information and safety tips. Jess interviews Monica Raymond and Kerrie Garvey of Horse Trail Chicks
The ladies share tips for riding during hunting season and swap stories of close calls with shooters on the trail.
https://rideclimb.com/podcast/hunting-season-safety/

Horses and hunters can share the land as long as we follow a few guidelines. Monica Raymond and Kerrie Garvey give tips for trail riding safely in the Fall.

18/07/2021

I apologize for skipping June and July. We've been living off-grid with no cell signal. It's been nearly impossible to work on any audio since access to internet is intermittent. Hopefully, I can get back at it next month. Please bear with me. Here's a photo of our most recent campsite near the Continental Divide in Idaho.

27/05/2021

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.

In this episode, Micahlynn Kaza breaks down her Top 10 favorite trails in Colorado. Micah is the Founder of tophorsetrails.com, a highly detailed horse trail directory.

07/04/2021

Have you ever wanted your ride to go on and on? Is a day ride never enough? It sounds like you might be a long rider.
I've been low key obsessed with the notion of packing into the back country and taking on an epic journey like the PCT or other long trail for years.
I reached out to Samantha of Nevada Discovery Ride to hear about her experiences on her two previous long rides around Nevada. I learned so much from our conversation.
I'm super excited for her next endeavor, starting next month.
Have a listen to this episode to learn more about long distance travel on horseback.

Interview with Samantha Szesciorka about her long riding experiences. She's ridden over 1,500 miles around Nevada and is about to emabark on her third long-distance journey on horseback.

17/03/2021

I'm currently editing my interview with Samantha Szesciorka for next month's episode. Listening to our conversation about long riding makes me so excited. It's the ultimate trail ride! You won't want to miss this one.

Nevada’s equestrian adventure team ~ 🤠🐴🐶 ~ Exploring the state by foot, hoof, and paw!

04/03/2021

In this episode, Jess talks about her lifestyle as a digital nomad traveling full time with horses. She is then joined by Michelle and Scout of Scout's Trail. This mother/daughter duo live on the road full time with their horses and dogs.
Find it on your favorite podcast player or stream from our website: https://rideclimb.com/podcast/traveling-with-horses-full-time/

Jess talks about her lifestyle as a digital nomad traveling full time with horses. She is then joined by Michelle and Scout who live on the road full time with their horses and dogs.

21/02/2021

I missed last month because I've been completely absorbed in a very exciting project. I created a filterable database that plots camping locations on a map. The map view shows you data like cost, water availability, corral availability, etc. The list view shows you all of the information including descriptions of the camp and sometimes the trails. There are links to websites and GPS coordinates that open in Google Maps or can be copied and pasted.
It's a great tool for figuring out where to stay when you're traveling with horses; either camping or competing. The list includes campgrounds, private boarding barns, guest ranches/resorts, fairgrounds, trailheads with camping, dispersed campsites, and backcountry camps.
I've dedicated hundreds of hours to this project with no intent to charge users. I just wanted a really easy to use site that could help me find places to stay when we're on the road. I hope that others will find benefit in it too! Please share with all of your horse-loving friends and send me feedback through the contact form if you know of an addition or a correction.
www.rideclimb.com/map

Horse camping sites plotted on a map, with filters for cost, water, corrals, and other amenities - Ride+Climb

12/01/2021

The story of Kricket, the miniature trail horse, is one of my favorite episodes! Give it a listen on YouTube for the added bonus of tons of amazing photos of this adorable mare.

Jen Joines comes on the show to talk about her miniature trail horse. Kricket gained international fame when a video of her traversing an infamous stretch of...

19/12/2020

Episode 11: Riding in Oregon

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.

From rainforest to high desert, Oregon has it all for trail riders and their horses! In this episode, guide book author Kim McCarrel joins us for a discussion of her favorite trails in the Pacific Northwest. Also, Jess tells her story of trail riding while traveling through Oregon.

30/10/2020

Episode 10: Alaskan Adventure

In this episode I speak with Frank and Claudia Sihler about trail riding in Alaska, their Icelandic horses, mounted archery, and hauling horses thousands of miles to travel the lower 48 states.

In this episode, Frank and Claudia Sihler tell me about riding in Alaska and traveling with their horses to the lower 48 states.

28/09/2020

Episode 9: No Hoof, No Horse

My guest, Paige Poss is the owner and creator of Iron Free Hoof and co-creator of Anatomy of the Equine. She has taught trimming techniques and anatomy around the country and internationally through live dissections and her incredibly detailed photography. She teaches horse owners and hoof professionals about the internal structures of the lower leg through her online module at www.hoofcourses.com.

In the following interview we discuss hoof care, horse health, and anatomy of the hoof as it relates to function and soundness. Paige gives some tips for identifying a laminitic horse as well as good or bad hoof shape. She tells me about her childhood, fearlessly riding the fields and trails of Arkansas and North Carolina. Then talks about, her current struggle to overcome riding anxiety after losing her trusted horse, Sophie.

https://rideclimb.com/podcast/no-hoof-no-horse/

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.

03/09/2020

You can now find us on Stitcher! Subscribe and don't miss an episode.

Happy Trails, the podcast for trail riders, is an entertaining and informative platform for horse enthusiasts to share trail riding experiences and ideas.

30/08/2020

Episode 8: Riding and packing with Robert Eversole

On this episode, I speak with "The Trailmeister" himself! We have a great discussion about his history with horses and he gives me the rundown on how to get started horse packing in the back country.

Robert Eversole is the creator of Trailmeister.com, an online guide to trails and horse camps around North America.

29/07/2020

Episode 7 Riding in Ireland

In this episode, 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.

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 h...

09/07/2020

We're now on Apple and Google Podcasts!

Please let me know you can't find us on your player of choice and I'll try to get us listed.

‎Wilderness · 2020

18/06/2020

I love an underdog story so I was very intrigued when I heard about Kricket, the endurance mini. In this episode, I interview Jen Joines about her amazing miniature horse and their adventures on the trails.
https://rideclimb.com/podcast/a-very-unlikely-trail-horse/

Jen and her miniature horse, Kricket make for unlikely trail riding partners but they've proven that great things come in small packages.

27/05/2020

Access to trails is a privledge, not a right. Find out what you can do to preserve access to horse trails in your community in this discussion with Holley Groshek, Executive Director of Equine Land Conservation Resource.

Access to trails is a privledge, not a right. It's important to be good stewards of the land and ambassadors for the horse community while out on trails.

10/04/2020

We all want the perfect horse but that takes training. Have a listen as Mary Schmitt and I discuss the ten essential skills every trail horse should have.
https://rideclimb.com/podcast/ten-essential-skills-for-trail-horses/

Mary Schmitt and I discuss ten essential skills that all trail horses should have, why these are crutial for safety, and some training strategies.

09/04/2020

Episode 3: Finding Healing on Horseback
Interview with Kathy Burns, author of SHLEP: Finding Healing on Horseback in the Lower 48
https://rideclimb.com/podcast/finding-healing-on-horseback/

09/04/2020

Episode 2: Southern Arizona Trail Riding
Hear all about places to ride and camp in southern Arizona

On this episode of Happy Trails we discuss trail riding and horse camping locations in southern Arizona.

09/04/2020

Welcome to Happy Trails, the podcast for trail riders! Click the link to hear Episode 1, a quick introduction to the show. In this episode you'll get to know some of the background on the show's host, Jess, what inspired the idea for the podcast, and what you'll hear in the future.
https://rideclimb.com/podcast/happy-trails-preview/

Happy Trails, the podcast for trail riders, is an entertaining and informative platform for horse enthusiasts to share trail riding experiences and ideas.

09/04/2020