by DeAnn Sloan

If you’ve ever wanted to visit the sites of your favorite movies from the back of a horse, Tony Daly offers this definitive guide of where to go.

Whether we watch them on the big screen or the small screen, movies don’t just broaden our perspective; they also inspire us to see more of the world, set-jetting — one of the latest buzzwords in travel.

Long before the term came into being, Western movies stirred a passion in many of us, some hooked on horseback riding by those first few brushes with the real Wild West. Take Tony Daly for example, whose initial stay at Arizona’s Tanque Verde Guest Ranch lead to a complete career change.

Now Managing Director of riding holiday specialist, Ranch Rider, Tony is taking the reins with his set-jetting inspiration for 2019. His list covers everything from live-action modern-day Westerns to Disney’s CGI remake of The Lion King.

Read more: Set-Jetting From the Saddle

by Pam Zubeck

It’s as much about safety as courtesy when it comes to knowing how to control your horse on the trail, says Debbie Bibb with Friends of Equestrian Skills Course.

Bibb is one of about 20 regular volunteers who have been building an equestrian trail obstacle course on 15 acres near Norris Penrose Event Center, 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road.

The nonprofit was formed after El Paso County officials approved a new master plan for Bear Creek Regional Park in 2014 and 2015 that included space for the skills course, though county officials warned they couldn’t fund the course itself.

“They said, ‘We can set aside the land for it and provide some materials here and there,’ but for the most part all the money has come from what our group has raised,” she says.

Read more: Equestrian Group Forms Obstacle Training Site for a Safer Trail

by DD Kingscote

It's hard to describe the little bit of magic that happens for me when I put my foot down in Africa, especially Kenya, the land of my birth. It's like taking off a heavy winter overcoat and revealing the skin underneath. There are places in Kenya that are so “right" that they bring comfort to one's very soul. So you can see that I am biased before I even begin to tell you about "my kind of therapy".

I am a rider and for many years was a competitive rider and that was my "skill." Later, due to my enduring love of Africa, I became a small, personalized tour operator and it gives me great pleasure to enable others to feel that "little bit of magic" too.

Imagine my delight when asked to arrange a "proper" luxury tented mobile safari in Kenya. It had to be the real deal.An "Out of Africa", “Karen Blixen" type Safari; high quality, with a dashing guide and well prepared horses, and importantly, "off the beaten track in beautiful areas where wild game roams."

I knew just the outfit, Gordie and Felicia Church of “Safaris (Un) Limited Africa" who would deliver all of the above and more. I approached others who had expressed an interest and so gathered a team of 9 interested riders and myself. They weren't going without me.

Most riders/ travelers have only heard of the famous Maasai Mara as a place to see big game in Kenya. This is a justified and excellent game rich choice and wonderful for both riding and vehicle safaris. I wanted to show off MY favorite part of Kenya so I chose the “Lollboran ride” in Laikipia, a beautiful area resting under the shadow of Mt Kenya. Thankfully my group trusted my judgement and the dates were set.

Read more: My Sort of Therapy - Safari

Jane Common heads to Morocco to find about ethical animal tourism and SPANA - a charity providing care for working animals.

Hailing a horse-drawn carriage (or caleche to give the striking green, red and gold vehicles with lanterns on the side their traditional name) is easy in Marrakech when your companion is Hassan Alyakine. Hassan is country director of Morocco for SPANA, the charity for the working animals of the world, and well-known among caleche drivers.

Since 1988, SPANA vets have been tasked with granting licences to the 148 caleches on the basis of the health of their equine engines, which, day in and out, tread the city streets pounded by their forebears for well over a century. The horses are given MOTs three times a year, as well as spot-checks, and, if passed fit and well, adorned with a SPANA band on their fetlock.

And, by offering Hassan a comfortable ride, the drivers perhaps reckon to boost their chances at the annual Caleche of the Year Awards, hosted by SPANA since 1996.

Read more: Marrakech’s green and gold horse-drawn carriages add some sparkle to the city streets – but how...

by Bonnie Marlewski-Probert

As more and more of our forested areas and parks are being shared by bikers, hikers and horses, it is more important than ever that all horsemen understand the rules of the road.

Below are some tips that will make your next trail ride safer and more fun for everyone:

1. Invest in a good fitting helmet for the sake of your horse. For the die-hards out there who refuse to wear a helmet, answer this question; In the event that you get dumped and hit your head, who is going to keep your horse from causing a problem for other trail users or worse, from getting hurt? Frankly, I don’t think wearing a helmet is as much about keeping you safe as it is about keeping everyone else, especially your horse.

1. Never ride alone on the trails and be sure to choose riding partners who are safe, responsible and considerate. I have always told people that I will horse show with Jack the Ripper, but I am very picky about my trail-riding companions. The reasons are simple; horse shows are designed to be a controlled environment wherein the ring is dragged, fences are in good repair, the ring crew is there to make sure all is well, and there is a judge watching everything, but on the trails, anything goes. It is because of the unpredictability of nature that I only trail ride with people I trust.

Read more: Summertime Fun on the Trails