Alberta- Calgary Stampede

Alberta- Calgary Stampede
February 25, 2010
We saw a lot at the Calgary Stampede. There is a lot going on at this 10-day summer event that around 120,000 people attend each day. I walked allover the Stampede, interviewing folks about their horses and passions. I ate a lot of fried goodness, including fried jelly beans and soft serve chocolate ice cream. They have everything from Greek food to bagels to BBQ. There is live music, rodeo competitions, amusement park rides, a Western art fair with some beautiful work, and of course you can just walk around and admire all of the pretty horses, which I enjoyed doing. I met Paints, Percherons, Clydesdales, Quarter horses, Canadian horses, Curly horses, miniature horses and more.

I was able to see the working cow horse classic, where the horse and rider must do a sort of combination before the cow is brought into play, including lead changes, figure eights and sliding stops. I watched the younger horses, who wore only a hackamore, and interviewed a rider named Rose, whose four-year-old mount was competing for the first time. When the cow is brought out, the horse and rider must control the cow. They are running after the steer, leading it along the fence and to the middle of the arena. Men and women compete in this event, as they do in many events at the Stampede. It will get your heart moving just watching.

One event that I got to meet the very large horses for but didn’t get to see is the Heavy Horse Pull. This year, a horse named Jim pulled over 13,100 pounds!

Darley Newman is the host of the Emmy Award-winning Public Television series Equitrekking®, which takes viewers on horseback riding vacations around the world. Equitrekking is broadcast on PBS stations and on international networks in over 30 countries.

Purchase Equitrekking DVDs, the Equitrekking Travel Adventures on Horseback book and more at ShopDarley.com. Learn about Alberta ranch vacations, travel to the Calgary stampede and book an equestrian vacation at EquitrekkingTravel.com

About Canada

Canada is a vast and beautiful country
just waiting to be explored

Occupying the northern half of the North American continent, Canada's land mass is 9 093 507 km2, making it the second-largest country in the world after Russia. From east to west, Canada encompasses six time zones. In addition to its coastlines on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Canada has a third sea coast on the Arctic Ocean, giving it the longest coastline of any country.

Because of the northern climate, only 12 percent of the land is suitable for agriculture. Thus, most of the population of 30 million live within a few hundred kilometres of the southern border, where the climate is milder. If you fly over Canada in summer, you will often see more water than land: so many lakes, big and small, too numerous to count.

Canada is divided into seven geographical regions
each with a very different landscape and climate

The Pacific Coast
Bathed by warm, moist Pacific air currents, the British Columbia coast, indented by deep fiords and shielded from Pacific storms by Vancouver Island, has the most moderate climate of Canada's regions. Vancouver Island's west coast receives an exceptional amount of rain, giving it a temperate rain forest climate. Although it does not contain the diversity of species of a tropical rain forest, the island's west coast does have the oldest and tallest trees in Canada: Western Red Cedars 1,300 years old and Douglas firs 90 metres high.
To explore this region of Canada
visit campgrounds of British Columbia's coastline

The Cordillera
From British Columbia to just east of the Alberta border the land is young, with rugged mountains and high plateaus. The spectacular Rocky Mountains and Coastal Mountain range, running north to south, posed major engineering problems for the builders of the transcontinental railways and highways. The highest point in Canada, Mount Logan (5,959 metres), rises amid a huge icefield in the southwest corner of the Yukon, the largest icecap south of the Arctic Circle. The British Columbia interior varies from alpine snowfields to deep valleys where desert-like conditions prevail. For example, Okanagan Valley farmers on the leeward side of the mountains must irrigate their orchards and vineyards.
To explore this region of Canada
visit campgrounds of British Columbia and Alberta

The Prairies
To drive across the Prairies is to see endless fields of wheat ripening under a sky that seems to go on forever. The plains of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are among the richest grain-producing regions in the world. Yet if you drive north from Brooks, Alberta, you descend into the Red Deer River Valley, where water and wind have created strange shapes in the sandstone called "hoodoos." The same forces of erosion have uncovered some of the largest concentrations of dinosaur fossils in the world.
To explore this region of Canada
visit campgrounds of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba

The Canadian Shield
A huge inland sea called Hudson Bay extends into the heart of Canada, and wrapped around this bay is a rocky region called the Canadian Shield. Canada's largest geographical feature, it stretches east to Labrador, south to Kingston on Lake Ontario and northwest as far as the Arctic Ocean. The Shield is considered to be the nucleus of the North American continent. Its gneiss and granite rocks are 3.5 billion years old, three-quarters the age of the Earth. Scraped by the advance and retreat of glaciers, the Shield has only a thin layer of soil that supports a boreal forest of spruce, fir, tamarack and pine.
To explore this region of Canada
visit campgrounds of northern Ontario and Quebec

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands
Southern Quebec and Ontario, the industrial heartland of Canada, contain Canada's two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal. Fifty percent of Canadians live in this small region where 70 percent of Canada's manufactured goods are produced. The region also has prime agricultural land, for example, the Niagara Peninsula. The large expanses of lakes Erie and Ontario extend the number of frost-free days, permitting the cultivation of grapes, peaches, pears and other fruits. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region is sugar maple country. In the autumn, the maple leaves, Canada's national symbol, are ablaze in red, orange and gold, and the sap is collected in spring to make maple syrup and sugar
To explore this region of Canada
visit campgrounds of southern Ontario and Quebec

The Atlantic Provinces-Appalachian Region
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland are the smallest Canadian provinces, and were the first to be settled by Europeans. The Atlantic provinces are an extension of the Appalachians, an ancient mountain range. Much of the region has low, rugged hills and plateaus and a deeply indented coastline. Agriculture flourishes in the fertile valleys, such as the Saint John River Valley in New Brunswick, and the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia. Prince Edward Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence has a gently rolling landscape with a rich, red soil.
To explore this region of Canada
visit campgrounds of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia,
Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland

The Arctic
North of the tree-line is a land of harsh beauty. During the short summer, when daylight is nearly continuous and a profusion of flowers blooms on the tundra, the temperature can reach 30°C. Yet the winters are long, bitterly cold and dark. The Arctic is no longer an inaccessible frontier. Inuvik, in the Mackenzie Delta, can be reached by road, and every community is served by air. North of the mainland is a maze of islands separated by convoluted straits and sounds, the most famous of which link together to form the fabled Northwest Passage.
To explore this region of Canada
visit the Yukon, Northwest and Nunavut Territories

about alberta

About AlbertaPremier of Alberta - The Honourable Ed Stelmach, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta
Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation - The Honourable Cindy Ady
Capital of Alberta - Edmonton Population of Alberta - 3 375 800 (Statistics Canada 2006). Over 10% of Canada’s population resides in Alberta.
Area of Alberta - 661 185 sq km (255 303 sq mi); Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada. Coordinates - between 49 and 60 degrees north latitude and between 110 and 120 degrees west longitude. Width & Length - north to south - 1223 km (764 mi); east to west - 660 km (412 mi). Alberta receives 2 330 hours of sunshine annually, the highest in Canada.
Highest mountain in Alberta - Mt. Columbia 3 747 m (12 294 ft); and the second highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. Lowest point in Alberta - where the Salt River enters the Northwest Territories in northeast Alberta 183 m (600 ft). Alberta has two international airports: one in Edmonton and one in Calgary. Alberta has more than 280 golf courses; seven of Canada’s signature courses are located here.Alberta has five of Canada’s 14 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as designated by the United Nations. There are at least 66 regional ski hills in the province as well as 6 major Canadian Rockies ski resorts.
Location The province of Alberta is located in western Canada between the provinces of British Columbia (B.C.) to the west and Saskatchewan to the east. At our northern border is the Northwest Territories. The state of Montana marks our southern border.

Considered one of Canada’s three “Prairie Provinces”—along with Manitoba and Saskatchewan—Alberta differs in that it shares the Canadian Rockies with British Columbia. Our natural border is the imaginary line of the Continental Divide that separates Alberta from B.C.
Geography
Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada. It is similar in size to Texas, three times the size of Great Britain or equal to the combined areas of France, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Land accounts for 97% of the area with the remainder made up of numerous lakes, rivers and streams.
The province has a diversity of natural terrain—parklands, grasslands, primordial badlands, vast tracts of wildlands, boreal forests and plains, ancient glaciers, thousands of lakes and rivers, and the oldest mountain ranges of the “backbone” that runs the length of North and South America.
Its variety of natural areas and ecosystems supports hundreds of species of wildlife, many of which are endangered or protected. Coupled with the intriguing history of Aboriginal cultures and prehistoric dinosaur remains, it is easy to see why the United Nations crowned Alberta with five of Canada’s 13 designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Climate

The province is characterized by low humidity and considerable contrasts between areas and seasons. Average temperatures range from 15C to 23C (60F to 73F) in July and -8C to -25C (18F to -13F) in January. Alberta receives more days of sunshine than any other province in Canada.
Population
Alberta is currently the fastest growing province in Canada. A population of more than three million people lives primarily in our international gateway cities of Calgary and Edmonton. Smaller urban centres include Fort McMurray, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. Our large rural population reflects our prominent agricultural industry.
Resources/Industry
Alberta's major industries are energy, business and commercial services, transportation and utilities, finance and real estate, retail and wholesale trade, and manufacturing. Over the past decade, the economy has experienced rapid growth in such industries as petrochemicals, forest products, food processing, machinery, electronics and telecommunications, tourism, and business services. Tourism generates over $4 billion in revenues each year.

Emblems, etc.
New Official Grass Emblem for Alberta
Alberta is celebrating the addition of a new provincial emblem - Rough Fescue grass.
The addition of this new emblem was coordinated by the Prairie Conservation Forum. The Forum consulted a range of Alberta scientists and resource managers to identify five candidate grasses for Albertans to vote on through a mail-in or online ballot. Rough fescue (Festuca scabrella) was the winner selected by Albertans, with the other choices being: blue grama grass, green needle grass, june grass, and western wheat grass.

Provincial Flower -
Wild Rose, rosa acicularis. The wild rose was chosen in the Floral Emblem Act of 1930.



Provincial Flag - Under the Flag Act (passed at the 1968 Session of the Alberta Legislature) a blue flag, with the Coat of Arms of the Province in the centre, was appointed and declared as the Flag of Alberta. This Act was proclaimed by Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council on June 1, 1968.
Provincial Coat of Arms - On May 30, 1907, a Royal Warrant assigned the Coat of Arms of the Province of Alberta. Topped by a red St. George's Cross on a white background, the Coat of Arms features blue in back of a range of snow covered mountains with green hills, a prairie and a field of wheat in front. On July 30, 1980, the arms had a Crest, Motto and Supporters added by Royal Warrant. The Crest has a Royal Crown on top of a beaver sitting on a helmet with a silver and red wreath.
Motto: FORTIS ET LIBER (Strong and Free) to be borne and used together with Arms of the Province upon seals, shields, banners, flags, or otherwise according to the Laws of Arms.
Supporters: Gold lion (symbol of power) and pronghorn antelope (symbol of natural riches). The compartment (base of the Coat of Arms) is a grassy mount with wild roses.
Alberta Tartan - The colours of the Alberta Tartan represent the green of its forests, the gold of its wheat fields, the blue of its clean skies and sparkling lakes, the pink of its wild rose, and the black of its coal and petroleum.
Provincial Bird - Great Horned Owl, bubo virginianus
Provincial Mammal - Rocky Mountain Big Horned Sheep
Provincial Fish - Bull Trout, salvelinus confluentus
Provincial Tree - Lodgepole Pine, pinus contorta variety latifolia
Provincial Stone - Petrified Wood
Provincial Colours - Blue and Gold (deep yellow)
Bragging Rights

* Canada's largest mountainous national park - Jasper National Park

* Canada's first/oldest national park - Banff National Park

* World's largest shopping and entertainment complex - West Edmonton Mall


* World's first international "Peace Park" - Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

* World's second largest and Canada's largest national park - Wood Buffalo National Park

* Largest ski area in Canada - Lake Louise

* World's largest Ukrainian Easter Egg (Pysanka) - Vegreville

* Second largest glacier fed lake in the world - Maligne Lake (Jasper National Park)

* One of the world's most photographed lakes - Moraine Lake (Banff National Park)

* North America's largest outdoor music festival - Big Valley Jamboree (Camrose)

* World's largest Tyrannosaurus Rex - Drumheller

* One of the most scenic highways in the world - Icefields Parkway

* Canada's largest public display of live reptiles - Reptile World (Drumheller)

* World's largest herd of free roaming bison - Wood Buffalo National Park

* North America's largest, oldest and best preserved buffalo jump site - Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

* World's largest oil sands development - Suncor/Syncrude Oil Sand Plant (Fort McMurray)

* Only city in Canada found within two provinces - Lloydminster, "Canada's Border City"

* Largest museum in Western Canada - Glenbow Museum (Calgary)

* Bird capital of Canada - McLennan

* North America's largest theatre festival - Fringe Festival (Edmonton)

* Second largest zoo in Canada - Calgary Zoo (Calgary)

* One of the richest dinosaur fossil discoveries in the world - Dinosaur Provincial Park

* Home of Iceland's greatest poet - Stephansson House (Markerville)

* World's largest cable suspended roof "reverse hyperbolic paraboloid" - Pengrowth Saddledome (Calgary)

* North America's first covered speed skating oval - Olympic Oval (Calgary)

* The richest show jumping contest in the world - The Masters at Spruce Meadows (Calgary)

* One of North America's largest collections of antique and classic cars, trucks and planes - Reynolds-Alberta Museum (Wetaskiwin)

* Greatest outdoor show on earth - the Calgary Stampede (Calgary)

* World's first Indoor bungy jump - West Edmonton Mall (Edmonton)

* World's tallest teepee - Medicine Hat

* North America's largest collection of horse drawn vehicles - Remington Carriage Museum

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Alberta- Buzzard’s Calgary

Alberta- Buzzard’s Calgary
February 25, 2010

If you visit Calgary, there’s a very unique experience at Buzzard’s Restaurant. Besides the really good food, you can try well-prepared Prairie Oysters, known by some as Rocky Mountain Oysters. It was once a delicacy in Alberta. 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.

Chef Aaron sautés them and then makes a sauce with rum, butter, brown sugar walnuts and serves them atop corn bread with strawberry sauce and strawberries. It’s sort of a dessert style prairie oyster. These were a little too pure for my liking, but the prarie oyster meatballs were pretty ok. I had a good time at Buzzards just hanging out with Chef Aaron, who seeing that I wasn't eating mass amounts of the prarie oysters, cooked me up BBQ ribs, garlic mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. I filled up on that after the Stampede, and it was tasty!

Darley Newman is the host of the Emmy Award-winning Public Television series Equitrekking®, which takes viewers on horseback riding vacations around the world. Equitrekking is broadcast on PBS stations and on international networks in over 30 countries.

Alberta- Anchor D’s Sheep River

Alberta- Anchor D’s Sheep River
February 25, 2010

We are in the car driving to Banff, after taking the day to ride over 20 miles with Dewey and Jan Matthews of Anchor D Outfitting, an equestrian outfitter booked through Equitrekking Travel. 20 miles may not seem like a lot to you, but when you’re doing it through varied elevations, rain, wind, hail and sun, while filming in high definition with a film crew on horseback, it’s quite a feat. It was certainly worth it, as the scenery was spectacular.

We left this morning well fueled for the trip. Beverly, at Idle Spurs B & B cooked us homemade Eggs Benedict, berry muffins, fresh fruit and piping hot coffee. We packed layers, which are vital for a ride into the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Over the course of the day, we had sun and then once we got up high, a storm rolled in with fierce winds and cold rain. You know those long waxed duster coats you see in Western movies. They come in handy up here.

Dewey’s been guiding riders for over 25 years. He has over 100 horses and takes riders on one day to seven-day rides. He does something unique on his longer rides. Instead of just pack horses, he uses horse drawn wagons to carry supplies, so if you get tired no worries, you can ride.

We rode into the Sheep River Gorge area in southwestern Alberta. The trails were beautiful. We passed through meadows filled with wild flowers including the fragrant wild rose, Alberta’s flower, forests of aspen and pine, steep mountain passes leading to vast expanses of rugged mountains covered in pockets of snow. When I say steep, I mean it. You need a good mountain horse to ride through this area, and you yourself can’t be afraid of heights.

We didn’t encounter any grizzlies, which I thought was good. Just some harmless ground squirrels, who popped in and out of the earth amid the colorful flowers—so cute.

Darley Newman is the host of the Emmy Award-winning Public Television series Equitrekking®, which takes viewers on horseback riding vacations around the world. Equitrekking is broadcast on PBS stations and on international networks in over 30 countries.

Alberta Impressions- Day One

Alberta Impressions- Day One
February 25, 2010

I am sitting on the porch of Idle Spurs B and B in Black Diamond, Alberta. The sun is shining. It's probably 65 degrees Fahrenheit and the clouds are rolling by in the sky as I sip fresh lemonade. I hope that it's this beautiful tomorrow when we film a ride into the high country.

The Calgary Airport screamed cowboy flavor today. It's Calgary Stampede week, so the city and airport are buzzing with people. There was a western band playing as we exited the gate and someone tried to lasso me, literally! It was funny.

We drove the start of the Cowboy Trail on the way to our first destination. It's really pretty outside of Calgary. The farms that we passed on the Cowboy Trail seemed well kept. There's a lot of open grass with cows and horses grazing. I had heard about cute towns and antique shops, and we passed a really cute antique store in Turner Valley.

We arrived to meet Beverly, the owner of Idle Spurs. She offered us her homemade oatmeal cookies and made us feel really welcome. I've been spending time just looking around at all of the Western art and antiques that she has collected. Beverly and her husband are having a BBQ tonight and invited us. I can't wait to try their grilled steaks!

Darley Newman is the host of the Emmy Award-winning Public Television series Equitrekking®, which takes viewers on horseback riding vacations around the world. Equitrekking is broadcast on PBS stations and on international networks in over 30 countries.

Backcountry Riding in Alberta

Backcountry Riding in Alberta
February 25, 2010

I always like to talk to fellow riders when I am beginning to research a new area to go horseback riding in order to get personal recommendations on great places to ride. During my research on riding in Alberta in preparation for an upcoming Equitrekking film shoot, I was fortunate to be able to speak with Pam Asheton, author of “Alberta Backcountry Equestrian One-Day Trail Guide” and a former British Horse Society certified teacher and rider with over 30 years experience.

Pam knows riding in Alberta, and I thought that her extensive knowledge of the backcountry would be interesting for Equitrekking readers.

Here are excerpts from my interview with Pam Asheton. I’ll let you know what I suggest after my travels there in July.

Darley Newman: What are your three favorite Alberta trails and why?
Pam Asheton: Alberta riders are truly blessed - you can opt for a one-day number just up the road or for more serious backcountry riding take pack horses in and go high, high, high. The whole of the eastern slopes of what the native people called 'the shining mountains' are rideable right from the Montana border to way up northwards to the Wilmore Wilderness areas. And, each of them has a very distinct personality.

For me, as I live westwards of Calgary, my own up-the-road numbers would, first choice, be the Deer Ridge Trail looped up with the Eagle Hill ride. I park by the open ancient meadows of Sibbald Flats and straightaway access the clearly marked trail up Deer Ridge where's there's a fabulous viewpoint down the valley that was inhabited 11,000 years ago just after the last ice age covered Calgary. You need mountain fit horses. There's climb here and if it's summer I time it outside of the hot afternoon hours. The trail then winds down, joins onto the Eagle Hill trail, then through amazing wildflowers and poplars before you climb, climb, climb again to Eagle Hill, where the view is a knockout, the best, right down the whole of the Bow Valley. Hikers like the viewpoint too, so I tend to go mid-week.

Next would be up in the Ghost, where ATV and OHV traffic has been moved out of critical watershed access areas. In the spring and fall this area is bang on the golden eagle migration highway route, and the wildlife and wild horses (be mindful if you're riding a mare as stallions like to add to their harems!) in its remote areas are second to none. The Side-Hill trail has stunning July wildflowers, with the creek heard far below, while further along towards Devil's Head are the remains of a succession of beaver dams that once stood higher than your tallest basketball players.

Southwards by around 50 or so miles and west of Turner Valley is what ranchers call 'God's Country'. It is. I've often parked at a small trailhead just west of the Sandy McNabb Equestrian Campground, and ridden up along the Foran Ridge, sliding down Windy Point and then onto a loop through Death Valley. Parts north of Windy Point have a few serious springs that can bog up so I go when the weather's been hot and the wind drying late summer. I've watched a cougar threading through grazing cattle, two lynx playing on a windless afternoon. The latter part of the loop back clockwise is actually an old native trading route, ancient, and sometimes I've felt as if the spirits of their horses have accompanied alongside.

Darley: For riders who are bringing their own horses and want an easier trail with scenic views, what do you suggest?
Pam: Personally, yes, I'm a view freak so I can empathize with great scenery! A nice cruisy number is to take the Sheep River Trail westwards of Sandy McNabb Equestrian Campground. It's good footing, not many rocks and easy on horses' legs. You're riding straight towards Blue Rock and Gibraltor, real monuments. The trail slides down to the river and falls, and a great place to picnic. Be mindful, though, that the Sheep can really swell with run-off during the late spring melt, and the white noise crossing the bridges unnerves some horses.

Darley: What’s a more challenging scenic riding option that you might recommend?
Pam: For this number you need fit horses, and to carry water. This one's a two-trailer option, so that you start at the Mount McDougall Memorial on the graveled Powderface Road, and then climb, climb, climb (and climb!) the Jumping Pound Ridge Trail, head towards the cairns of Cox Hill and finish up at the Dawson Equestrian Campground. There's NO water for horses on this excursion, so I time it with heat/temperatures in mind. Cox Hill, in whiteout fog, has no markers and the downhill northerly zig-zag trail downward back into the tree line can be murderous if there's frost in the ground. On a fit horse and carrying liter bottles in my sandbags that I tip into the sides of their mouths at puff stops, it's a significant-- I'm at the top-of-the-world experience-- and a day to remember. On the high meadows at dawn and dusk you can often see elk. It's along a wildlife corridor so if you're windy about encountering cougar or bear, this may not be your ideal outing, but special indeed if you and your horses are OK with that deal.

Darley: What are some safety tips to keep in mind when exploring the backcountry of Alberta or the backcountry in general on horseback?
Pam: Safety to me is a big, big deal. I carry knives-- one on my belt, one on a back cinch, one in the saddlebag, two in the trailer. Waterproof matches on your person (not much point if your horse has just galloped off into the distance with those in the saddlebags!). I always tell someone the route we're going and expected time back, and the emergency numbers for them to ring if there's no action by the appointed time. Cell phones are pretty useless in most areas, and rentable satellite phones that weigh about a pound can be life-savers, literally. It's why, when I'm teaching, I advise people to learn how to read map coordinates, so you can relay those to the rescue teams; it can save them valuable locating time.

Darley: Have you ever had to deal with a dangerous situation on the trails? What happened and what did you do?
Pam: If you ride enough hours, there's inevitably going to be a situation sometime.... The worst for me was in the height of rutting season when a huge, very handsome moose decided my white mare was the answer to his dreams. She wasn't quite that enamored, pirouetted in a rear that Roy Rogers would have been proud of, and then we cannoned at serious speed down a scree slope with a Douglas-fir of venerable years bang in our approach route. It wasn't very pretty to watch but we hauled, just, around that tree's trunk.... the seat of my saddle still has the spur rowel marks from how low I had to hang over the side to avoid being decapitated. Bears she doesn't give a stuff about but even four years later, if she spots a moose a mile away, I know we might as well just go back home for the day as her memory cells kick in. Because we've done a lot of training together, she'll listen and not panic but it's a tense horse I'm riding by then - and you have to recognize and honor that a horse's memory is second only to an elephant's in the animal kingdom.

Darley: What research resources do you recommend to equestrians who would like to ride Alberta’s backcountry?
Pam: When I researched the book, I plagued the life out of naturalists, botanists, ranchers, wardens and outfitters who'd been there and done it… then read every related book available. To me the fascination is knowing why a creek's got a certain name, how poplars can give you sunscreen dust from their bark, the geology alone in the mountains, where you can be 5000 feet up and see seashells imprinted from 80 million years ago....amazing! Trail Training by Judi Daly is good practical advice, so too is Blue Creek Outfitting Trail Riding, Packing and Training Manual by Stan Walchuk.

Darley: What should people keep in mind when choosing trails?
Pam: Think heat, cold, weather forecasts. If there's snow or frost on the ground, aim for south-west facing slopes. If it's hot, does the trail you're aiming for have water for your horse? Sunstroke and heatstroke, for humans AND horses, can be life-threatening. I look at the maps and all those little lines jammed close together and work out if my horse is that fit to cope with the climb ratios… those kind of details.

Darley: What are some must have items that riders should pack for a day in Alberta’s backcountry?
Pam: Layers! This province can go from sweating in a T-shirt to a snowstorm in 20 minutes, any time, so I always carry layers in the saddlebags. And, a pair of dry socks. A spare pair of glasses (or contacts), a first aid kit that you actually keep stocked up, and a really good horse pick or horseman's tool capable of taking out the most stubborn rocks, or heaving off a shoe.

Darley: What’s your favorite part of riding in Alberta?
Pam: When I wrote the book, I used to finish a day and think, nope, it can't get better than today. And, the next time I'd go out, it would be. Better, different, always something significant that connected with your mind and your horse, the magic of really using five senses so well you developed the sixth. The infinite variety of landscapes, the history behind a trail even being there, watching five grey wolves watching you when snow is sparkling in a million diamonds... each area has its own definite personality and they all end up seducing you.