Today we went horseback riding in an area of Quebec known as the Eastern Townships. This part of Quebec is close to the U.S. border and many of the townships were originally settled by Loyalists to the crown, who sympathizing with Britain, fled the Northern most colonies. The town of North Hatley is set on a beautiful lake. This sleepy hamlet is surrounded by small ski resorts and filled with French and American influences. Jacques Robidas, who offers horseback riding packages in North Hately, welcomed us for exceptional and healthy food and wonderful winter horseback riding. Jacques focuses on centered riding, and welcomes guests to learn to really connect with horses and wellness.

Jacques has about 20 horses and several cabins for guests looking to stay and ride in the area. I rode Tom, a 7-year-old Canadian mixed breed. Tom was wonderful and a good looking black horse. Jacques keeps his riding trails groomed in the winter and the horses have studs on their shoes, so that they can keep their traction on the snowy trails. We took off into the quiet woods, past an old sugar cabin and towards a large field, where we could try some faster trotting and cantering. Many of the trails are forested and many guests see deer and other wildlife along their trek. We were filming and thus only saw a few birds, as I think that we were too loud and lively and scared away the deer!

Learn more about Equitrekking on PBS and the Equitrekking episodes on DVD and learn about exceptional equestrian vacations at EquitrekkingTravel.com.