Sea G is an experienced long rider who has covered thousands of miles on horseback. Now she's stepping up to a nine-and-a-half foot covered wagon pulled by a team of Welsh ponies — and she wants to know what she doesn't know.

Bernie covers the real-world wagon travel skills that don't show up in books — from navigating cattle guards with no gate to teaching ponies to hold a wagon back going downhill, managing a corgi on the road, and if (or if not) a traveling horse needs to wear a diaper in town.

In this episode:

How to get a wagon through a gate when the reins aren't long enough

Getting across a cattle guard uphill — with and without a gate

What to do when the gate is padlocked

Tying up at a grocery store — and what can go wrong

Check reins — why Bernie doesn't use them

How long to work with horses before departure

Breastplate versus collar — friction, calluses, and show sheen

Short first days — why two miles is enough

Trotting versus walking — the pre-flight routine

Voice commands for driving

Walking next to a team versus riding in the wagon

Teaching ponies to hold a wagon back going downhill

Backing a wagon without teaching your horse to rear

Manure management on the road

Traveling with a corgi — harnesses, safety, and Angela Wood's advice

Want the full Travel Grit conversation with Sea G Ryhdr? https://travelgrit.com/how-to-drive-a-wagon-through-america-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-go/
Follow Sea's upcoming wagon voyage at https://freerangerodeo.com/.

For more stories of long riders, sailors, ramblers, adventurers, and dreamers finding their way, visit TravelGrit.com.

Click here to view the episode transcript.
 
Creators & Guests

• Sea G Rhydr - Guest

Gin Szagola and her Snowy Mountain Brumby, Fable, are one month from the finish line — 2,400 miles into their historic crossing of southern Australia. In this Where Are They Now check-in, Gin calls in from the small town of Ravensthorpe, Western Australia, with one month and 300 miles left to go.

Gin shares what it's really like in the final stretch — how Fable has transformed from a scrawny, spooky rescue into a confident, muscled trail horse, how the dreaded Nullarbor Desert turned out to be her favorite part of the journey, and why finishing a voyage this big is becoming bittersweet.

She also talks about the hardest part of it all — having to give up Fable when it's over.

In this episode:

Fable's origin — one of a thousand Brumbies to survive the culling of 8,000 horses in three years

Training a wild horse in 90 days with 10 to 20 rides before departure

The Nullarbor crossing — 800 miles of desert, no support vehicle, supply caches dropped by gray nomads every 20 miles

Brown snakes, dingoes, road trains, and camping on the side of the highway alone as a woman

The coworker-to-roommate dynamic of living with your horse 24/7 for eight months

What happens to Fable when the journey ends

Want the full story? Listen to Gin's complete Travel Grit podcast episode at: https://travelgrit.com/gin-szagola-riding-a-horse-across-australia-travel-grit-podcast/

Follow Gin and Fable: Facebook: Gin and Fable Website: ginandfable.com

Description

Gin Szagola is one month from finishing her historic crossing of southern Australia — 2,400 miles on horseback with a wild Brumby she trained in just 90 days. In this Where Are They Now check-in, Gin calls in from Western Australia with 300 miles left to go. She talks about the Nullarbor Desert, life on the road with Fable, and the bittersweet reality of nearly being done.

For more stories of long riders, sailors, ramblers, adventurers, and dreamers finding their way, visit TravelGrit.com.Click here to watch a video of this episode.
Click here to view the episode transcript.
Creators & Guests

• Gin Szagola - Guest