Darley Newman was first bitten by the travel bug during her boarding years at St. Catherine’s School.
    The 1997 graduate traveled to Italy, Spain and England as a student and yearned to see more of the world.
    Now Newman is not only traveling as a career, her efforts were recently nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards as the host and producer of “Equitrekking” which airs on PBS. (Watch a segment of "Equitrekking")
    Much of her success might not have happened had Newman not attended St. Catherine’s. Her education gave her the foundation to explore her dream.
    “The challenging academics and study habits I learned at St. Catherine’s prepared me for college, where I studied radio and television at The George Washington University,” Newman said. “Of equal importance were the years spent learning from the strong, bright women and men of the St. Catherine’s faculty.”
    Following her college graduation, Newman went to New York City to work at CBS on “48 Hours.” It was during this time she began to conceive “Equitrekking.” It was the perfect opportunity to combine her loves of writing, traveling and horseback riding.
    “Equitrekking” is the first travel television series to explore the world on horseback. The show airs in high definition on PBS in North America and internationally in Italy, Turkey, France and Belgium.
    “I wanted to combine my passion for horses and travel, do those things I love on a daily basis, and “Equitrekking” just evolved naturally from there,” Newman said. “As a traveler, horses allow me to get to places that are often inaccessible by other means. It’s a special way to see the world and experience life.”
    Her experiences with the show are great and widespread – from Hawaii to Quebec to Costa Rica to Ireland to Spain. Newman visits areas that are inaccessible by vehicle. The three-person crew, including her husband Chip Ward, travels by horseback with their equipment. Newman rides with local people on the native horse breeds.
    The most memorable of her trips thus far was a recent one to Central Turkey. Newman rode along with her guide through geological formations, called fairy chimneys, and through a small village virtually unknown to tourists. Her experience can be viewed on the "Equitrekking" Central Turkey episode.
    “As we rode through the cobblestone streets, local children came out of school and onto the streets to greet us,” Newman said. “In Güzelyurt, many people are still living a subsistence lifestyle, so we passed people laying out apricots to dry and collecting wheat from the fields.
    “We were invited into a local home to drink homemade ayran, a salty yogurt drink that is very popular in Turkey. Because we rode with a local, we were able to meet others in the village. I was invited into the town square to play backgammon and have tea, before we visited Güzelyurt's underground city. It’s amazing that we were able to capture the essence of life in this village on film.”
    In August, Newman will head West to Los Angeles for the Daytime Emmy Awards. The show was nominated for Outstanding Special Class Series and Outstanding Single Camera Photography.
    “It is a wonderful thing to be able to work on something you love,” Newman said. “Riding horses in beautiful settings, meeting interesting people and exploring the world, is a dream for me and a joy to share with others.”