Samantha has been called Nevada's Trail Boss. She is passionate about Nevada and public lands, and loves to explore (with or without a horse). She serves as the State Coordinator for the American Discovery Trail - the nation's only coast-to-coast trail for hikers, bikers, and equestrians. Samantha enjoys sharing the trail with others through workshops, articles, and other events. She lives outside Reno with her herd of three horses, one dog, two cats, one pig, and a flock of chickens.
Sage is truly the star of the Nevada Discovery Ride. He is a formerly wild horse, born north of Austin, Nevada. He was captured in 2009 and placed in the Northern Nevada Correctional Center's Saddle-Horse Training Program in 2010. Samantha adopted Sage from the prison in 2011 when he was 5 years old. Sage completed the 2013, 2016, and 2021 long rides and has racked up thousands of trail miles. Sage is an exemplary mustang and ambassador for wild horses adoption.
Fremont is the newest member of the team. He was born in east-central Nevada and captured as a yearling. Sadly he sat in holding for many years until he was placed in the Northern Nevada Correctional Center's Saddle-Horse Training program at age 9. Samantha adopted Fremont in an online auction in 2020. He is quickly learning the life of a trail horse and completed the final 150 miles of the 2021 long ride.
Juniper is the canine member of the team. She is an Idaho Shag (Bearded Collie mix). She was born on a ranch in Idaho in and joined the team at three months old. She started hitting the trail as a puppy and now at 4 years old she loves riding and camping. Juniper also enjoys moving cows, chasing jackrabbits and coyotes, and guarding the ranch.
IN MEMORY
Bella was the canine member of the team on the 2013 and 2016 rides. She lived a full life of adventure, scaling mountains, swimming in the ocean, romping through the forest, and crossing deserts. She racked up thousands of miles throughout her life. Bella loved being on the trail. She didn't care to move cows or chase game, but she loved to catch lizards. Bella passed away in October 2018 at the age of 11, having completed her final camping trip and trail ride just one week prior.