Kate Pilcher is the founder & guide of Globetrotting, a worldwide travel agency that specialises in horse riding experiences to all corners of the globe. Kate discovered this form of travel as part of a quarter-life crisis and ran away to Argentina and then Kenya to discover herself from the back of a horse. Now in her forties Kate leads globetrotting rides to some extraordinary places with her three daughters and husband in toe.
Kate in her own words:
“I started Globetrotting a bit over a decade ago, thanks to a quarter-life crisis. You see, I had turned 25 and went on a 10-day horse riding safari in the Maasai
Mara, Kenya, where my mind was blown by witnessing the wildebeest migration astride a safari horse.
It was THIS crazy, colourful, life-changing experience that led me to step away from my business (Salt magazine), my boyfriend (now husband – thankfully Steven is a very patient man), mortgage and flee to a remote 100,000 acre estancia in Patagonia only accessible via horse.
For the next nine months I jumped from saddle to saddle, driven by an unquenchable thirst to explore horse cultures in South America and Africa. When I finally returned home, Globetrotting took form alongside my business at the time, Salt magazine.
You see, I fell in love with this form of travel – Globetrotting – where the pace is slower and the experience richer.
Rather than travelling in a tour bus (conveyor-belt travel, I like to call it), when you’re astride a horse, you climb under the skin of a country, absorbing every nuance it has to offer.
I knew it was the only way for me to travel, and I was determined to share this passion with other horse folk and I have.
This is a true calling for me.”
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Show notes
- Who is Kate
- What is Globetrotting
- How they use horse riding to change people's lives
- A little background about her family
- Her first and earliest memory of horses
- Having a little interest in horses back then
- Never thought of horses as part of her career
- Having no idea what she wanted to do
- Working in small businesses alongside her degree
- How sales and marketing interest her
- She enjoys marketing and sales
- Moving to the UK after finishing her degree
- Returning to Australia and having the chance to ride a horse once again
- Exploring Maasai Mara in Kenya for 10 days
- Wanting to get away from everything
- Feeling that she isn't living the life she was meant to live
- Rejecting Steven's marriage proposal
- How Globetrotting started
- Background on how and why she took the risk of changing careers
- Wanting to be invited to the world's oldest horseback riding event
- Being able to open many people's doors through her space
- Getting more detailed about horse riding
- Different types of rides and items to carry on the journey
- Ensuring that each client is well-cared for from start to finish.
- Her favourite horse breeds
- Talking about horse therapy
- Road testing in European rides in 2018
- Riding with a baby and just wanting to go home
- The most challenging time she had during her riding journey
- Having her husband's support and encouragement
- Being a mother and how it affects her work
- "Home is my family and we can go anywhere and have adventure."
- Planning a six-week adventure in August with family and guests
- Experiencing the most terrifying adventure with her girls back in 2021
- Returning to horse riding after having children
- More information on the Silk Road Adventure - Kazakhstan - Kyrgyzstan - Mongolia
- Partnering with Katy Willings
- Final words of advice
Social Media
Website: www.globetrotting.com.au