Globetrotting for a job

Kate grew up the daughter of cotton farmers at Eagleton on the Darling Downs and always had a passion for horses. But it wasn’t until she had what she calls a quarter life crisis that horses became less of a hobby and more of a strategic career move. 

At 25-years-old Kate was every bit the success – owning Salt Magazine on the Sunshine Coast with her father and working as a freelance photojournalist.

But she had a sudden realisation her life was becoming “too predictable” – she left it all behind for the adventure of a lifetime.

Now Kate, alongside her husband Steven and their daughters Finn, five, and Birdie, three, runs Globetrotting – a business solely dedicated to running horse riding holidays all around the world. 

“I wanted to be anonymous for 12 months,” she laughed.

“So I went to a remote 100,000 acre estancia in Patagonia only accessible via horse and worked there alongside the gauchos and learnt Spanish.”

After that, Kate travelled through Kenya as a horse riding guide until returning home to the magazine, the boyfriend she had left behind (now her husband Steven), and responsibilities.

But the seed had been planted. Globetrotting was born, and now with two tiny globe trotters added to the family, the business is booming.

“It’s very niche form of travel, people searching for the slow travel experience, discovering a new country from the back of a horse allows you to get beneath the skin of a country,” Kate said. 

Both Kate and Steven are professional photographers, and with a journalism degree to boot, Kate said they are able to not only sell the holidays – but document them, and tell the stories from the saddle. 

“I had always ridden horses when I was young, and just got completely addicted with seeing other countries and cultures from the back of a horse,” she said. 

“My first horse riding holiday was riding among the wild things of Africa in the Maasai Mara, Kenya.”

After arriving home from her year away riding through Botswana, Kenya, Argentina, and Chile, Kate said she wanted to share her experiences – and realised a business was the best way to do so.  

”In Australia, the salt of the earth people are the bushies - and it's the same in every country,” she said. 

“You can go to Mongolia and be invited into their homes and go and ride their horses.

“It's what I call slow travel. You can really take in the surrounds and culture when you’re astride a horse.”

Kate and Steven have completed all of the trips they offer, and are constantly on the lookout for new trips all around the globe.

However, one of the most popular rides is an Australian one – which generally sells out in about 48 hours. 

”We have The Kimberley ride which goes from Home Valley Station to El Questro Station, two of Australia's most iconic cattle stations.”

With parents like Kate and Steven, the youngest globe trotters, Finn and Birdie Pilcher, never had a hope of a pedestrian lifestyle. 

Kate said Finn’s first trip was to Argentina was when she was just seven months old and strapped to her back. 

And while things have changed since having the girls, she and Steven have simply learned to adapt. 

“They're a bit of sass, they keep me on my toes,” she laughed.

“We were in America last year and did Wyoming and Montana in the big sky country, which was amazing. 

“We can't sell something that we haven't done, so we just find ways to do it. 

“We really specialise in horse riding experiences for intermediate to advanced riders. Not nose-to-tail, pony led trail rides - no siree.”