S.C. native's 'Equitrekking' gets Emmy nod

"Equitrekking," the Public Broadcasting System series hosted and produced by South Carolina native Darley Newman, received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Special Class Series.

Newman co-produces the show with her husband, Chip Ward. This is the second consecutive year "Equitrekking" has been nominated for this award. The series won an Emmy for Outstanding Single Camera Photography in 2009.

"We're really excited to be nominated for a second consecutive year," Newman said. "It's our third nomination, and it's a major category as it's a series category, meaning overall we have a great series. We feel honored to be recognized with a nomination."

The show is shot in high definition and is broadcast internationally.

"We're editing the new fifth season that's set to debut in the fall with episodes from Jordan, Turkey, Uruguay, Alberta and two new specials," Newman said.

"Equitrekking" continues to operate with a small staff. The crew travels light and rides together while filming the show.

"We still travel with the same small, core crew of me, Chip Ward and Greg Barna," Newman said. "It's because we all have multiple talents that just the three of us can produce such a high-quality, internationally broadcast TV show. It's certainly nice to keep a small crew when you're all on horseback."

Each member of the crew has a personal preference as far as particular breeds and horses, Newman said.

"We're still really enjoying being on the road together," she said. "As we continue to travel and ride so many horses in so many places, we've met some great horses. While I have fallen in love with lots of different breeds, Chip and Greg now prefer gaited horses because they make it easier to film and photograph point-of-view shots because the horse is so smooth. After riding Tennessee Walking horses, Paso Finos and Icelandics, we've enjoyed our share of gaited breeds. And yes, because he has to get off and on so much, Greg always requests a short horse."