S2 Episode 8: Genevieve Fuller: Riding Iceland on Horseback: What It Really Takes Artwork

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S2 Episode 8: Genevieve Fuller: Riding Iceland on Horseback: What It Really Takes

May 05, 2026 • Kim Palmer-Nicks & Austin Bell • Season 2 • Episode 8

0:00 | 1:33:35

Two riders ended up in the hospital. One of only 18 big game biologists in Colorado spent 45 minutes on a runaway horse, holding on for her life past a campground full of people filming. So why does Genevieve Fuller say she'd go back and do it all again?

This episode pulls back the curtain on the "sexy" adventure trips flooding your feed — the six-day, 25-mile-a-day horseback treks across black sand and volcanic terrain that look effortless on Instagram and are anything but. If you've ever watched an outdoor trip online and thought "I could do that," this is the conversation that tells you what it actually takes to do it safely, ethically, and prepared.

Here's what you'll get from this one:

How Genevieve built a career as a terrestrial wildlife biologist managing mountain lions, moose, and wolves — and what it's like being a woman in a competitive, historically male-dominated field
The real fitness behind horseback riding: core, glutes, quads, and the endurance of hours of posting trot (basically squats all day long)
How to tell an ethical horse tour from an exploitative one, and the red flags to watch for before you book
Why "I've ridden horses before" doesn't mean you're ready, and how to actually train for a backcountry adventure abroad
The mindset piece — staying regulated when a 1,000-pound animal panics underneath you, and why being an asset (not a liability) matters for the whole group

This one's for the outdoorswoman who wants to do hard things the right way: with preparation, humility, and respect for the wildlife, the culture, and the risk.

If this episode lit a fire under you, follow Halfway Feral so you never miss an episode, leave us a review, and share it with the adventure buddy who needs to hear "train before you book."

Got an outdoor adventure story to share? We'd love to hear it! Email us at halfwayferal@gmail.com to be a guest on the show.