Horse Camping ~ Trail Riding Morning ~ Day One

 

Quick answer to someone who had commented that the outhouse we had, with the bright and airy feel due to the skylight, must not have been so nice when it rained. Actually, the outhouse had a real skylight made of clear plexi-glass, so it wasn’t actually open to the sky. So, you could sit in there and be totally protected if it rained, or you could just look up into the night sky and enjoy all the lovely sparkling stars. I think all outhouses should be built with skylights and windows, don’t you?

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Some of you were also in awe of how cushy our campsite was, and I do agree. I’m used to camping in little tents, going potty behind a tree, and sleeping on the ground, which is why I brought so many camp mats. We enjoyed all the comforts of home, albeit on a more rustic scale, and we were all very comfortable in our 5-star camping accommodations. Best of all was the company. Camping with trail-riding friends, new and old, along with wonderful horses, and a sweet old donkey is just the best!

And all that gorgeous scenery, fresh clean air, and time spent riding horses out on beautiful, pristine trails is a dream come true for me.

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After the worst of the thunder and lightning had moved on, the steady plinkety-plink of the rain on our tent lulled me to sleep. We woke up to a cloudy, dull sky with a persistent sun trying to push it’s bright, warm rays through the grey. The cheerful sun finally succeeded in it’s mission, after we finished up our breakfast burritos and dressed for the day’s trail ride. The ground was slightly damp, but there were no puddles or mud. Because the summer has been so dry and our monsoon season is just beginning, the ground soaks up the moisture for the plants and grasses quickly.

So, we gathered up our horses, groomed all the caked on mud off of their manes, tails and bodies, and got our equine trail partners ready  to head into the Carson National Forest.

Every ride into the National Forest begins and ends with this fun gateway that Deb created on her property.

 

 

Actually, on Saturday morning, once we left Deb’s property, and rode through the National Forest for a few miles, then we took a detour to visit a friend and neighbor of Deb’s, named Holly. Holly and her husband own several thousand acres surrounded by the Carson National Forest.

(That’s Holly riding in front of me and Apache)

Holly and her husband have been helping their land revert back into a natural, pristine forest preserve and a private camp. Holly, riding her lovely mule, invited us to ride and explore her property for the day, and we were thrilled. It was absolutely gorgeous!

 

My favorite sections of trail were these magical, shady, cool aspen groves. I kept imagining faeries, gnomes, elves, and other secretive forest creatures living among these beautiful trees.

 

 

 

There were also many wide-open, grass-filled meadows to ride through, too.

 

We were all hoping to see Elk while we were on the trails, and we weren’t disappointed! Just after I took this photo, and put my camera away (of course), a beautiful, young Bull Elk came running across our trail and then bounded up the other side of the canyon into the trees. None of the horses reacted to the elk and we were all in awe and so excited!

 

Along the way, we stopped by Holly’s forest camp to water the horses from their tank and to make a pit stop and use their fancy-schmancy restroom. I can hardly call it an outhouse, even though it has no modern plumbing. If you all thought our Dragonwycke outhouse was a 5-star camping potty facility, then check out Holly’s outhouse!

Holly’s husband built this comfy facility below a tall stately Ponderosa tree, with beautiful stained wood, working windows on every wall, a door that locks (to keep out bears…and velvety donkey noses?), solar and battery operated lights, and even places to tie your horse and boulders to remount after using the facilities (which came in handy for me).

But most interesting of all is that there isn’t just one potty inside. No, there are two, and they face one another. Isn’t that sweet? Two people can take a romantic dump together. lol!

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The last half of our morning trail ride was spent climbing up and down steep mountain trails.

 

In hindsight, I realize that Apache hasn’t been conditioned long enough for trails as rigorous as this, and even though she did well for the hilly 6-7 mile trail rides at Cedar Hill Farm (elevation between 5,000-6,500ft), the Carson National Forest is much more rugged and higher, with elevations between 9,000-10,000 ft.

 

My sweet Apache mare gave me everything she had, and did everything I asked. All told we rode between 10-11 miles that morning, over some beautiful, but varied terrain. Apache was willing, calm, and obedient every step of the trails we rode together. The only thing she spooked at was a floating board (to rescue small animals that might fall in) in the water tank. But it was only a small ‘eyeball spook’. I could not have asked for a better horse. She’s truly worth her weight in gold and has a huge, generous heart.

But sadly, she somehow strained her shoulder and leg on that last half of trail, an although she tried to valiantly carry me until the very end without showing us there were any problems, Colleen and I could tell she was off in her front left. We picked out her feet and found some tiny stones, but that didn’t seem to be the problem.

Thankfully we weren’t too far from Dragonwycke Ranch and our camp, and Apache was proud and willing to carry me the rest of the way back.

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Once I removed all her tack and brushed her down, I could tell that she was favoring that front left leg. And after I put her in the pasture and she rolled, I watched her stand up and place weight on that leg and actually startle, presumably from pain? After that she seemed worse, and barely walked. And when she did, she gimped along with a limp, holding her leg out to the side.

Seeing her hurting broke my heart and made me cry. I realized if anything terrible ever happened to her, a part of me would just shrivel up and die (More tears are falling as I type these heartfelt words).

Colleen, Christine and Deb tried to reassure me that she was going to be ok. Colleen applied some soothing Linament and after Apache ate some hay, we gave her some Banamine.

Apache showed us that she wasn’t ready to give up the ghost yet, as we watched her guard three piles of hay with a firmness I’d never seen in my laid-back mare before. She sure hadn’t lost her appetite, which is always a good sign.

She definitely knew to rest and heal, and spent a lot of time laying down, standing still, or walking slowly.

    

 

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So, what did this mean for the rest of our horse camping weekend, that had just begun? Would I be side-lined at camp, along with my precious Apache mare? Would Apache be ok?

 

Come back soon to find out………………….