Poker Ride ~ Challenging but Fun

 

Back to the Poker Ride…….

I must admit, that while my preferred trail ride is a nice slow rambling walk down a mostly flat or gently rolling trail, I am having a great time challenging myself on these more technical trails that I’ve been riding the past few weeks down in San Acacia.

It’s been helpful for me in developing a better seat and good balance and I’m having lots of fun and meeting wonderful people in the process, too.

(This is B. He’s a Dentist in the town of Belen, NM. He will talk your ear off if you let him, but he knows a lot of interesting stuff and is easy to talk with…and he’s very funny. Oh my!)

 

(My silly friend Shelley from Santa Fe, sticking her tongue out at me)

Saturday’s ride in San Lorenzo Canyon was also a fairly long trail ride as we were out there about 4 hours riding alongside the canyon walls and dropping down into smaller canyons and meandering through dry, sandy washes.

And although the ride began with a little mishap, thankfully the rider and horse were ok and the rest of the ride was uneventful. Hmmm, well that’s not necessarily the right word.

(This is Kady. She lives about 10 miles from me here in the mountains. She was trying to encourage her horse to follow behind me and climb over that rock. He wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. But he finally did hop over it eventually)

 

The ride was very full of adventures, beautiful and interesting views, and was technical enough that it was every rider’s best interest to pay attention to the trail. This was a ride that no one would even think about chatting or texting on their cell phone while moseying on down the trail.

(Great horse friends. Beel, up front. Beel works in Carlsbad Caverns National Park and is their maintenance guy who fixes the elevators, etc. He is the President of our New Mexico Horseback Trail Riders group and is just the nicest, down-to-earth person. (Beel is wearing the leopard print man-kerchief I gave him) To the left is Dora, also from Carlsbad…..a real cowgirl who is sweet and very funny. Bonner, the Dentist is behind her. And Kady, my mountain neighbor, is behind Beel)

(Friends, Marilyn from Placitas in front, Randi from Bernalillo to the left, and Kady and Beel in the back)

(Beel posing for a photo in front of the canyon wall, while B runs up behind him)

Yes, there were many opportunities for fun conversations and laughter, and even though the horses were doing most of the work, most parts of the trail required a rider’s full concentration.

This is why I think I enjoy these technical trails so much. It’s not a good idea to just let your mind wander on to other distractions like responsibilities and stuff that you have waiting for you to do at home. When you’re riding a technical trail, you’ve got to be fully focused and in the moment.

(Thank you to my friend Dora, from Carlsbad for taking this candid photo, and in black and white no less)

Instead of a lot of words describing Saturday’s ride in San Lorenzo Canyon, I’ll let my photos and video tell the story instead. Just keep in mind that it’s very challenging trying to take photos of warm red, brown and pink sandstone and rock on a dull, cloudy, grey day. There was quite a bit of post photo-processing. But all you have to do is just sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Marilyn)

(Melissa)

 

(Beel and his buddy, Spice)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Dusty of Followed Dream Ranch. He brought all 3 of his awesome horses on this ride, too: Belle and Spanky are in the photo. Thunder is just out of sight. And just so you know. He rode bareback the entire ride!)

 

 

 

 

(Kady)

 

 

(Tim, Marilyn’s husband, riding his little Mustang mare. That red rock in the distance is where we all just came from and drew one of our poker cards on the top)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(That’s me on Splendor in the middle of the line)

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                 Did you enjoy the ride?