My last summer ride I did with my local riding group was probably my favorite of all. It was somewhere I hadn't ridden for a long time and not from that particular trail head. The ride took place in the Cibola National Forest, but we parked at the end of a road in a neighborhood.
It was also the same weekend as my 50th Birthday, so I was excited to ride as much as possible as a gift to myself.
It was also the same weekend as my 50th Birthday, so I was excited to ride as much as possible as a gift to myself.
The day was beautiful and sunny and I got Apache tacked up pretty fast and we were ready to go.
Apache and I wandered around while waiting for the others to finish tacking up their horses. And I captured a between the ears photo of my truck and trailer. Trail head in the distance.
After everyone was tacked up, we lined up for a group photo taken by a hiker who lived in the neighborhood.
There were 9 riders total and 11 horses.
Apache and I are standing third from the right.
South Mountain in the distance. The same mountain I see from my house every day.
Smiling happy faces on this ride.
We stopped in a huge meadow to enjoy the 360 degree gorgeous views and to let our horses graze on the grass growing there.
Apache and I looking towards the southeast, in the direction of home.
The energy level of the horses that day was low key. I attribute that to not having our usual leader , with his hot-headed gaited stallion. This day we had a guy named Mike, someone I used to ride with years ago, during American Competitive Trail Horse Association(ACTHA) competitions. It was good to ride with him again.
And even though Mike rides gaited horses, Paso Finos, the pace was pretty relaxed and easy going.
Mike, ponying another of his horses, up front.
And Apache and I strolled along towards the back, though not last. We just don't like riding nose-to-tail.
Some of the riders wanted to go on a walk-about and explore an old water tank/dam, so we pulled off the trail for a little side-adventure.......one of many on this day.
Since I wasn't interested in seeing a dried up water tank, Apache and I stayed down below with several others and we all just chatted and let our horses graze.
And then the dam climbers came back down, and we continued on our way.
Some sections of the trail were very rocky, so I was glad that I put Apache's Cavallo hoof boots on for this ride.
Up we go!
We enjoyed some beautiful views of the Sandia Mountains during our ride.
But one of my favorite parts of the ride, was riding through the pinon and juniper trees.
Some of the trail felt like riding through a tree tunnel. So fun!
And there were scrub oaks, too.
Any kind of tree is good for me. I don't mind riding in the desert. And the desert has it's own beauty. But I'm a mountain girl at heart. I love riding among the trees and on interesting and challenging trails.
We continued to climb higher.
And higher......
Until we reached the top of a ridge, probably less than a mile from my house. We stopped to let our horses rest for a few minutes.
Her bug netting was quite useful that day as the gnats were rather annoying.
Mike and his three Paso Finos. He brought along his young assistant trainer to help him exercise his horses.
Another rider in our group ponying his young horse.
And his wife bringing up the rear. I really enjoyed riding with her. She was a lot of fun and we both liked riding in the back of the group.
And Apache and I in our Trail Selfie!
The yellow wildflowers along the trail were particularly beautiful.
Mike ended up getting a little turned around due to all the tree thinning and masticating that the Forest Service had been doing in the area.
And then he tried to figure out a different route we could take by using his GPS and maps.
Unfortunately, the route included bushwhacking and the area we chose to bushwhack in was very steep and extremely overgrown with thick vegetation.
We did make a go of it anyway and the experience made me very proud of my Apache mare.
We brought up the rear as usual, which proved to be a very good thing, because the group got bunched up together when the route they were following up the mountain got blocked in by thick trees and they were forced to turn around.
So, they yelled down for us to stay where we were and to find a safe route and lead us back down through the forest.
Apache was so well-behaved, so obedient and so willing, even when we were basically all alone in the thick trees, and she could hear the other horses up above us.
I asked her to turn around and together we chose a suitable route through the vegetation all on our own, with the other riders and horses catching up to us about 5 minutes later.
We ended up having to ride back down the mountain to search for another route to create a loop that would get us back to where our trailers were parked, but riding up to the top of the mountain sure gave us some amazing views!
Breathtakingly beautiful views!
Just for fun, I dropped my reins and let Apache choose our route while we were out in the open, because I could see the rest of the riders and knew we wouldn't lose them. Apache enjoys exploring just as much as I do, and she dislikes nose-to-tail, too.
She chose a route through the yellow sunflowers.
Who can ever be unhappy when surrounded by cheerful sunflowers?
The route we ended up taking was quite the adventure and definitely not for a beginner rider who is fearful of rugged, steep, narrow trails with steep drop-offs and boulder hopping. In fact the trail was barely a trail at all, more like a route through a narrow canyon.
Mike said the trail is called Stairway to Heaven and is very popular with motorcycle/dirt bike riders.
I didn't get any photos during that entire section because I was too busy guiding Apache, and trying to move with an independent seat and stay balanced in the saddle to make it easier for Apache to carry me, and making sure we kept up.
I must say that it was an exhilarating route to ride with my equine trail partner and I actually enjoyed it! It was like working together to solve a complicated puzzle.
When we got to the top of the Stairway to Heaven section, we let all our horses stop and rest. And then we needed to figure out which direction to go.
And then we had to gallop up an extremely steep mountainside to reach the top because the grade was just too steep for the horses to walk up......think Man from Snowy River in reverse. I'd guess that the grade was about 25-35%! At the top, several of us had to dismount and readjust saddles because they had slipped back during the gallop uphill. And all of us had breast collars on our horses, too! This was a first for Apache and I in our 7+ years of riding mountain trails!
But that adventure was fun, too!
And when we got to the top of the mountain, that had somehow been cleared by masticators (we kept trying to figure out how they managed to bring them up that steep mountain. But they must have taken a different route through the trees on the other side) we were rewarded with jaw-dropping beauty! So being lost provided some of the most incredible views of the east side of the Sandia Mountains! Being lost isn't always a bad thing.
Truly spectacular views!
While Mike was studying his GPS and his maps, I decided to break away from the group and rode Apache through the trees to look for a possible safe route that we could take to get down off the mountain. Apache was so amazingly good leaving the rest of the horses behind and she willingly went where I asked her to.
It wasn't until Mike whistled out to us to bring us back, that Apache got a little excited and even called out to everyone, "We're coming! Wait for us!". But she still remained calm as we walked back to the group.
Mike figured out that we just needed to continue riding through that narrow, steep walled canyon/arroyo to find our way back to the main trails, and after some more boulder hopping and weaving through the arroyo, we came out onto the other side of the mountain. Yay!!
There's the arroyo over on the right. Thankfully, much narrower here than it was for us higher up, but not by much! haha!
We finally found the actual trail winding through green meadows.
Mike and his 3 Paso Finos bringing up the rear.
And then we were riding back through the beautiful trees again. And beneath that gorgeous blue sky!
I'm not too bad at taking photos of folks behind me while riding. I try to warn people before I do, though. But not always. haha!
Our ride was originally planned to last 2-3 hours, but ended up being about 5 hours long. But it was one of the most favorite rides Apache and I did all summer!
Hooray for adventures!
Life is Good!!
And then the dam climbers came back down, and we continued on our way.
Some sections of the trail were very rocky, so I was glad that I put Apache's Cavallo hoof boots on for this ride.
Up we go!
We enjoyed some beautiful views of the Sandia Mountains during our ride.
But one of my favorite parts of the ride, was riding through the pinon and juniper trees.
And there were scrub oaks, too.
Any kind of tree is good for me. I don't mind riding in the desert. And the desert has it's own beauty. But I'm a mountain girl at heart. I love riding among the trees and on interesting and challenging trails.
We continued to climb higher.
And higher......
Until we reached the top of a ridge, probably less than a mile from my house. We stopped to let our horses rest for a few minutes.
Her bug netting was quite useful that day as the gnats were rather annoying.
Mike and his three Paso Finos. He brought along his young assistant trainer to help him exercise his horses.
Another rider in our group ponying his young horse.
And his wife bringing up the rear. I really enjoyed riding with her. She was a lot of fun and we both liked riding in the back of the group.
And Apache and I in our Trail Selfie!
The yellow wildflowers along the trail were particularly beautiful.
Mike ended up getting a little turned around due to all the tree thinning and masticating that the Forest Service had been doing in the area.
And then he tried to figure out a different route we could take by using his GPS and maps.
Unfortunately, the route included bushwhacking and the area we chose to bushwhack in was very steep and extremely overgrown with thick vegetation.
We did make a go of it anyway and the experience made me very proud of my Apache mare.
We brought up the rear as usual, which proved to be a very good thing, because the group got bunched up together when the route they were following up the mountain got blocked in by thick trees and they were forced to turn around.
So, they yelled down for us to stay where we were and to find a safe route and lead us back down through the forest.
Apache was so well-behaved, so obedient and so willing, even when we were basically all alone in the thick trees, and she could hear the other horses up above us.
I asked her to turn around and together we chose a suitable route through the vegetation all on our own, with the other riders and horses catching up to us about 5 minutes later.
We ended up having to ride back down the mountain to search for another route to create a loop that would get us back to where our trailers were parked, but riding up to the top of the mountain sure gave us some amazing views!
Breathtakingly beautiful views!
Just for fun, I dropped my reins and let Apache choose our route while we were out in the open, because I could see the rest of the riders and knew we wouldn't lose them. Apache enjoys exploring just as much as I do, and she dislikes nose-to-tail, too.
She chose a route through the yellow sunflowers.
Who can ever be unhappy when surrounded by cheerful sunflowers?
The route we ended up taking was quite the adventure and definitely not for a beginner rider who is fearful of rugged, steep, narrow trails with steep drop-offs and boulder hopping. In fact the trail was barely a trail at all, more like a route through a narrow canyon.
Mike said the trail is called Stairway to Heaven and is very popular with motorcycle/dirt bike riders.
I didn't get any photos during that entire section because I was too busy guiding Apache, and trying to move with an independent seat and stay balanced in the saddle to make it easier for Apache to carry me, and making sure we kept up.
I must say that it was an exhilarating route to ride with my equine trail partner and I actually enjoyed it! It was like working together to solve a complicated puzzle.
When we got to the top of the Stairway to Heaven section, we let all our horses stop and rest. And then we needed to figure out which direction to go.
And then we had to gallop up an extremely steep mountainside to reach the top because the grade was just too steep for the horses to walk up......think Man from Snowy River in reverse. I'd guess that the grade was about 25-35%! At the top, several of us had to dismount and readjust saddles because they had slipped back during the gallop uphill. And all of us had breast collars on our horses, too! This was a first for Apache and I in our 7+ years of riding mountain trails!
But that adventure was fun, too!
And when we got to the top of the mountain, that had somehow been cleared by masticators (we kept trying to figure out how they managed to bring them up that steep mountain. But they must have taken a different route through the trees on the other side) we were rewarded with jaw-dropping beauty! So being lost provided some of the most incredible views of the east side of the Sandia Mountains! Being lost isn't always a bad thing.
Truly spectacular views!
While Mike was studying his GPS and his maps, I decided to break away from the group and rode Apache through the trees to look for a possible safe route that we could take to get down off the mountain. Apache was so amazingly good leaving the rest of the horses behind and she willingly went where I asked her to.
It wasn't until Mike whistled out to us to bring us back, that Apache got a little excited and even called out to everyone, "We're coming! Wait for us!". But she still remained calm as we walked back to the group.
Mike figured out that we just needed to continue riding through that narrow, steep walled canyon/arroyo to find our way back to the main trails, and after some more boulder hopping and weaving through the arroyo, we came out onto the other side of the mountain. Yay!!
There's the arroyo over on the right. Thankfully, much narrower here than it was for us higher up, but not by much! haha!
We finally found the actual trail winding through green meadows.
Mike and his 3 Paso Finos bringing up the rear.
And then we were riding back through the beautiful trees again. And beneath that gorgeous blue sky!
I'm not too bad at taking photos of folks behind me while riding. I try to warn people before I do, though. But not always. haha!
Our ride was originally planned to last 2-3 hours, but ended up being about 5 hours long. But it was one of the most favorite rides Apache and I did all summer!
Hooray for adventures!
Life is Good!!
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