Arrowhead Ranch: David Canyon Trail Maintenance Ride

The weather reports were telling us that we were going to have a really nice 3 day weekend, so I made plans to ride all 3 days!
My friend Yvonne agreed to join me on two of those days and she even helped me plan and organize a Trail Maintenance Work Project Ride. What a good friend!

Yep! That's right. We weren't just going to mosy on down the trail relaxing and enjoying nature. We were riding with a mission to clear low-hanging branches and overgrown trees and brush from one of my favorite back country trails in the Cibola National Forest of David Canyon.

My friend Yvonne drove over to my house and we loaded her mare into my horse trailer with Apache, because the David Canyon parking area isn't very big.
And it was a good thing we carpooled in just one trailer, my smaller 2 horse trailer, instead of her 4 horse gooseneck stock trailer, because the parking lot was full when we arrived, with 3 other horse trailers and the cars and SUVs of hikers and mountain bikers.
We could have still parked in the parking lot if those cars and SUVs would have parked closer together in one area. But instead they spread out and parked like folks do when sitting in a movie theater or church....with spaces or gaps in between. And these spaces were not big enough to park a horse trailer.

So, I drove out of the parking area and parked alongside the entrance road, leaving plenty of room for cars, trucks and trailers to enter and exit.

Although when we were saddling up, our horses kind of blocked the road...haha!

We loaded up our horses with trimmers, clippers, loppers, folding saws and pack saws...a couple extra layers of clothes and lunch!

And then we headed out onto the trail.

Yvonne and Etta Bay bringing up the rear.

Along the way, we occasionally pulled out our trimmers or folding saws to cut a few low-hanging branches.

We rode through one of the tree thinning/ prescription burn areas.

And then we headed out into the back country of David Canyon.

A few tiny rock steps for our experienced trail horses to navigate over.

We continued riding in a northwesterly direction into the beautiful forest.

My Happy Trail Selfie!

And the sign perfectly matches the trail's location: West Boundary. You cannot ride any further west in this area of the Cibola National Forest. If you do, you will be trespassing on Kirtland Air Force Base property. And there are plenty of warning signs spread out along the West Boundary Trail, about specifically not doing that.

West Boundary Trail is one of my most favorite trails in David Canyon. And it's so beautiful, especially when there is still Fall color!

The trail is a mix of rocks and smooth dirt and the terrain is varied between flat and hills. It's a fun trail to ride and never boring.

As can be seen by the piles of branches and logs, there has been a lot of tree thinning along this trail as well. Eventually the Forest Service will do a prescription burn and that makes me a little sad, even though I am aware that it will be a good thing in the long run to clean up these piles of branches.

When we first started out on the West Boundary Trail, we ran into a group of 4-5 horseback riders riding towards us in the opposite direction we were heading. When we told them what our plans were that day to clear trail, they were so thrilled and thankful.

It didn't take us long before we found branches to cut and brush to trim back.

We, of course did all of it from horseback, because we needed to be able to reach the branches that are at the face level of horseback riders. And the best way to do that is from the back of a horse!

Both of our horses did amazingly well with having to stand still and be patient, while pine needles, leaves and branches fell on their heads and necks.

We worked non-stop for about 2 1/2 hours, until we found the perfect log for lunch and a rest.

Our horses were grateful for our 30 minute lunch break, too.

This may very well be, the best trail horse and trail clearing pony in the entire world. I just adore her!

And she looks great in red!

I really like my 10 foot long loop reins and my 11 foot long lead rope. I can tie that lead rope around the widest tree in the forest and my horse still has plenty of room to hang her head, relax and look around.

After lunch, we got to work on a lengthy section just past our lunch log, clearing overgrown brush, trimming branches and even cutting down 2 knee-knocker trees, which is where my awesome Corona pack saw came in handy!

Yvonne doesn't use a camera or her cell phone to take photos, and I never thought to give her my camera, so I don't have any photos of me clearing trail. But believe me, I was working. We both got a lot of work done that day.

We continued working on foot for another 45 minutes, and that was after our 30 minute lunch. So our horses enjoyed a very long rest.

After we cleared that section by foot, we backtracked to our resting ponies and mounted back up to continue working from horseback.

It was nice to ride through our previously cleared section. We appreciated not having our knees knocked by trees and our faces scratched by branches.

We rode to the south end of West Boundary Trail and then we turned around and rode the trail in reverse, so we could enjoy all the work we did and catch anything we missed on the way in.

I cannot even begin to express how proud I am of my amazing Apache mare! She went above and beyond my expectations and gave me her heart and soul that day.

There were times that I swear she read my mind when I wanted her to get into a good position for me to trim a high branch. I wouldn't even have to use my reins, just my voice, or sometimes, nothing at all. Perhaps just my body was telling her where to move and I didn't even realize it. But it was like we were as one and totally working in sync. It was a truly awesome experience.

At one point, I was using my folding saw to remove a 5 foot long branch about 5" around. When I almost had the branch cut through, I tried to hold the branch up but it was too heavy and awkward. So, the branch dropped down over Apache's neck, literally pinning her against the tree.

Apache never even moved one step. I told her to stand and I kept praising her, while I completed sawing the remainder of the branch. And then I lifted the 5' long branch up and over her neck and tossed it into the forest, off of the trail.

My mare was a rock star and she had the most amazing work ethic! Apache is such an awesome trail horse and equine partner. I am so lucky and blessed to have her in my life!

Me and my Apache mare selfie!

Since we weren't doing much trimming work on the way back, we made good time. But we had been out on the trails for over 5 hours, and by the time we made it back to the trail head parking area, the sun was already dropping behind the trees and the shadows were long.