Manzanita Mountains Ride

Come along with me and enjoy a trail ride in the beautiful Manzanita Mountains of New Mexico!

This is one of my most favorite areas to ride because of the varied, yet easy to ride terrain, beautiful scenery, groves of scrub oak and tall pine trees. I'm blessed to live only a few minutes away and it's lovely all year round!

I invited my new riding companion, Loretta and her gaited gelding, to join me. She had never ridden there before and was instantly in love.

Loretta and her boy Duke.

Loretta enjoys taking photos on the trail, like I do. I was grateful for the photos she took of Apache and I.
Apache and I love to ride up to this view spot and take in the incredible vistas!

Loretta and her handsome Duke.

The grass has grown tall and lush and green. We were glad to let our horses enjoy some grazing.

My happy trail selfie!

Loretta and I took turns leading, but she and Duke were mostly out in front as he is gaited and a bit faster than Apache.

Duke never minded stopping to wait for Apache and I to catch up. He got to enjoy a few munches of grass while waiting.

In some places, the grass was as tall as Apache's belly!

Beautiful meadows filled with green grass!

I love how the trail twists and winds through the tall ponderosa pines.

And the scrub oaks are so thick and lush, it's like riding through a wall of green, and in some areas it's like riding through a tunnel.

"One Can Never Be Unhappy Riding A Horse"

Lots of shade on the trail. Apache and I always enjoy being out in nature together.

I did get a huge surprise at one point along the ride. Two old friends came riding towards us on their horses. Dave and Cheryl have been my riding companions on some pretty epic adventures, including Canyon de Chelley in Chinle, AZ, Catalina State Park in Tucson, AZ and in the Gila Wilderness at Valle Tio Vinces. Cheryl and I also camped and rode together at Fort Stanton, New Mexico years ago. 

And I've even ridden the grey horse on the left. Utah is a Percheron gelding and is as gentle as they come. I rode him in Tucson, AZ one afternoon. What a great time! 

What a wonderful surprise to run into these two old friends and riding companions out on the trails.

My "Riding Makes Me Happy" Trail Selfie!

Of course, I also showed Loretta one of my most favorite New Mexico trees, the Alligator Juniper. This is a very special specimen near the trail. Every time I see it, it's like seeing an old friend.

We rode back to the trailers and water our horses and removed all their tack.

Apache was tired. We typically stop for a lunch break during our ride, but Loretta and I had decided to have our lunch and ice cold beers after our ride on this day.

And a close up photo of how Apache's eye socket looks now that it has sunk in 5 months after her enucleation surgery. (This ride was in August)

Apache my One Eyed Wonder Horse!

Post ride lunch selfies! 

We tucked our ponies in the shade of the trees while we gnoshed and chatted.

Oh yeah!
Life is Good!

Lisa and Apache's Adventures

I created this image, (using a between-the-ears photo of my mare when we rode to Trail Riders Wall in the Pecos Wilderness last year), showing the number of rides, miles, riding companions, and some of the places that my amazing Apache mare and I traveled from October 2015- November 2016.

In more detail:

We rode at the following locations, this number of times:

1. Juan Tomas Open Space, Oak Flats/Pine Flats National Forest (13)
2. Gutierrez Canyon Open Space (9)
3. David Canyon Cibola National Forest (6)
4. Cienega Canyon Sandia Mountains/Cibola National Forest (4)
5. Sandia Mountains 10k South to High Finance Restaurant/Sandia Peak (4)
6. Sandia Mountains 10k North to Sandia Crest (4)
7. Galisteo Basin Preserve (1)
8. Golden Canyon Open Space (1)
9. Cerillos Hills State Park (1)
10. 4 Hills Open Space (2)
11. El Cerro de Los Lunas (1)
12. Edgewood Equestrian Center (2)
13. Bryce Canyon Peek-a-Boo Trail (1)
14. Bryce Canyon Thunder Mountain Trail (1)
15. Bryce Canyon Losee Canyon (1)
16. Valle Tio Vinces Gila National Forest(2)
17. Zuni Mountains Cibola National Forest (3)
18. Sedillo Hill Open Space (2)
19. 5 Hills National Forest (1)
20. Fourth of July Canyon, Cibola National Forest (1)

Miles ridden per month (rounded out):

1. October 2015 (8 miles)
2. November 2015 (32 miles)
3. December 2015 (8 miles)
4. February 2016 (23 miles)
5. March 2016 (9 miles)
6. April 2016 (39 miles)
7. May 2016 (52 miles)
8. June 2016 (40 miles)
9. July 2016 (85 miles)
10. August 2016 (35 miles)
11. September 2016 (89 miles)
12. October 2016 (85 miles) 

Riding Companions (9) and Number of Rides Ridden Together:

1. Yvonne (27)
2. Gin (11)
3. Ginny (12)
4. Roxanne (8)
5. Dana (8)
6. Renee (7)
7. Jessica (2)
8. Susan (2)
9. Teresa (1)
10. BCHM (4)
11. HDR (9)

We had a fantastic year of trail riding!!

Life is Good!!

Gila Camp-Out: Valle Tio Vinces, Day Three

On the third day, we saddled up after breakfast and I was asked to take a photo of the "Odd Couple" in our group, a Percheron and a Spotted Saddle Horse.This is close as they were get to one another. Apparently they were both intimidated by each others difference in size...haha!

Afterwards, we headed out on the trail...well, not really a trail. We made our own trail meandering through the trees.

We rode across a wide open meadow towards some old corrals with cattle.

And then we followed an old rutted dirt road up into the ponderosa forest.

The views as we gained elevation were beautiful.

Most of the folks in our riding group have gaited horses. Apache and I gave up trying to keep up with the group. It's a drag having to trot all the time. We just did our own thing, and would sometimes cut through the forest or over a hill to catch up with everyone.

We always caught up eventually when the group gave their horses a rest or the leaders would check their GPS and maps to see if we were lost of not.

And off we would go again...everyone up ahead in the group, tightly packed together nose-to-tail, and Apache and I way in the back enjoying our peace, quiet and solitude.

We did have to ride a forest service road a couple times, but we would leave the road and climb up a steep hill above the road and enter the Gila Wilderness again, often having to enter through a gate.

We rode a lot of steep hills. It was quite the adventure.

It was interesting how many gates there were in the forest.

Those that stopped to open and close the gates were much appreciated.

Can't forget our trail selfie!

The views were really beautiful the higher we climbed.

Another wilderness gate to walk through.

The gates not only keep motorized vehicles out, but they keep cattle contained, too.

You know the rules: Always close a gate if you find it closed. And leave a gate open if you find it open. The gates we saw that day were all closed when we arrived, so we made sure to close them after we walked through.

Wonderful last ride of the weekend. And a great horse camping adventure for my Apache mare and I.

Gila Camp-Out: Valle Tio Vinces, Day Two

After breakfast, everyone saddled up and we headed out to explore the trails.

The most noticeable thing I immediately noticed about this area was how rocky they were. And not just any rocks, but volcanic rock, which can be brutally damaging to horse's hooves.

I was grateful that Apache was wearing her Cavallo hoof boots, because the horses that were wearing steel shoes were struggling and tip toeing over those shards of sharp rock. At least Apache's front feet and soles were totally protected by thick rubber.

We rode up onto a ledge and then rode back down.

In large groups, my favorite place to be is way in the back.



At the bottom of the hill was a beautiful green meadow that traveled through a canyon.

There were hundreds of wild irises growing in the meadow, but we had missed their bloom time. I bet it was spectacular!

Someone suggested we take several group photos...first a group shot with all the women only.

Apache and I are on the far right.

And then a full group photo, minus the photographer. There were 8 of us, 5 gals and 3 guys. Apache and I are still over there on the far right.

We rode through the meadow until we crossed a tiny spring.

We let the horses have a drink of water, if they wanted it. Then we rode straight uphill and left the meadow behind.

Our ride leaders chose to follow an old forest service road to ride on, but I'm not a fan of road riding, especially when the road is covered in sharp gravel, and there is a pretty, green meadow just below the road. 

Apache and I were tempted to leave the group behind and make our own path through the meadows.

I know Apache...hopefully someone up ahead will suggest riding down there and off the road.

Hooray! And someone did!

Such a pretty ponderosa forest to meander through. Apache was so happy to be off the road, that she eagerly led the way.

My trail selfie, of course!

But we eventually left behind the meadows and rode up towards the top of the mountain. These forest service roads were actually quite nice, and not too rocky.

Up on the top of the mountain, the views south into the Gila Wilderness were stunning.

Apache and I enjoyed being surrounded by the forest beauty.

But after a few hours, we headed back to the campground. Apache usually rides back at the end of a ride, slower than when we start out. She always seems to enjoy being out in nature.

When we got back to the campground and put away our horses, it was time to prepare.....Dinner!!
Yep, we had grilled chicken and corn on the cob.

And more chicken and corn and beans, too!

Apache had hay and fresh grass for her dinner.

We humans had a boatload of delicious food for our potluck dinner!

And of course, we had wine and beer and cocktails, too!

And after dinner we gathered around the campfire for conversation and laughter.

Perfect way to end the day!