Las Cruces Trail Ride in the Shadow of the Organ Mountains

 

On Saturday night, after our White Sands National Monument, we were treated with beautiful views of the Organ Mountains as seen from my friend Latana’s home.

 

Latana and her husband have this huge picture window with gorgeous views east to the Organ Mountains.

 

The night before, we all spent a fun evening eating, drinking, laughing and sharing stories from our White Sands Trail Ride we had shared a few hours earlier.

(My riding buddies clockwise from left to right: Loeta, Vicki, Karen, Latana, Kendra, Dora and Me.)

 

But we decided that if the weather was nice and not too windy the next morning, we would all head out on a short trail ride before heading back home. The weather reports had said that a big storm was moving into New Mexico by Sunday afternoon, so we wanted to be on the road before the worst of it arrived.

Well, when morning came, there was just a gentle breeze, sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. Temps were in the low 50’s and after feeding our ponies, we enjoyed some breakfast and finished packing up, so we’d be ready to go when we got back from our trail ride.

Karen’s, Vicki’s, Loeta’s, Kendra’s and my ponies in their stalls. Kendra’s Bailey and my Apache shared a stall and paddock together because they are BFFs.  

 

Dora’s mare, Julie got to bunk in one of Latana’s comfy barn stalls.

 After tacking up our ponies, we all mounted up and Latana’s husband, Tom took some photos of all of us, before we headed out to the trails.

(Cowgirls from left to right: Dora, Karen, Gayle, Vicki, Latana, Loeta, Me, and Kendra)

 

A close up: Latana, Loeta, Me (in my leopard print!), and my buddy Kendra.

 

 And….off we went!

 

My buddy Kendra riding her Bailey boy in the shadow of the Organ Mountains.

 

Latana has access to hundreds of acres of Open Space all the way to the Organ Mountains, directly from her house. But we all thought the trails would be flat and featureless because that is the way it looked from Latana’s house. I think we were all surprised with the interesting terrain we had the pleasure of riding up, down, over, through and across. There were some lovely deep-walled arroyos to ride through. 

 

And what goes down, must come back up.

 

I really love this kind of terrain. It’s so fun, interesting and challenging to ride. And such fun to explore, too!

 

We started off doing quite a bit of trotting, but sticking very close together as the trails were very faint and had many side trails going off in different directions.

 

It was a beautiful morning and we were all enjoying being out on our horses together.

 

And then we’d come upon another deep arroyo to fjord across.

 

I was so proud of my Apache as she was eager to explore whatever the terrain of the trail revealed to us. She never balked or said no to anything I asked her to do. And she never spooked. She is so brave, willing and has such a huge heart. I just adore her! And down we went into the arroyo!

 

At one point we crossed a shallow, narrow arroyo, basically a step-over for the horses. But Karen’s gelding, in front of me, Kendra and Gayle decided he wasn’t sure how to proceed across and refused to move forward. Karen dismounted and tried to get him to cross that way, but he still refused. Kendra and I and Gayle rode our horses across the little arroyo, hoping that Karen’s gelding would follow us so he wouldn’t be left behind. But he still refused. So we waited in a small group, while Gayle guided Karen to a location that was flat and didn’t have a small arroyo.

We didn’t mind waiting. It was nice to visit with one another. And our horses didn’t mind waiting either. They enjoyed their little rest.

 

But soon we were on our way down the trail again. Heading west with the city of Las Cruces off in the distance.

 

As we made our way back towards Latana’s house, we spread out and enjoyed a relaxing ride mostly walking. Apache and I both really enjoy when we aren’t riding nose to tail and can just focus on the beautiful trail and one another.

 

Gayle and her gelding were riding behind us, but stayed far enough back that my Apache didn’t feel crowded. And Kendra was riding her Bailey behind Gayle.

 

When we rode at White Sands National Monument the day before, Latana rode her lovely jenny mule, Lilly. But on Sunday she rode her handsome paint gelding Patriot. And she wore her Hide-a-Helmet, too!

 

Shadow Rider Self-Portrait of me and my Apache mare.

 

Apache and I in the shadow of the Organ Mountains in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

 

Before we returned to Latana’s house we still had a few more arroyos to cross and some small hills to traverse.

 

We all did some trotting and a little cantering and just enjoyed the varied terrain.

The trails were very rocky in places, but most of our horses were barefoot, including my Apache mare. None of our horses had any trouble with the rocks or became sore or gimpy. I love having a horse with rock hard, strong, tough hooves so I can keep her barefoot.

 

We had a couple more steep downhill and uphill climbs, which were a lot of fun!

 

And then we arrived back at Latana’s house.

 

But Gayle gave us one last memento of our special weekend before it was over…..a group photo!

(From left to right: Loeta, Vicki, Dora, Kendra, Me, Karen, and Latana)

 

And I remembered to turn on my GPS when we got out on the trail. We rode for just over 4 miles. A perfect early morning ride before heading back home.

 

Las Cruces Trail Ride

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Rolling at White Sands National Monument, NM

 

Even though we kept a quick steady forward pace for our three hour trail ride, our fastest speeds were just trotting and cantering. My mare was pretty sure that wouldn’t help our 2013 Cheltenham Festival odds  unless we had unleashed our Thoroughbred race horse speeds. (Not gonna happen.)

But as a reward for her earnest effort, I offered to her some very satisfying rolls in the deep sand located near the horse trailer parking area. (Which you can see down behind the sand dune we were all on in the photo below)

At first Apache couldn’t choose the perfect spot, because she already had the perfect spot picked out in her mind….obviously related to the number of times she tried to roll during the last half of our trail ride, and always at the deep sand base of a dune. As we were riding downhill, I always had to be on alert when we reached the bottom of the dune, because she would slow down, get weak-kneed, try to paw and lower her head. So, I had to keep her moving forward, so she could move past any temptations.

So we wandered around the edge of the horse trailer parking area, while she tested out potential rolling spots.

And we walked into the center of the parking area, where we had just watched my friend Latana’s mule enjoy a good roll.

But Apache decided it wasn’t good enough.

But when we climbed up a dune and she tested out the lower section and realized it was just like those soft, deep areas at the base of all those dunes we had ridden through, and I hadn’t allowed her to roll. She was very pleased.

And the rolling began!

Ahhhhhhh! Feels so good!

Rolling upside-down on a sand dune!

Apache says she really had an awesome day at White Sands National Monument!

 

 

Note: To answer your questions,

*Nuz Muz and Desert Hen asked “Were any other kinds of transportation allowed out there, like dirt bike riders, quad riders and dunebuggies?”

~No motorized transportation is permitted on the sand dunes at White Sands National Monument. Only transportation allowed are your own feet and horseback. And they do have occasional special events where they invite bicycle riders to come ride, like the Full Moon Bike Ride. Otherwise, the dunes are pristine, quiet, relaxing, and peaceful. A perfect place to hike or ride your horse.

*NuzMuz wondered “I'll bet you got to see a lot more on horseback than anyone on foot. I struggle just to get through the sand in my arena on foot, so I don't like to go far”

~Actually, only the top few inches of the gypsum dunes are made of loose sand. Rainwater falling on the dunes dissolves some of the gypsum and cements the sand grains together, creating a crude form of plaster of Paris. This makes the white sand dunes very easy to walk on. And it also makes it safer for horses to walk, trot and canter on, too. Their legs are less susceptible to leg and soft tissue injuries. I was surprised at how shallow and firm the sand was beneath the 3-4" of top layer.
Lots of people hike in the sand dunes very easily.

*Clairz stated, “Your photos are great, and I know it isn't easy to get good pictures with all that glare.”

~Well thank you very much. I will share that to take photos on the dunes on a bright, sunny day, I used the Snow Setting for my Canon Powershot camera.

*And a friend without a Blogger/Google Account wrote and said she really liked my helmet cover and asked me where I got it.

~I can’t say enough good things about my helmet cover. I love how well it fits my helmet. And for riding in the sun, it is perfect for keeping the rays off your face, ears and neck. The lady, Lantana, who custom-makes them in many different colors and designs, to fit all helmets, and she wears them herself. And I whole-heartedly recommend her hide a helmet covers. (And she didn’t pay me to say that!)

Here’s the link to her website: Hide a Helmet

Once in a Blue Moon

 

Last night I rode my Apache mare beneath the bright, full, BLUE MOON.

As we all know, the moon wasn’t actually blue in color. But it was still a very special moon.

August is the only month in 2012 that has two full moons. The only time one month can have two full moons is when the first full moon happens in the first few days of the month. This only happens every 2-3 years.

This full moon ride was extra special for me because it happened just 4 days before my 46th birthday!

 

And for my birthday, my hubby bought me a something I’ve been wanting: my very own, custom-made Hide-a-Helmet!

As most of my friends know, I love to wear helmet covers to decorate my helmet. Usually they are just stretchy, lycra with fun and colorful patterns. Except I've been wanting something that looked more like a hat. And I searched for over 3 years, but nothing came even close to what I was looking for.

But just a few weeks ago, while doing a search for helmet covers, I stumbled upon this new home-business, created by a lovely lady named Latina. She had finally designed a helmet cover that actually looks like a real hat.

Latina knew exactly what would look good because she is also an equestrian. She drives a cart and competes in cart-driving shows. And she likes to be safe and wear her helmet, but also look stylish, too.

(At one point in our ride, Apache refused to take me out to our back paddock behind the barn. I asked and instead of complying, she tried to back up or turn around. So, after a couple minutes of me making her do just that, she was finally convinced that exploring the back paddock was a good idea.)

It typically takes Latina 2-3 weeks to make a helmet cover and have it shipped to her customers, except when I told her that my helmet cover was for my birthday, she got my Hide-a-Helmet to me in less than a week, once she received my check! I was so excited!!!

(I was still very proud of my Apache mare for doing as I asked without putting up too much of a fit. Apache received loads of praise and then we wandered around in the back paddock for about 10 minutes and then came back out. Good girl Apache!)

Latina sent my Hide-a-Helmet on Tuesday and it arrived on Friday. Just in time for me to wear it for the full Blue Moon event!

It was a thrill to be riding my Apache mare under such a bright and beautiful moon.

I kept singing “Me and My Shadow”, because the shadows we cast on the ground and trees were very vivid and well-defined. It was so bright outside, that I could have read a book! lol!

Got my horse and my dog, and a moonlit night…….life is good!

I only rode my mare for about 30 minutes around my property, but it was such a joy and a privilege. I’m so thankful to my sweet Apache mare for allowing me to fulfill many of my dreams. (And thankful for my twin son Jeremiah for taking photos, so I can go back and enjoy the memories of this night whenever I want to).

And yes, there were cookies and a late night hay-snack, for my Apache mare, after the ride.