Cantering Through Life » gaited horses

La Cienega Ride in the Sandia Mountains

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:34:51 +0000

Even though the area was weather forecast was to have significant wind the adventurous Trio: Liz, Leigh and Linda, decided to try the La Cienega Trail hoping the wind would be less. The winds were very strong in Guiterrez

R & R

Canyon, annoying the horses no end when their hay was blowing out of their pens.

Most horses are jumpy in the wind, never knowing what is going to jump out at them from the bushes. Paso’s are of Spanish Blood and typically have more brio or spirit; however this doesn’t translate to spooky or crazy. In a well trained animal there minds are so good that they typically don’t spook or bolt!

Saddled and ready we took the blacktop road to the trail. It was a busy

Leigh and the gaiting Grace

weekend with several cars driving cautiously by. However a brain dead skateboarder came whizzing by us at a fast rate of speed. Thank goodness once again for good minds, the horses didn’t skip a beat!

These are not really mature horses they are all rather young. Casanova is the old man at 6, both Rip and Amazing Grace are 4 years old. There was no bolting or going sideways they all just kept the beat! Another reason to ride Gaited!

Trail riding with Gaited Horses

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:52:56 +0000

Gaited Horses are fast becoming the preferred mount for trail riding. The combination of smooth ride, great mind, easy going personality and small size is a huge plus for the trail rider, especially for those over 30 years old! Paso Fino’s and Peruvian Paso’s are a favorite for several reasons: their small size, their nimble stride and their versatility. The Paso’s relatively small feet makes them ideal for rocky trails and their smaller bone structure makes them a more comfortable ride on the rider’s hips. The Paso’s, in spite of their brio or fiery nature, are really fairly calm and trustworthy on the trail. In most situations the Paso’s I’ve ridden have responded to surprises such as motorcycles, cars, deer, ducks, unexpected trail hazards and dogs without losing their heads or taking off.

This is not to say that these horses are without heart or stamina! After a 3 day trail ride, The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Posse Ride covering more than 70 miles of mountainus terrain, Destino was ready to perform at his best for the Lincoln County Parade! He had the carriage of a well rested horse even though he had lost some significant weight on the strenuous ride. While many of the horses on the trail ride were dragging, literally, these Paso Fino’s were still spirited, showy and ready to go!

Destino a Wonderful Paso Fino

admin — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:15:33 +0000

Destino was the ambassador for Paso Fino gaited horses in the East Mountain area of NM ; he filled the role magnificently. Nearly everyone who was privileged to ride and experience his smooth as glass gait was hooked and had to have a Paso Fino or Peruvian Paso for their very own! Unfortunately Destino left us at the tender age of 11, off to introduce the spirit world to gaited horses! For now his likeness in glass greets me every morning with the sunrise behind him! Destino, born and bred for show in his native Latin America undoubtedly experienced some rough handling in his training but he was able to rise above it and become a loyal and trustworthy steed. He still had the fire and presence of a show Paso Fino but he became trustworthy and was even able to flat walk; quite an accomplishment for a show Paso whose breeding and training is all about their Brio or controlled fire. Destino and I rode many happy trails together until his untimely death September 2007. My terrific friends Liz and Leigh bestowed Leigh’s last stained glass masterpiece on me for Destino’s one year anniversary of his passing. It hangs in a place of honor facing east and greeting the sunrise every morning.

Guiterrez Open Space ride and the Turkey Road Kill Story

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:45:12 +0000

Another beautiful late fall day ride. The temperature was a bit chilly but nothing that avid riders couldn’t overcome with jackets,hats and gloves! As usual we headed over the ridge to relax and have lunch at Ribs. The group was a little larger than usual, consisting of Liz, Leigh, myself, Elaine, Ron, Susan and Beth and of course the gaited horses: Dulce, Grace, Casanova, Pumpkin, Luna, Holy Smokes and Danza. Beautiful views and great trails are the course of the day but those were topped by Elaine’s story of her 1st experiences in the East Mountains.

Elaine is a transplant from California, a polished executive type that wanted to get away from the CA scene! She moved here to enjoy life more, ride horses, raise Alpacas and spend more time with her young son! Shortly after moving in to her country home with acreage and room for those horses, Alpacas and chickens she needed to fix her fence so she found a local person to take care of the fence. I hope you have the vision of good looking California executive transplanted to the wild wild west because here is where it gets interesting. The fence mender casually invites her to dinner at his place. Feeling flattered and enjoying the hospitality of the west she accepts. The fence mender then tells her that on his way over to her house he saw a wild turkey on the road, swerved to hit it and they were having Wild Turkey Road Kill for dinner!

My hat is off to Elaine for actually joining the fence mender and enjoying Turkey RoadKill dinner! She said acutally it was pretty good! I have lived in New Mexico most of my life and first of all have never even seen a wild turkey much less had the pleasure of dining on one, road kill aside! Just another example of the Wild West Hospitality! Way to go Elaine!