Cantering Through Life » Peruvian Paso

Special Horse Notes

admin — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:10:56 +0000

Over Drive (OD)

Some horses can be difficult when trying to load them into the trailer; however some horses can’t wait to get into the trailer and even want to climb in all by themselves! OD (OverDrive) a three year old just recently gelded Paso / SingleFooter was so anxious to get into the trailer he was standing on the side rail! Definitely not a freaky horse! When he is older he’ll probably drive himself home!

Casanova

Then again there is the always popular and infinitely patient Casanova a Peruvian Paso outfitted with his sunhat, (necessary to prevent sunburn in our high altitude) and ready for the days ride! But of course I spoiled him with his gourmet baby organic carrots after taking his picture, none of those overgrown chewy ones for him!

Last summer we were honored to have Dr Mosely and Mr Eaglin from Louisiana visit us here in the East Mountains of New Mexico! They are breeders and trainers of the single footer horses and were here to visit and educate about their horses! Ride like the wind is how you describe the single footer horses, some of them attaining speeds of 25 mph while in gait!

Beautiful Rio Grande Bosque Ride

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:26:51 +0000

The view over Casanova's ears

Snow and cold weather has not been conducive to riding in the mountains for a few weeks so we headed off to the Paseo del Bosque trail by the beautiful Rio Grande River. After a few weeks of not riding we were all suffering from riding withdrawal. Just off Coors; one of the busiest thorough fares on the west side , a short jog takes you into the Bosque. Bosque means forest or woods in Spanish for the uninitiated! When you live in the desert, which Albuquerque technically is, you really appreciate magnificent trees, water and woods! Albuquerque Parks and Recreation has thoughtfully provided a parking area big enough for horse trailers. However the one draw back which they haven’t addressed yet is no porta pottie! I’ll have to speak to the mayor about that! Motorized vehicles are not permitted so there are no surprises from an ATV roaring up behind you.

Six riders, all but one on gaited horses; Paso Fino’s, Peruvian Paso and Single Footers, kicked up some dust on that beautiful sunny day. The weather was near perfect, 50 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, just a few contrails but miles of beautiful sunshine! The horses were frisky and so were the riders! Since we all had cabin fever we were more than ready to kick up our collective heels! The ride out has taken as much as 3 hours when we had timid riders with us and we mostly walked. When we checked our watches we had covered the same distance in 1/2 the time! We gaited and cantered through the woods, only slowing down to give the horses a breather. The trails are well marked and clean so a perfect area to pick up the speed. Occasionally there will be hikers but the visibility is good so they can be spotted before coming up on them. On the ditch bank where the dirt is hard packed you can really get some speed up as there is quite a lot of visibility!

Along the east side of the river the snow geese and cranes were resting and watching us across the river. This picture was taken trying to photograph the cranes as they flew over but with the delay in the digital timing I missed them entirely and only got the beautiful sky! Beautiful just the same, we’ll catch the Sandhill Cranes the next time!

Contrails on the azure sky of the Rio Grande Bosque

Happy trails, may you be always be cantering through life!

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.

La Cienega

admin — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:52:30 +0000

The La Cienega Trail in the Sandia Mountains is accessed by taking Hwy North 14 from I 40 east of Albuquerque to the Crest Road and then just a few short miles to the trail. It is just before Doc Long’s picnic grounds. There is a large area for parking horse trailers. Several trails can be followed from the trail head. We took the Faulty Trail for the entire loop. At the summit you feel like you are on top of the world, for some of us with acrophobia that is not a good thing. A narrow trail with a significant drop off preceded by some large stone blocks resembling stone steps. Even as surefooted as these horses are we choose to dismount and walk down the trail until it leveled out. Casanova, the terrific Peruvian Paso who is my main mount took good care of me. Along the way we were treated to several sightings of the Abert Squirrel, a rather large squirrel mostly charcoal but with white markings as well. At first you might think you were seeing a small skunk running up the trees. They are distinguished by their large ear tufts and are found mainly where there are large Ponderosa Pine trees as they subsist on the pine cones. However after saying that I must add that we had a rogue Abert squirrel show up on our 3rd floor deck, how in the world he got there is anyone’s guess! He must have scaled the side of the house as we have no trees that reach that high. Of course I was worried that he would starve so I supplied him with food and water. He enjoyed my seat cushions for a day or so before he decided the woods were more inviting and he disappeared. I might also add that we don’t have any Ponderosas near us only Pinon so I guess he high tailed it for higher altitude and Ponderosas.

All in all a beautiful ride

Last of the Beautiful Weather

admin — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:04:06 +0000

In celebration of our beautiful November weather there were 3 rides last week! The weather has been treating us to mid 70’s and the bluest of skies, only in New Mexico do you get the azure skies with the golden leaves! Truly all the beautiful colors! Wednesday, Casanova, a fantastic Peruvian Paso, took me over the ridge from La Cienega and one of the steepest trails I’ve see and successfully I might add or I wouldn’t be penning this! Then over the weekend Amazing Grace, a Singlefooter took me on several amazing rides. These horses have everything going for them, amazing gait, great temperment and a great mind. Grace is just 3, only went through training in the spring and is calm and secure! All in all a very satisfying ride! The name Singlefooter came from the fact that as they show their tremendous speed, pictures will show they only have one foot on the ground; pretty darn close to flying. Some of the faster horses have been clocked 25 mph or more in gait! Check back here for information on the upcoming Amazing Gaits Farm website, featuring gaited horses.