Trail Horses Of THE WEST
New Mexico

Few readers of the Spotted Saddle Horse News would be surprised to learn about the qualities of the breed for trail riding. In our family’s world, trail riding is mostly in the Rocky Mountains States. We have found that the real ways to experience the breath taking sights of the Rockies is to do multiple day pack trips and never back track. We accomplish our no back tracking policy by either utilizing trails that make a loop or hire some help to move our trucks and trailers to a different location than our starting point. Usually our destination are on the other side of the mountain. Not only do we not want to see the same scenery twice but we can get to places you simply can’t get to on a one day ride. These wonderful rides are made possible by utilizing pack horses. Do we have special horses to pack on? The answer is no. We use our fine gaited, surefooted Spotted Saddle Horses. Now, it may come to ones mind that it is a waste of a good gaited horse to pack on but we have found the experience only enhances the horse. Besides, where else would you see beautiful spotted horses with packs on them? Few comforts of life are lost using pack horses. We pack fresh meat, salads and all the fixings and sleep well on mattresses and sleeping bags underneath small lightweight tents. Cool mountain stream water helps one wake up and provides the essential for a good cup of cowboy coffee. After a hardy breakfast of juice, ham, eggs (yes, we pack fresh eggs, thanks to the smooth gentle gait of the pack horses) and pancakes, we are off for another day of riding and new mountain scenery.

We select a campsite by finding a relatively flat spot near a stream. Grass, of course, is an absolute must for the horses, as is water for all participants, human and horse. We high line our horses using Knot Eliminators to space them apart from one another. As for feeding our horses, we turn out no more than half of our horses for an hour or so then catch those turned out and rotate with horses previously tied to high line. High elevation mountain grass is high in protein and horses going into the multi day trip healthy and in shape have no problems maintaining adequate energy levels.
The remarkable thing about our Western States is that nearly half of the land is public and open to anyone! No reservations or permits are required in most State or National Forests. Nearly all marked trailheads within a National Forest request participants to voluntarily sign a guest book and ask mode of transportation on the trail. (Hiking, horse?) It is wise, in my opinion, to sign this guest book and let our government know that equine enthusiast are utilizing our public lands.

Most of the National Forest land we chose to ride is designated Wilderness. Government designated Wilderness land can be accessed by foot or horseback only. The worry of encountering noisy ATV’s and motor bikes is eliminated and seldom do we ever encounter others. It is like we have the whole place to ourselves.

On a recent trip into and over the Sangre De Cristo Mountain Range of Colorado, we had seven saddle horses and three pack horses (all gaited and several Spotted Saddle Horses). Our trip took us through and over Music Pass then down a seldom used trail and into “The Great Sand Dunes National Monument”. Having been blessed with wonderful trail rides on both sides of the Mississippi River and parts of Canada , we can honestly say this ride ranked right at the top! The sand dunes make for a unique adventure just by themselves. Wonderful horses, great food, unbelievable scenery, mixed with good friends, make for lasting memories. The world never looks better than from the back of a good horse!

At Trail Horses Of THE WEST, Inc. we only offer mature gaited pleasure and trail horses.
Come visit us at our ranch or on-line and
et us introduce you to your next friend and riding companion.

Hope to see you soon at Twin Ponds Ranch in beautiful Northern New Mexico