Tag Archives: trail riding

Good trails, Western Trails

A tough ride on Loafer Mountain

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I have been looking up at Loafer Mountain for the past five years, wanting to ride up there and do some exploring!

Loafer Mountain, stands 10,687 feet, located just east of Salem, Utah.  There are a number of known trails cross-crossing Loafer Mountain, but only a few of them see much use.  One such trail is actually a service trail that runs from Salem, Utah, up a canyon, the name of which I do not know, eventually arriving at a cellular tower station on a hilltop at 9,000 feet elevation. This route begins at a Salem City’s water tank at the mouth of a canyon and climbs rapidly for the first mile, to a satellite installation. From there the road ascends more gradually to the Cellular tower, which stands on a mountain top, just north of Santaquin Peak and west of Loafer Ridge.

Yesterday, May 30, 2020, I decided was the day to attempt a ride up this service trail, pass over to Loafer Ridge, and return down Maple Canyon (sometimes called Water Canyon, due to the Woodland Hills water tank at its mouth). I had been told there were trails connecting the two canyons, but the condition of the trails was unknown, nor did I come across anyone who had actually hiked those trails…at least not recently.

I saddled up Copper around 7:30am, equipping myself with the essentials: lunch, a 2 qt military canteen, pommel and saddle bags with my emergency gear in them, my slicker and a light jacket, just in case, and a bottle of roll-on bug repellant for Copper, against the possibility of horse flies. We were on the trail by about 8am.

Within about a half-hour we were starting our ascent on the service trail to the lower satellite installation, where the service trail joins the old mining road from the Dream Mine. I’ve written about this trail before, here. The ascent that first mile is very steep and a horse that is not in very good condition will be exhausted by the time it reaches the satellite installation there. After that, the ascent is much more gradual, though still quite a climb.

I will also comment here that the trail is extremely rocky and though I try to leave my horses barefoot as much as possible, this trail should not be attempted with a barefoot horse. He won’t make it.

On the way up this service trail, there are some pretty nice views back toward town and looking on up the canyon. At one point, you pass an old mine opening that has been closed for safety reasons. Kinda cool, though.

We followed this service trail up to a saddle about a half-mile or so short of the cellular tower, where there is an unnamed trailhead. There is also some pretty nice grass, so I had lunch there and allowed Copper to graze for nearly an hour. I figured he was going to need the strength. There are some pretty spectacular views from there.

By this point we were at about 8,500 ‘ elevation, having ascended about 4,000′ in a matter of about 7 miles. Like I said, it’s a grueling climb for a horse. If you go on up to the cellular tower, you will be at 9,000’.

The trail up to Loafer Ridge, from this point, is closed to all but foot and horse traffic. However, the USFS has not left any way to get a horse to the trailhead, having closed it off with cables to preclude any vehicular traffic. We had to go around to the north side and climb a very steep, rocky bank, to get to the trail.

Once on the trail, it was easy to follow, having been blazed by use of ATVs, but it climbed too steeply in places for a horse. I detoured a couple of times to make switchbacks to make it easier on Copper. About 3/4 of a mile along this trail, I turned off and did some bushwhacking to avoid a hilltop and make our way over to a saddle below Loafer Ridge, where we needed to go. This was a very steep hillside, as are they all at this elevation on Loafer, but Copper handled it well.

At the saddle, we found a USFS guzzler with clean water. However, as the saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Copper wouldn’t touch it. He’ll learn. My trail horses know that when there’s water, you drink! This guzzler will likely be dry during the late summer/fall time of year.

You can’t see them, but on the hillside behind the guzzler, there are three elk. They were heading for the saddle and turned away when they spotted us. In the photo below, you may be able to pick them out.

After the guzzler, there is no more trail, other than a number of game trails heading in various directions. We chose a game trail that headed off in a southerly direction, climbing Loafer Ridge at a fairly reasonable rate for a horse. It eventually crossed an old service trail that comes up the eastern side of Loafer, probably from the small community of Birdseye, Utah, or near there, on US 89. It climbs another couple hundred feet or so onto Loafer Ridge, then descends slightly to a pair of large cellular repeater reflectors stationed on the ridge.

At this point I was very near the highest elevation of my ride, at 9663 feet. I bypassed a hilltop as I went around it to descend the other side into a saddle on Loafer Ridge. Apparently at some point I went up another foot, to my highest elevation of 9664 feet. The views from Loafer Ridge were spectacular!

After descending into the saddle, I joined an old trail that descends into the bowl below Loafer Peak on the northwest side. This is the top of what I believe is known as Maple Canyon, sometimes also called Water Canyon, due to the spring and water tank located at its mouth that supplies water to the municipality of Woodland Hills.

This trail is an old one, probably cut by a dozer. It does two switchbacks before disappearing altogether about 2/3 of the way down the hillside. By the time we reached the end of the trail, we were deep in a thicket of stunted aspen and thick undergrowth. I had been told there was a trail in the valley that joined the ATV trail further down Maple Canyon, so I decided to continue. I won’t call that a mistake, but don’t let anybody convince you that there is a trail down in there somewhere!

Getting down the rest of that hillside was a “butt-clincher” even for me! Copper really impressed me with his cool, collected temperament on that descent. It was truly some “Man From Snowy River” stuff.  When I first turned him downhill, to get through a thick area to a less dense one, the ground gave way and we slid all of twenty or so feet before Copper could get us stopped. We then traversed the hillside, going from open area to open area, slowly heading toward the higher end of the valley, to make our descent trail shorter. Copper had to move with his hind quarters lower than his fore quarters, as he moved sideways along the hillside, to keep from sliding farther downhill in the loose soil.  In the photo below, we started our trail-less descent about where the center of the photo is and made our way switchbacking some places and descending straight down in others. I was glad to hit more level ground in the bottom. I can tell you this photo does not do that hillside justice!

Once in the bottom, I let Copper rest a little and get his breath. Meanwhile, I took a few more photos.

From that point, I started looking for that “trail” I was told about. If there was a trail, it was indistinguishable from the hundreds of elk and deer trails in the area. I tried following several of them, but they all seemed to either ascend or stay pretty level, while the valley fell away steeply. Knowing that eventually, I would have to descend anyway, Copper and I made our way down into the dry creek bed in the bottom of the canyon. This descent was pretty tricky as well, as we were back in the Spruce and Fir trees, with their attendant deadfalls blocking the way at every turn. Copper was pretty impressive in getting over and around and through some of those tangles, some of which were on steep hillsides.

Traveling in the creek bottom was actually a lot easier than I expected. I was pleased to find it was narrow, but pretty soft in the bottom, with no steep drops or cliffs. We ran into the occasional tangle of debris, but in those cases the deer and elk left us pretty decent trails to get up and around them.  That isn’t to say it was easy going, but it was easier and safer than traversing the steep sidehills.

We followed that for maybe two miles, before we came to our first and only deadfall that we could not get around. When we initially came upon it, I decided to try to go up the bank and around it on the right side. It looked like we could make it if we were very careful.

However, as Copper started up the bank, the loose soil began sliding and he began losing footing. I was concerned that Copper might get tangled in the three downed tree tops while losing his footing, so I unloaded on the uphill side.

As I did so, my downhill (left) boot didn’t come out of the stirrup. As Copper turned to get himself oriented to go back down the bank, I was still attached to the saddle! My left leg was stretched out with the stirrup pulled up over the top of the saddle, with my body on the ground trying to crawl uphill, not fully aware my left foot was still in the stirrup! As Copper turned, his right rear hoof came down on my right calf. At the same time, Copper paused, which let my left foot come out of the stirrup. Copper then got himself to the bottom of the bank and walked off a few steps, then stopped to wait for me. Lucky for me, the ground was very soft, which occasioned the whole debacle, and all I suffered was a bruised calf. Copper came through uninjured.

At this point, I realized going around this deadfall was not an option. I went to my saddle bags and pulled out my trusty rope-saw from among my emergency gear, which is actually a chainsaw chain with nylon loops for handles at each end. I have carried this thing in my saddle bags for years and this is the first time I have ever needed it. I’m pretty glad I had it.

I first tried to cut the large aspen log, with a diameter somewhat over 12 inches, but soon realized that was going to take a very long time, as the saw blade would stick as soon as it got over an inch deep. So, I reassessed and realized that if I removed the lower tree, a Spruce about 6″ in diameter at the point I needed to cut, Copper might fit under the large Aspen.

After about another half hour of work, I got the sapling cut and moved and other branches and debris cleared away. It was going to be close! By eyeball measurements I realized that the saddle horn would contact the tree, so I removed the saddle and hauled it a few yards down the trail. The photo below is deceiving and makes it look like Copper would have plenty of clearance. He was actually standing at least ten feet behind the log when the photo was taken.

Now, it was just a matter of convincing Copper that it was safe to pass under that big old Aspen log!

Well, that sounds easy, but it wasn’t . After about an hour of coaxing and sweet-talking, I finally got Copper to put his head under the log, but he wouldn’t go any farther. About that time a thunderstorm passed over, but luckily we got only a light sprinkle. Still, Copper wouldn’t move any farther. Eventually, he began to be bothered by bees and horse flies, causing him to have to move his feet. This seemed to make it easier for me to convince him to move his feet closer to the deadfall each time. Finally, I got his head and neck under the tree, nearly to his withers and could see he was going to clear with a couple inches to spare. I had to go slow, because I knew that if he pulled back and raised his head and bumped that log, I would never get him to pass under it.

By coaxing him on, inch by inch, I finally got him all the way under and past the tree. He still wasn’t sure, though, so I had to get him a couple feet past it, before he would chance walking forward.

With that out of the way, I re-saddled Copper and headed out again. The rest we had while I coaxed him under the deadfall served both of us well and Copper moved off at a good, strong walk. About another 200 yards or so along the creek bottom, we came upon the ATV trail at the point where I had ridden up and turned around a couple weeks before. Copper began to recognize where he was and moved right along, sometimes even getting into his running-walk.

We followed the trail to the water tank, mentioned above, and then followed the road into Woodland Hills. From there it was about two miles to home.

We arrived back at the stable at about 5:45pm, after a long and very difficult ride. Both myself and Copper were absolutely worn out.

After a good brushing, I checked Copper’s back for soreness and found none. I was very pleased with that. He has various bumps and scrapes on his lower legs, but nothing serious or that required any treatment. After a tough ride, Copper looked good, though tired.

I, on the other hand, was limping around with a bruised calf, which I well-deserved!

During the ride, we made an ascent of 4730 feet, making it 9,460 feet in elevation change in all. We traveled about 16 miles, although my tracker software, Ramblr, shows 15.3 miles. I paused the app twice for rest stops and forgot to turn it back on until I had gone quite a ways. You will see those gaps in the track. Our highest elevation was 9664, which is waaay up there! Here’s the link:

https://www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/303226

So, another trail I have been wanting to ride was done. One I will never attempt again! It was a tough ride!

TH

 

Good Stories

Freedom On the Back of a Horse

This evening I was writing in my journal and put to paper some thoughts about my love of trail riding and working with my horses. Thought I’d share them.

I used to tell myself that when I rode my horses I could think more clearly and that a good ride was what I needed to help me consider and have deep thoughts about any particular trouble or concern that was upon my mind at the time.

I was deceiving myself. It was just another excuse to go for a nice ride.

Riding my horses is my escape. It is freedom. No, it is more than that.

When I ride my horse, all of life’s worries, concerns, trials, and tribulations just seem to fade off into the background.  When I am on the back of my horse, there are no worries. There is no trouble. Things seem to be right in the world.

When I am riding the trails on my horse I am not old; there is no age. There are no struggles. No aches and pains. I have no appointments. I am not late for anything. I have not missed any calls. Nobody needs to get in touch with me. I am not in a hurry for anything. My greatest concern revolves around whether to take the right fork or the left fork of the trail…if in fact the trail should have a fork…not that it matters. There are no decisions to be made that have any greater import than those necessary to continue the ride.

There is only myself and my horse and the relationship between us.

I think that’s what I enjoy the most – the relationship between myself and my horse. I like the partnership between the horse and me that riding requires. I enjoy the challenge, for both my horse and myself, that a particularly difficult section of trail may present and the feeling of having successfully negotiated it. I find myself bragging to others about my horse’s sure feet and solid mind and the trails we have been over.  It gives me a sense of pride, approaching what I feel when my children are successful in their endeavors.

I love the feelings I get when my horses first begin to understand and willingly submit to new training elements I introduce. I even enjoy the occasional disagreements we have about how something should or should not be done.

Although I am not always as patient as I should be, neither are my horses. They forgive me and I them and we continue forward, one hoof in front of the other. One breath at a time. Passing from one scene into another. One valley to the next. Sometimes just to see what’s on the other side of the next hill or around the next bend in the trail.

It has taken me a long time to find the two horses I now have, Lizzy and J Golden. I have never been much of a horse trader, but I have bought and sold a few while looking for a pair with the qualities I have sought.  Highest on my list of qualifications? They must enjoy the trail as much as I. I think Lizzy and J do.

I once read a bumper sticker with the following phrase:

“Not all who wander are lost.”

When I am on a horse, the ride is the destination; where we are headed is irrelevant.

TH

Great Western Trail, Tack and Gear, Western Trails

It’s been a while since I last posted…

Seems I have been so busy with life that I seem to be forgetting to live.

Hehehe. That sounds really good and rolls off the tongue nicely, but it really isn’t the truth. The truth is that I have, in fact, been busy, but not so busy that I couldn’t take the time to hammer out a few posts. I have been lazy and remiss. That is the fact. My mind has simply been on other things.

So, I’ll catch everybody up on what has been going on and what I have planned for the not-too-distant future.

Chief, brand new, not even an hour old.

First off, I’m sure my readers are aware that my mare Lizzy had her colt on September 14. He’s now two months old and growing fast. He’s a handsome fellow and will be a credit to his sire and dam. He was born a sorrel and white tobiano, but has since changed colors drastically, to black and white. He is still showing some sorrel highlights and there is some sorrel still in his mane and tail, but I’m pretty confident he’ll end up black and white. His registered name will be Touch the Clouds, named after a Sioux war chief from the late 1800s, known for his great height (he was about 6’5″ and 260 pounds by one account) and strength. His barn name is Chief. I have the papers in process, but had to call the Missouri Fox Trotter Horse Breeders Association and have them hold off when he started changing colors. His photos and description would have been wrong! I sent in a DNA kit as well, so he’ll be “gold-papered.”

Chief at one month, changing colors

Over the past several months I have been working to earn money to pay for some improvements on my place in Eagar, Arizona. I had actually planned to spend the money on refurbishing my horse trailer and finishing out the camper compartment this year, but after spending some time in Eagar with my parents and spending some time walking over and dreaming about my 20 acre parcel there, I decided my priority should be getting that place to where it can be productive and actually pay for itself.

So, a couple months ago I bought a load of 4-1/2″ pipe, so I could  rebuild some fences, start a pipe fence on one side of the place, and build some corrals and a pole barn. Dad and I got started on it a few weeks ago.

In the process, I came across a tractor in Eagar that had been sitting in a yard for a long time. I made the owner an offer, which she accepted, and I took it home.  Drove it home, actually…well, to my place there in Eagar. So I am now the proud owner of a 1962 John Deere 3010 Diesel tractor and several implements, all in need of some tender loving care to make them work again. I don’t know what it is about old stuff, but I thrill over making broken stuff work again.

My JD 3010 Diesel with post hole digger

The tractor is now running and working, after adding about $2,500 in parts to the initial cost of $1,500 (and $500 for the implements). I’m told I’m still under the value of the tractor, so I’m happy.

Last month I bought a new heavy-duty three-point post hole drill and a couple augers, which ran about $1200. Dad and I punched a bunch of holes with it and set some fence corners and line posts as well as all the upright posts for a pole barn and corrals. I also spent about $1,500 for lumber for the barn and shed roofs. Now I need to save up some money for the metal roofing and siding and some pipe for the pipe corrals and fences.

The corrals will be 16′ wide and 42′ long with a 32′ X 16′ hay barn at the east end and a shed roof covering the south end of the corrals. I like the plan and will likely expand it to add more corrals as the need arises.

Setting posts for corrals

As I increase my little herd, currently three horses and a colt, most of them will be kept on the place in Eagar most of the year. Several close relatives also keep their horses there. I hope to end up with several more horses and a couple mules eventually.

The plan is to split the 20 acres into four 5-acre pastures, with the southernmost being used for barns, corrals, arena, training area, and trailer parking. The other 15 acres will be pasture, which I hope to be able to irrigate from a well. There is a dry irrigation pond at the northwest corner of the place that used to have tail waters from two irrigation ditches running into it. A number of years ago the ditch company put those ditches in pipe and the former owner of my place sold off the irrigation shares, so the pond is dry. My intention is to hire somebody to expand and deepen the pond and level out the banks, so that it actually resembles a pond about an acre or so in extent. I hope to have a well drilled near it and install a windmill on it to fill the pond and maintain a constant flow. I will then irrigate the whole acreage from the pond.

My place, looking northward

My place has a well down at the southwest corner that has been tested at 65 gallons per minute. I’m in the process now of getting it back into working order – new pump and controller, well head, etc. However, 65 GPM is a bit low to effectively irrigate the whole 20 acres. If I can fill that pond from a separate well with a windmill on it, like plan to, I can irrigate directly from the pond at the flow rate I need to maintain the proper pressure and flow rate to the sprinklers.

As I was working all this out in my head (since I don’t actually have the money to do it right now) it occurred to me that my place might make a good place for folks coming to the White Mountains with their horses to stop over. I participate in a number of forums and facebook pages about horses and I have noted that every day there are folks seeking “horse camps” where they can park their living-quarters trailer overnight as they pass through the area, or for several days while they ride local trails. I posted a query to one of those groups to try to gauge the interest and see whether it would be a good idea for me to try to place several short-stay RV spaces on my place for horse-campers. I was surprised by the response. It appears there is plenty of demand for such a place, even in little old Eagar, Arizona! There just aren’t enough places that cater to horse folks.

I also received more than one query in the responses about long-term horse boarding on the place. Maybe I’ve found a way to make the place support itself after all.

So, my plan is to approach the Town of Eagar and find out whether they will allow me a permit to install maybe 10 short-stay RV slots on the place, along with a bathroom and shower, with full hookups and a dump station. If the town allows it, I will start with five spaces and go from there. l’m not sure they will allow it. If not, I’ll just look at boarding horses. We’ll see how it goes.

And now for the grand finale – for this post, at least. I have set the dates (tentatively) for the next leg of my Mexico-to-Canada trek. Dad and I have discussed ways to make our pack trip a bit easier for our better-halves to deal with. We decided that if we cut it up into legs of 7-10 days, rather than a month at a time, we might just be able to finish the ride before we’re both too old to ride.

So, since we had to stop in 2016 at Flagstaff, Arizona, having made a grand total of 555 miles since we started (at least that’s what the GPS said), we plan to start right where we stopped and go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Yes, we will be crossing the Grand Canyon on this leg…finally! As close as I can figure, the distance to the South Rim is about 108 miles. The distance rim-to-rim is about 22 miles or a bit more, so we’re looking at a grand total of about 130 miles. Toss in two rest days and maybe another day at the Grand Canyon as a fudge-factor, and I think this will be a 10 or 11-day trip.

So, I will be applying for a back-country camp permit for the Grand Canyon for May 1 and 2, 2018. Which means we’ll be departing Flagstaff on April 23, 2018. If we have a mild winter, that time frame should have good grass growing along our route to keep the horses in weight without us having to haul all our feed and should have the water sources along the route full. At the same time, it should get us through the Grand Canyon before the mad summer rush begins.

We will end this third leg of our trip at the North Rim, where we’ll be picked up to return us and our horses home. That should have us home by the weekend of May 5.

A couple of my riding friends have expressed a wish to make the trip with us, so this should be fair warning to them! I’ll get in touch with you shortly, so we can all plan toward it.

Me and Chief

 

Western Trails

A Couple Rides in Capitol Reef National Monument, Utah

During the weekend of May 25-27, 2017, Jon Tanner and I headed to Capitol Reef National Monument, southern Utah, to ride with the Utah Missouri Fox Trotter Association (UMFTA) and a few other friends. It’s a ride I have been looking forward to for a while.

Since both Jon and I were taking only one horse each, and since he lives up north and had to pass by my way anyhow, I threw in with him. He picked up me, my horse, and gear on Thursday afternoon about 2:15. We enjoyed a comfortable ride down in his nice rig and arrived at our destination sometime around 7:00 pm or so. We met the rest of our gang on private property that adjoins Capitol Reef, of which the owner is a member of the UMFTA.

On Friday morning, after a fine breakfast, we got saddled up and ready to head out about 10:00 am. That’s when the fun started.

I had brought my new horse, J Golden, figuring this would be an excellent training opportunity. This was officially his sixth and seventh rides, so he was pretty green, but hadn’t given me any trouble so far. Well, he was excited to see all the new horses and people and to be in a new place. As I tried to mount, he began fidgeting around. I reined him in on the left side and turned him a couple times, trying to get his mind on his business and to stand still, so I could mount. I thought I had him in check, so I pulled myself up. As I was swinging my leg over the saddle, however, J moved into me, which caused me to be over-balanced to the off-side. My right leg swung over as I hung on and I inadvertently jabbed him in the side with my spur. Well, J felt that jab, and not knowing what had happened, and with all the excitement, he immediately launched into a full-fledged bucking spree.

Here I was, hanging onto his right side, off-balance, never having gained the stirrup, and I knew I wasn’t going to stick this one out. I might have when I was 30 years younger, but I knew I wasn’t going to make it this time. I just picked out a nice spot on the lush, green grass and dove for it. I belly-flopped right where I was aiming and watched J go romping around the camp until he was caught up by my riding buddies.

Okay. So, no harm done. I was still in one piece with no broken parts. Even my cell phone survived.

Second try was more successful and once we were all gathered around, we headed off toward the monument boundary.

Jon Tanner on Spirit

Friday’s ride was over a trail that took us up on top of the “reef” known as Capitol Reef. It is a ridge of rock that runs roughly north-south over a long stretch of south-central Utah. There are a number of canyons that run through the reef which offer some spectacular riding, but this day we headed up on top to see the expansive views it offers. It was a dry ride, about 6 miles in, to a point of rock which marked the end of our trail. We could go no further, due to the terrain.

We had lunch on that point, after which we headed back to camp. While I forgot to start my GPS at the beginning of the ride, I remembered at the lunch stop and at least tracked it back.  The trip back was 6.4 miles. The entire ride was only about 4 hours. I haven’t yet figured out how to post the trip on the blog, but here is the link:

http://rblr.co/So3p

The view from our lunch stop point was amazing. I’m sure the visibility was in excess of 100 miles.

We spent a nice, relaxed evening back at camp, where our group all pitched in for a nice camp dinner. I took the opportunity to see how J would do with hobbles. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he reacted very little and the experience was pretty much a “yawner.”

J’s firs time in hobbles

That evening Jon and I shared his high-line. I have a high-line kit I bought a couple years ago, but have never used it, so I had Jon teach me what it’s all about. After stretching the high-line tightly between two cottonwood trees, Jon taught me the rule of 7s. The high line is to be 7 feet high, the horses tied 7 feet apart, and the lead to be 17″ long. He showed me how to tie the loops to attach the leads to the high-line as well. Pretty handy. I normally tie to a tree or picket pin, but those methods are sometimes less practical, less safe for the horses, and leave more disturbed ground in the tie area than the high-line. In areas where it is practical (or required) I plan to use the high-line in the future.

J and Spirit on the high-line

In the photo you will notice our leads are a bit longer than 17″. We tightened them up at night. It still allowed enough rope for the horses to lay down if they wished.

Our ride the following day (Saturday) was up Pleasant Creek, which is one of those canyons that pass through the reef. Pleasant Creek runs year-round and truly is a pleasant little creek. We crossed it a number of times, so if you have a horse that doesn’t like water, by the end of the day, he’ll be fine. Apparently, J got a little dehydrated the previous day, so every time he crossed the creek on Saturday he took the opportunity to drink deeply.

I have to apologize for not taking enough photos on the rides. This was J’s first ride with a group, so he was quite a handful. I had to hold him back the entire two days, although he was better the second day. At the end of each day of riding I felt like I had been doing curls all day with weights. I was able to snap a few shots with my iphone, but I didn’t even try with the Gopro.

Below is a small gallery of some of the views we saw, as we passed through Capitol Reef on the Pleasant Creek trail. We stopped near the visitor’s center at our halfway point. We took a look at the petroglyphs there and ate lunch on the banks of the stream. On the way back we found some more petroglyphs on the canyon walls. The few photos I took do not do the trail justice. It was a very beautiful canyon and a very pleasant ride.

The Pleasant Creek ride was about 13.4 miles and took us about 6 hours. I regard it as an intermediate ride. While there was nothing particularly difficult, there are a couple places where the trail is a little tricky for a beginner, although with a little coaching even beginners could handle it easily. It was not particularly challenging for the horses.

Here is the Ramblr link: http://rblr.co/So3t

The trailheads for the two trails we rode may be accessed from Highway 24 off of Notom Road. Go south from Highway 24 about 6 miles to a dirt-track road. Park wherever it looks like a good spot there off the road. Head southwest to locate Pleasant Creek, then follow the creek westward. You will eventually find the trail leading into the Monument. The trail up on top we took on Friday is a little harder to find. From Notom Road you will take a wash northwesterly until you see a knoll with a rocky rim around it near the top. Some folks call this formation a “Mexican Hat” or a “Chinaman”. It’s the only one in the area near the wash. Take a look at the links I posted and look at the maps with the satellite layer on. Keep in mind that our starting/ending point was private property, so look for another access from Notom Road.

A nice ride for a couple days. I’d like to take the Pleasant Creek ride again sometime. Maybe once I get J a little farther along in his training, so I can spend less time controlling him and more time looking around.

 

Great Western Trail

After a lot of thinking…

I took a trip home last week to visit my parents. I haven’t been down to their place in Arizona for a while. Dad got bucked off his horse several weeks ago and got a little beat up, so I figured I’d better get on down there and check on him. He’s convalescing well and I’m sure he’ll be back to himself in not too long.

Anyway, during my drive home I decided to take the “scenic” route and take a look at some of the country Dad and I would have traveled through, if we had been able to finish last year’s pack trip. Those of you who follow my blog will remember that we had to cut our trip short last year, due to the drought. There wasn’t a drop of water between Flagstaff and the Utah border last summer and there were wildfires all around. It was a bad year for a long-distance horse pack trip.

After we ended last year’s trip, Dad told me it was unlikely he’d be able to continue with me. Dad’s nearly 83 now, so I knew it was coming. Still, the desire to complete the full distance, from the US/Mexico border to the Canadian border, is still with me. I brought up the idea last fall of making the legs of the trip shorter, so that I don’t have to take so much time off work all at once. I wondered if Dad thought he might go on some of the shorter legs, if we kept them down to a week or two. He seemed to like that idea as well as I do. So, that’s what I think I’ll be planning to cover the rest of the distance…another 2,500 miles. It will take several more years.

However, during my drive home, after a lot of thinking about it, I decided not to continue the trip this year. I will push the next leg, from Flagstaff to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, off until next spring. There is just too much going on this year. My main horse, Lizzy, is in foal, due about September. I’ll need to start taking it easy on her before long. My new horse, J, isn’t even broke to ride yet. Since Dad got rid of his bucker and sold the mule, Honey, I’ll need another horse to bring us up to snuff. That all adds up to a rush job to get ready for this year. I have all the gear, and even the food stuffs, but the horses aren’t ready.

Things have been picking up at work this spring, as well. I could use the extra income to help pay back money I borrowed from savings for the trip. Additionally, I still need to finish the pony saddle I’m making for one of my grandkids. I have several other saddlery projects I need to get done after that. In fact, I have a number of other projects I need to get done.

Not only that, but my second daughter will be having twins this fall, right about the time my extended family will be having our family reunion in Arizona. Some time this year, my wife and I hope to be able to take a trip to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary (which happens to be March 20).

I think, for this year at least, wisdom dictates that I try to get some of these other things taken care of before I head back out on my Mexico-to-Canada pack trip. The extra preparation time can’t hurt either. By the time next April rolls around, I should have my horses all squared away and in shape, Lizzy’s foal should be weaned, and Dad and I should have ourselves in better shape. I may even have myself a new saddle – one of my own making.

So, after a lot of thinking…that’s the plan going forward.

Western Horsemanship

Finally made the decision – bought a new horse…

Last month I posted a little about a gelding I have been considering buying, to bring my horse cadre back up to three and to find one that paired well on the trail with my Fox Trotter mare, Lizzy. I finally decided to go ahead and buy him. So, here’s a little about him.

I haven’t yet settled on a name for him, so he’s just going to be known as “the gelding” until further notice.

He was purchased last year by the previous owner at the Anderson Livestock Auction Company in Willard, Utah. The owner’s intent was to train him up and sell him, but he never got around to it. He decided to go ahead and put him up for sale this winter. That’s where I came in. I saw him on an ad in the KSL Classifieds out of Utah Valley. He was advertised as a grade Fox Trotter about ten years old, not yet broke to ride. I thought the price was high, so right off, before I went out to look, I asked whether he was firm on the price. He said he’d negotiate a bit, so I went on out.

The horse is between 14.5 and 15 hands, but is quite thin. The owner’s father told me he was way under-weight when they bought him, so he’s picked up some weight since then,  but could use another 200 or so pounds. The auctioneers also told them the gelding was a four year-old Tennessee Walker, but he and his son (the owner) took a look at his teeth and estimate his age at somewhere around ten years.

The man haltered the horse and took him out into a pasture, where I could see him move a bit. The gelding had to be cornered to halter, but other than that he seemed to be well halter-broke and followed well. He let me lift a front hoof, but wasn’t comfortable with me lifting his rear hooves. He let me lift it, but kept his leg moving and wouldn’t settle down. Still, it was evident he’s had some handling. I looked at his teeth and he let me open his lips without much fuss, which actually surprised me a bit. I would guess his age to be closer to the 5-6 year range, but I’m certainly no expert in that area.

As the horse moved on a longe line, I could see him pass through a fox trot-like gait, but he went right through it to a hard trot. Still, it was a gait. I liked the way he moved and he was not a lazy mover. He showed no lameness and seemed quite athletic. His canter was smooth and even.

After a little longeing, I put my saddle on him. He let me saddle him without too much trouble, although he didn’t like me tightening the cinch and moved away. I decided to try putting a foot in the stirrup with a little weight, to see how he would react. He didn’t like that at all. He reared a bit and jumped aside. That confirmed he is not saddle broke, which was a bit disappointing (I don’t bounce like I used to).

So, after about a month of thinking about him while I looked for other options on the Internet, I finally decided to go ahead and buy this boy. I texted the owner an offer that I felt was a good one, but he stuck by his guns. Last night I met his offer and I picked up the horse today.

My policy when buying a horse, since I normally buy horses that are somewhere between broncs and greenbrokes, is that I don’t hand over the money until I have the horse in the trailer. It becomes uncomfortable to ask for money back if I can’t safely get the horse in the trailer. The one time I violated that rule I spent over two hours getting that horse in the trailer, and was lucky to get it done without serious injury to the horse or my helping hands. Luckily, this boy walked right into the trailer without any hesitation. That was a great relief to me.

So, I brought him home. After a little familiarization with my other horses over the fence rails, I let him loose with the rest of the herd. They mulled around a bit an huffed and puffed a bit, but no fighting occurred. After a few minutes the gelding moved off into the open pasture, where they spread out a little. I was pleased when he broke into a very nice fox trot and headed across the pasture with the other horses following. It appears he likes that gait and it is natural to him. He also showed a nice flat-foot walk. He should turn out to be a very nice dappled palomino once he sheds out this spring.

So, with the new fellow socializing with my other horses, I took a few pictures and a short video and left them alone. I look forward to getting started with this boy.  I think he’ll pair up nicely with Lizzy and, once I get a little meat on his bones, will work well for my trail rides and pack trips. I think I’m going to like him.

Now to think up a good name for him.

https://youtu.be/8cLOgfeGrC0

 

Western Horsemanship

Just sitting here watching the snow fall…

It’s just January 12th and already I’m starting to feel the “cabin fever” setting in.

We’ve had somewhere around two feet or more of snow fall in the past three weeks or so here in Salem, Utah. It seems like every time we have a day or two with decent weather, something comes up to keep me from heading out for a horse ride. So, for the past several days I’ve had a nearly overwhelming desire to get into the saddle and just ride.

I find myself getting on Youtube and searching for trail rides and pack trips in places I’d like to go. Found one this evening from Miller Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona that advertises their trail rides through Monument Valley in Arizona, on the Navajo Reservation. I’ve always wanted to do some riding at a number of sites on the “Rez” in Arizona. I need to get my foster brother, Harrison Gorman, to guide me through some of those places.

Lizzy
Jimbo

Last week I sold my paint, Reno, so I’m now down to two horses. Hopefully, my Fox Trotter mare, Lizzy is in foal (I’ll get her checked in another month or so) and will give me a new little spotted Fox Trotter foal in September, so I’ll have to start taking it easy on her starting about July. While I love my little mustang, Jimbo, he’s just not the trail partner I want for Lizzy.  Although Jimbo is a great horse and I won’t sell him, I’m wanting another Fox Trotter to pair up with Lizzy.

So, I’ve been keeping my eyes open for a good buy on a Fox Trotter gelding.

Found one in the local classifieds that has me interested. He’s a grade 10 year-old (by the owner’s guess) gelding that has a gait. The owner believes he’s a Fox Trotter, due to his build and conformation, but he was purchased at auction so he doesn’t know the breeding. He was told the horse was a 4 year-old Tennessee Walker. He was pretty poor at the time of the purchase, so I assume he was a “rescue” sort of horse that went to auction. The owner intended to put some training on the horse and sell him at a profit. Turns out the owner just didn’t have the time, so he’s got him up for sale. The owner told me he’s had a saddle on the horse, but hasn’t yet tried to ride him, doesn’t know whether he’s saddle-broke.

I went out and took a look at this fellow. The owner’s father got him into a halter and led him out for me. I could see the horse needs work right off the bat, because we had to corner him in the corral to get the halter on him. Once the halter was on, though, he behaved himself very well, just maybe a little skittish.

He is a well-put-together gelding, although still a little light – could use another hundred pounds or so. I could feel his spine back in the loin area, and he could use some muscle in his chest and back. His conformation looks much like a Fox Trotter, although the folks at the auction told them it was a Walker. He has the typical short back, deep chest, and nicely sloped shoulder and rump, of the Fox Trotter. He has straight legs and good hooves (although they need a good trimming). He’s a very nice looking dappled palomino with blond mane and tail.

I watched him on a longe line for a few minutes and he, indeed, has a gait that looks like a fox trot, although he wouldn’t stay in it long before getting quite lateral and pacey in a trot. He has a nice, smooth canter. So, whether he’s got more Walker or Fox Trotter in him I can’t say for sure, but he’s got the gait. I think I could train him to clean it up and produce a very nice fox trot.

He let me raise his front left hoof without problem, but didn’t like me lifting his left rear. Still, he didn’t try to kick me or anything. He let me saddle him, although he didn’t like me tightening the cinch. Still, no cow-kicks or aggressiveness. I tried putting a foot in the stirrup and putting some weight in it, to see if he’d let me mount. He didn’t like that and reared and jumped forward. So, I assess that he’s not saddle broke and has only been handled on the ground.

Other than that I liked him. So, it’s down to whether I really want another horse right now and whether I have the gumption and time to break and train another horse. The gelding didn’t display any aggressive nature and was actually quite calm. I think I could probably get him broke to ride without getting dumped. That’s important to me nowadays, as I approach my 58th birthday this month.

As I’ve said before, I have to take my time and really evaluate a horse before I buy. I tend to bond with my animals, especially dogs and horses, and I’m not much of a horse trader. I tend to think of them as friends and trail partners, so when I buy one, I usually keep him – warts and all. There are few bad habits a horse could have that would cause me to sell it, unless it was dangerous or just plain mean. At the same time, I try to buy horses that have no conformation, health, or behavior issues, because I know horses with those kinds of issues won’t be able to do what I want them to do. If I think I can train them out of a bad habit, or if they just don’t have any decent training, I’m generally ok with that; I like to train my own horses. However, it’s been awhile since I actually broke one. I don’t bounce like I used to, so this is something to think about with this guy.

While I think this fellow is somewhat younger than the 10 years the owner puts him at, I’m still looking at a grade horse, possibly 10 years old, whose breeding is unknown, that has no training, and is not even saddle broke. In my book that puts him in the $500 – to – free price range. The owner listed him at more than twice that.

We’ll see what happens.

 

Western Trails

A cold, but enjoyable afternoon ride at Elberta, Utah…

Heading out from Salem, UT

This afternoon a friend and I took an afternoon ride to see an abandoned railroad tunnel near Elberta, Utah, a little southwest of Utah Lake. We had planned to get out there early in the afternoon, but a few complications arose and we ended up saddled and riding around 3:30pm. We decided we would start our return to the truck about 4:30pm, since it would be dark by 5:30. Besides, it was below freezing and temps would be dropping further with the fading daylight.

The trailhead, well not really a trail, but where we started our ride, is at the intersection of US Route 6 and Elberta Slant Road, several miles west of Elberta, Utah. After nearly getting stuck in the snow a number of times while trying to park the truck and trailer, we started riding north on Elberta Slant Road.

Taking the railroad bed

A short half mile or so along the road, we came across the old railroad bed. The railroad was to be a narrow-gauge, intended to service mining interests in the area, but it was never completed. The railway beds were graded, but track was never laid. This was between 2009 and 2015, after which the effort was abandoned. The failed railroad effort left , for folks who like hiking, ATV-ing, and horseback riding in the hills, a very nice network of trails through much of the area between Eureka and Elberta. We left the road and followed the railroad bed.

The tunnel

About two miles along, after a few twists and turns, while enjoying some very nice (although very cold) riding and scenery, we came to the old railway tunnel. It runs through a low hill that interrupts the climb of the railway bed through a turn. The tunnel is large enough to allow a full-size pickup to drive through it. It is not reinforced, but does not appear to be dangerous. It runs about 100 feet in length, so it does not get any darker than shadow and one is never out of sight of at least one of the entries. Still it was pretty cool.

The tunnel entrance

By the time we headed back to the truck, the light was already fading. We allowed the horses to trot much of the way back, to save time. By the time we were about halfway back, I noticed my face was stiff and I was having a hard time talking. When I raised my gloved hand to warm my face, I found my face was completely numb! I had to pull my glove off and rub my face a little to make sure I didn’t get frostbite.

By the time we got back to the truck it was full dark and we were very cold. Our feet felt like solid stumps. The horses and my dog, Clancy, though, seemed unbothered by it. We hurriedly unsaddled and loaded the horses. By the time we were halfway home we were beginning to thaw out.

Still, it was a very nice ride, one I will take again under warmer conditions.

 

Horse Health, Tack and Gear, Western Horsemanship

A little of my own experience at horse training…

I have a horse up for sale. He’s a very handsome, good, solid four year-old palomino paint gelding I bought earlier this year for a  pack trip. We were short one horse for a trip from Eagar, Arizona to Flagstaff, Arizona, about 200 miles total. Let me tell you a little about him.

When I came across Reno, I was actually looking for a mustang in the $5-800 range, that maybe needed a little  training. They are pretty much a dime-a-dozen around here, because so many folks get caught up in the romance of adopting a mustang and training it themselves, only to find out they are in way over their heads. Then, a couple years down the road they end up selling an unbroke or greenbroke mustang for almost give-away prices. Well, it’s simply a fact, and that’s what I was looking for.

Reno, as advertised

Anyway, back to Reno, I came across an ad for him and really liked the photos they included of him. He was advertised as being about 14 hands and a 3 year-old. The asking price was above what I was looking for, but was still within my range, so I decided to pass by and take a look. He was located in Heber, UT.

I found that he had been raised from a foal by the family who owned him, and that he was very personable, almost a puppy dog personality, but, also like a puppy, he was somewhat disrespectful. Now, a disrespectful puppy is one thing, but a disrespectful horse can hurt you. He wouldn’t let me lift his hooves, cow-kicked when I messed with his belly, and would turn his rump into me when he was annoyed, rather than moving away as a horse should. These things I can work out of a horse with a little training. What I look for is good conformation, good straight legs, good hooves, and a good attitude. With the exception of a quarter-crack in his right rear, he had all these things. He was also a little taller than advertised, coming in at about 14.2 or so, and stout, which I liked.

After a good inspection and a couple weeks of thinking about it I decided the quarter crack was due to lack of hoof care and not to any kind of coronet injury and that it would heal up just fine with some good care. I dickered with the owners and we agreed on a price that was good for both of us.

I have to be careful when buying a horse, because I rarely sell them. I get pretty attached to my animals and once they are mine I tend to keep them, regardless of any shortcomings they may have. I wouldn’t be a very good horse trader. So, two rules I have set for myself when horse shopping are 1) I don’t take my trailer or any money when I look at a horse for the first time (unless I have to drive a couple hours just to see it), 2) I don’t hand over the money until I have the horse in the trailer. Rule #2 is very important, because I generally  buy horses that “need an experienced rider,” which usually means they have little to no training and might not have ever been in a trailer. Once I get a horse into the trailer, I’m good to pay the money.

I forgot that rule with Reno. I bought him, paid the money, then headed out to the trailer. That was a mistake I won’t make again. What a rodeo! It took us more than two hours to get him loaded. He fought, reared, fell over, and pawed. We finally got him into the trailer and headed home. Getting him out of the trailer was just about as fun. He eventually tried to turn around in my 4-horse slant-load and got stuck in the loading door. He reared over backwards and fell out of the trailer onto his back. No harm done, just shook up.

So, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

The first thing I had to take care of was the disrespect. This horse was about as friendly as any horse I have ever owned. In fact, I think he likes people better than horses. Having him in a pasture with four other horses was good for him, because they began right away to teach him the horse etiquette he had never learned, being raised by people with no other horses around.

The cow-kicking and moving away from me were first on my agenda.

Now, from my experience with horses, I have learned that training a horse is not a whole lot different than raising kids. In fact, I often wish I had garnered more horse training experience before my kids came along, but I just didn’t have time for both back then. I find that horses require a gentle, but firm hand and consistency in order for them to progress well from step to step in the training. The one exception to that rule is when something they do can get someone hurt. There are times when swift and severe punishment will cure a bad habit faster and more surely than any other method. The horse learns very quickly that “when I do that, I get hurt.” So, with that in mind I decided to cure the cow-kicking the very first day.

I have a very stout lead rope, made from the shrouds of a heavy military cargo parachute. It is about 3/4″ thick and has a very heavy brass snap hook on the end. With Reno dressed in a stout flat-braid nylon halter and a strong lead rope tied to a solid post, I moved in beside him on the “on-side” with my heavy shroud lead in my hand, dangling the heavy snap hook on about three feet of lead. With my left hand I began to touch and rub Reno’s belly. As soon as his left rear hoof came off the ground in a cow-kick I swung that heavy lead and whopped him hard on the rump with that heavy snap hook. He was quite surprised by that, so he jumped and moved away from me. We did it again. As soon as the hoof came off the ground, I whopped him. The fourth time I rubbed his belly, his hoof stayed on the ground. He has never again attempted a cow-kick as I touch his belly, rub him, brush, or saddle him.

Next up was teaching him to move away from me, rather than showing me his rump. We started that lesson when we worked on the cow-kick, but there was more to do. I found that he would not let me lift his left rear hoof. As I would try to reach for it, he would move into me and warn me off with his rump, threatening a kick (which he never did). We started working on this by me taking something pointed (not sharp) in my hand, such as the handle of a rasp, the handle ends of a pair of nippers, or a hoof pick, and whenever he moved into me I would let him move into that pointed object, so that he would feel it. The harder he pushed, the harder he felt it. He didn’t like that and learned to move away from me. I would not poke him with it, or push him away with it, but let him move into it. That way, as soon as he stepped away, the pressure was gone. Had I followed him with it, he would not have learned how to avoid the pointed object poking his hip by moving away. Now this, being a more gentle (but firm) method of training, it was several sessions before he learned not to move into me. Now, several months later, he moves away with a simple nudge from me with no stubbornness at all.

The third thing we started working on was lifting his hooves. While he was still somewhat disrespectful, he allowed me to lift his fronts and his right rear, but would not allow me to lift his left rear. I don’t know why. There is no apparent injury or scar I can see, but for some reason he’s touchy about the left rear. When I would try to lift it he would  cow-kick and move away from me. He wasn’t really trying to kick me, he just didn’t want me lifting his hoof. To address this, I took my heavy lead rope and looped it around his left rear pastern, under the fetlock. I would lift his hoof with the rope and simply hold it off the ground while he kicked. I would hold both ends of the rope in my right hand, while leaning against the horse with my left, so I could keep my balance as he kicked away. You have to stand back a bit, just to make sure he doesn’t connect with one of those cow-kicks. After a minute or two, he would get tired and stop kicking. As soon as he stopped kicking and let his leg relax, I lowered it to the ground. If he kicked as I was lowering it, it got raised up again until I could lower it all the way to the ground without a struggle. In this way, after a number of sessions, Reno learned that when he was relaxed I quit bothering his leg. He also learned that the kicking did no good and was just wasted energy. Now I can lift all his feet without trouble. In fact, he lifts them for me as I reach for them. He is learning the respect lessons.

I started riding Reno shortly after I brought him home. The owners told me they had given him to a local rancher for the summer, to have him broke and trained. They said they had often seen the rancher’s kids riding him around. At the time I didn’t think too much about that, except to consider him somewhat saddle broke. I found out pretty quickly that Reno was simply greenbroke, meaning I could saddle and ride him, but he didn’t know much else. I took him for a couple rides in the local area and was pleased with him. He learned pretty quickly that I was easy to get along with and we had no real problems on the trail. In fact, my dad and I took Reno along with the rest of the horses on a three-day ride south of Moab, Utah in April, on which I was quite impressed with Reno’s calm demeanor and good head on the trail. We went up and down, and round and round, trail, no trail, bushes, gullies, over fallen trees, and even through a tunnel under a highway. Reno took little convincing and was willing to give anything I asked of him a try. I was very pleased.

Reno in his first packing training experience

I later took Reno on a  day ride as a pack horse. I Loaded a 50# sack of feed in each side of a set of hard-sided, bear-proof paniers, and took him on a trail ride. As far as I know this was his first experience with a pack saddle. At first he was scared by the noise the paniers make, being hard plastic, and we had a little bit of a rodeo for a few minutes. After that, he settled down and did well. It didn’t take him long to learn to keep the paniers away from things like rocks and trees. Once we rounded a narrow trail with a rock face on his left and Reno allowed the left panier to hit the wall. The force knocked him sideways off the trail and down a steep embankment into the shallow river below. Once he got his feet back under him, he simply climbed back up the embankment, let me grab his lead rope, and we went on. By the time we were done for the day, Reno had learned to keep those paniers away from obstacles near the trail. From that day to this he has never rubbed my leg or knee on anything alongside the trail.

In May, Dad and I embarked on our pack trip. We had four horses and a mule. The horses were rotated as pack and saddle animals, to keep them fresh and rested. Reno was everything I hoped on the trip. Never did I have any problem with him.

Well, I did have one problem. When I was leading him as a pack horse, whenever I stopped to rest the horses he would walk up next to my right leg and drop his head to graze. When he would lift his head the lead rope would come up under my stirrup and get wrapped around my leg. When I complained about it out loud, Dad laughed and said it was my own fault. He pointed out that whenever Reno came up next to me, I would reach over and rub his neck and scratch his ears and he liked it! Ah, well, I guess that’s a bad habit I taught him.

You can see a video of me on Reno, crossing Clear Creek on the Arizona Trail, about 70 miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona here:

After we finished the pack trip I decided to continue Reno’s training. There are a few things I like my trail horses to know, such as moving off leg pressure and heel cues to move their fore and hind quarters; there are times on the trail when you need to position a horse in order to cross an obstacle or ascend or descend a particularly difficult place.

I took Reno into a small training arena to start working on his cues, only to find that he became extremely excited in the arena. As calm as he is on the trail, I was quite surprised. He was, in fact, so excitable in the arena that we did very little training at all. I just tried to work on him simply walking around the arena calmly. I found I was having to handle him more aggressively with the snaffle bit than I like, occasionally causing him to get a sore mouth, so I have moved  him to a 3/4″ braided rawhide bosal for this training. He responds much better in the hackamore.

I generally start all my horses on a snaffle bit, then move them to a bosal hackamore for the bulk of their training. When they are easy on the controls I move them to a solid curb bit. Reno had been doing so well in the snaffle, that I had just left  him in that and hadn’t done much hackamore work on him. He’s progressing well now.

The only thing I can guess with Reno is that the former trainer (the rancher) probably had his kids riding him most of the time. I expect that was often out pushing cattle, which would explain is calm demeanor on the trail, however, my guess is that the kids also attempted to try roping off him in an arena. I expect he got spurred a bit in the doing. That is the only explanation that comes to mind and fits the evidence. Regardless, I have been spending my time lately, trying to continue his training and get him over his excitement – fear – inside enclosed areas.

I normally train with spurs on , as I find horses tend to learn quicker with their judicial use and I can give more precise cues with the touch of a spur than with a heel. However, with Reno, I have removed my spurs. He over-reacts to them, I suppose, as a result of being exposed to some undisciplined spur use from his previous “trainers.” With much patience and a gentle hand, I have been slowly getting Reno to recognize what I am asking with my heel cues. He is very willing, but still reacts more out of fear than desire to learn, which makes learning difficult. Fear simply isn’t a good training tool. My job, therefore, is to teach him that my cues don’t hurt and that learning to respond to them calmly brings peace and rest (my, that sounds almost religious!).

Reno gets better each day. I have been trying to ride him more often this winter, when time allows. When I can consistently ride him an hour or two every day or so he improves rapidly.

The problem with that is that every time I ride him I like him more and more and want to sell him less and less!

He’s a good horse.

Reno, south of Moab, Utah April 2016
Great Western Trail, Website Management, Western Trails

Hmmm. I need to update the website….

I recently created a new website for a sports fan group I have belonged to for more than ten years. We are die-hard fans of everything related to Brigham Young University sports, especially football. We had been using a forum service, YUKU, for a lot of years and finally got tired of the poor service and goofy advertisements they slipped into our forum. We had to pay a fee not to see advertisements. Finally we got so fed up with it that we began to talk about looking for a new home for our forum. As we discussed it, I realized that it would be a pretty simple solution for us to buy a domain name and create our own website and forum. So, that’s what we did, using my web hosting account with Bluehost. So, I created byufans.net. It is a closed group, though, so membership is limited to the current members and those individuals who are personally invited by a member.  Sorry.

Anyway, what does that have to do with Western Trail Rider? Well, the new website looks so good and works so well and is so easy to manage that I was quite impressed with myself (hehehe). But, when I switch over to my WTR site, well, it started looking a bit drab and old. Now, every time I look at WTR I think I need to update it.

So, I’m going to be looking at new themes and other apps and programs that might sort of dress up the site and make it more user-friendly and easier to manage. Once I decide what to do, I’ll let everybody know that it may be down for a few hours…that is, if everything goes well…or a few days, if I mess up. Now, nobody need suppose that I am a website developer or otherwise expert, or even knowledgeable, about websites and blogs. I just trip along until something looks pretty good and works ok. WordPress has made things pretty simple for guys like me. It is mostly a matter of figuring out what I like, then plug-and-play. Still, I seem to be able to mess things up pretty well, as I try mixing and matching different services on the site. The challenge is going to be ensuring that I don’t lose any of the photos, information, posts, and serviceability of the current site.

Also, I understand how each provider of an app or service can spend thousands of hours developing a simple app for dummies like me to “plug-and-play” and that they certainly deserve to be paid for their efforts. However, when a guy like me starts adding up the various fees and subscriptions and donations, the cost starts to reach a significant level per year, particularly when I am not making a penny on the website.

I created the website shortly after I started planning my big horse pack trip a few years ago. A number of folks suggested that I start a blog, so they could keep up with my planning, gear purchases and reviews, and other developments, as well as documentation of the trip itself. It occurred to me that I might just as well purchase a domain name, start a website of my own, and invite other horse and trail riding folks to blog along with me. The thought was that we, together, might create a website where like-minded people might come to find information about horse trails in the western U.S. and to get first-hand information from people who had actually ridden those trails. I’m not talking about state and national park trails – there are numerous websites for those places. I’m talking about the backtrails and places that are almost unknown except to riders from the local areas. Places folks hear about, but few ever see. I figured that eventually there might be enough bloggers on the site that a little advertising income might be generated, to pay for the website maintenance. That hasn’t developed, so I’m content with simply using the site as a place to document my horse adventures for a few faithful followers to enjoy.

Still, I’d like to make it an attractive and interesting website. So, I’ll be working on updating it over the coming couple of months.

Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

P.S. The invitation is still open for anybody who would like to start their own horse-related blog under the WTR banner or to link an existing blog through WTR. The only requirement is that it be related to horse trails in the western U.S. or some aspect of horse or mule packing. There is no charge and I maintain the site at no expense to you…unless you would like to help out.  If you have interest, send me an email at tony.henrie@westerntrailrider.com.