New Mexico Rough Rider Path

The New Mexico trip was a surprise for me. I had not planned on going but somehow Sheila tricked me into going and then threw in my daughter Ashlea as a bonus. Anyway - we packed up the trailer - sounds easy but when Sheila is involved "packing up the trailer" is no easy task .... it is quite the ordeal and involves all kinds of lists, equipment and supplies - probably a good thing though, the last trip to New Mexico when I was involved with the packing Ashlea ended up having to go up the most difficult trail without stirrups and in a dressage saddle! Seems I forgot to include stirrups with her saddle ... uh oh! Good thing she takes these kind of "situations" with a grain of salt and instead of having a complete meltdown and staying behind (which is what I would have done if I had found myself with no stirrups in the Mountains) - she just laughed, hopped up on her trusty horse Dash and headed out as if riding in the Mountains with no stirrups was no big deal! I wasn't there for that trip but I would have loved to see everyone all geared up with their western saddles and saddle bags and my little brown eyed girl on her slippery dressage saddle with her legs dangling heading up the steepest mountain laughing all the way!

OK - back to the 2008 New Mexico trip ..... where was I? Oh yes, packing the trailer which like I said took literally days! Finally we were off with both our horses and two kiddos and ALOT of stuff! We took turns driving through the Texas flat lands and spent the night in Lubbock and then headed for the Mountains. Somehow when we got to the base of the huge Mountain (and I mean huge as in steep and rocky and windey and scary)- I was asked to drive in the front of the group. WHAT? Me ..... lead the entire convoy of experienced trailer drivers up the ridiculously treacherous narrow terrifying road? Me, who has trailered maybe a total of 20 times (including to the vet and back)? Yep, that would be me and I did it. I made it up with my precious cargo in tow and leading the pack. Whoo Hoo - mark that one up for my quest to be an experienced horse person.

We set up our tents strategically facing the woods so we could see the bears coming. Of course I also brought my earplugs so even if they did show up, snug inside my tent I would have never heard them coming. I was relying on Sheila and Katy and my roomie Ashlea to alert me. After all, I had brought them up the Mountain so they owed me at least that!

The first morning we saddled up our Mounts and headed up the first trail. We got about 5 minutes into the ride when we discovered there were two paths - that of the chicken and the path of the rough rider. As you can read in Sheila's blog - she and her adorable daughter chose the chicken path (her words ... not mine) and Ashlea and I chose the other. We scrambled up the Mountain - later we found another trail that would have been so much easier ... sure we could have taken the easy way but we were rough riders and we wanted our path to be rough!

I was riding a Peruvian Paso Fino named Tina. She had just been through some traumatic thing where she had been sold to some evil people who treated her poorly and then by some twist of fate ended up back with Sue and then with me as her rider in the beautiful New Mexico Mountains. Tina was great except for the small little habit of jumping over every body of water - and I mean EVERY body of water, no matter how small or large (did I mention that I am not trained in jumping in any way shape or form). Tina didn't seem to care if the stream was four feet or four inches, she jumped them all. So there we were with all the breath taking views and beautiful Mountain trees meandering down the trails that were crissed and crossed and dotted with what seemed like a gazillion streams (or to Tina ... jumps). That's right people - me, the non-jumper that I am jumped my way across the Mountains of New Mexico. Chalk that up as another accomplishment on my quest to become an experienced horse person. OK - I'll admit, I use the word "jump" loosely - Tina jumped, I held on. Bottom line is that we made it across and I never came off. So there ........I jumped!

Second day we started saddling our horses and Tina had apparently had a good night sleep and was frisky as all get out - I would go as far as to say she was Coo Coo. My definition of Coo Coo is twisting and pawing and jumping around. So .. I'm thinking - do I really want to try to ride her acting all Coo Coo up the Mountain and jump the streams and puddles and damp spots? Easy answer ....Nope - so Sue came to my rescue with some Ace and she calmed right down. In fact she calmed so down that about halfway up the first Mountain she gave up and was barely making it. I seriously thought she was going to drop dead right there on the trail so I got off and walked - she didn't get any better but the trail was narrow and we couldn't turn around so I literally dragged her up to a spot where it was wide enough to turn back. We stopped every few feet to allow her to catch her breath (note to self: Tina does not need Ace .... ever!). We made it back down and ended up spending the day in the camp. Not my best day - I'm not going to lie - I was pretty bored!

The third day we headed out choosing a different path and quickly discovered that this path was challenging .....really challenging. This way was going to separate the real rough riders from the pseudo rough riders. OK, I'll admit it - I was scared about ten minutes in. I'm blaming it on Antonio though who was tossing his head and trotting in place the entire time. Antonio, who is a kids horse and used for kid lessons. Not that I was scared of him - like I said, he is a kids horse ....but he was just exhausting me with his head tossing and jigging. Ashlea and Sue said that I have a "hot seat" - they are two of the best riders I know so I guess I'll believe them. Unfortunately, I guess until I can do something about my "hot seat", my quest to be an experienced rider is not possible. Having a hot seat and a horse who is tossing his head combined with narrow trails that go straight down are not a good combination (did I mention that I was having a BLAST ..... no really, I was having the best time ever!). Now back to the actual trail. It was challenging almost from the beginning and then we came to "the bridge". This was the sort of obstacle that very experienced trail horses would find difficult - it was over water and wooden and narrow. YIKES! After our first initial reaction of "Are you kidding me ... we have to cross THAT?" - Sue rallied the troup's and we agreed that if everyone could get across, we would go on. After all we were real rough riders ...... right? So there we went, one by one leading our horses across the bridge. My little head tosser went right across and I was glad to be off for a minute and even more glad to arrive safely on the other side. We all made it across so headed on our way. And then we came to the scary part. I didn't realize it was scary until we were a few feet in and I looked down ..... way down. Good thing I was on a horse because had I been on foot, I would have frozen and clung to the side until a helicopter rescue crew plucked me off the mountain. Antonio picked his way along the trail carefully stepping over rocks and overhanging foliage. I wanted him to concentrate on his task but he didn't seem too worried as he was tossing his head the entire time. I just knew that with one of his tosses, we would both plunge down the mountain so I was ready to jump off at any minute. It made for a nerve wracking time. I have no idea how long we were on that section of the trail but it seemed like hours. When we arrived at the other end of "the trail", I wanted to kiss the ground but thought I would risk my position as a real rough rider so decided against it.

The next few hours were filled with beautiful breath taking scenery and amazing views. At one point we came across a tree that was leaning against the trail. This tree ended up being filled with bees that swarmed us and our horses. This would make the third time that I have been attacked by bees while riding. Once by killer bees that left me with over 100 stings to my head and an injured knee the day before the cattle drive trip and the second on the cattle drive trip. What the heck ...... could this have anything to do with a hot seat? We all survived the bees and continued on our way.

During our ride, we ran into a group of boy scouts and met up with a hiker from Santa Fe named Dave Golden and a few of his friends who we would continue to cross paths with as we made our way through the Mountain. This turned out to be a God send as we found that we were lost due to a trail being closed which forced us to take another .... you get the picture. Our 4-5 hour trail ride was quickly turning into 6, 7, 8 ... And then there he was - Dave Golden and his group of happy hikers coming up over the hill with the light shining around them and I'm pretty sure there was a choir of angels singing and they had a map and walkie talkies and then he said it.... "you have to go back the way you came". The angels stopped singing and the light became dark and he held up his evil map and pointed to it ... "the trail" followed by "the bridge" and he said it again ... "you have to go back - you have to go that way" and his long crooked finger pointed to the trail that we had just survived. Then he smiled and said "take my really really really expensive walkie talkie so you can call if you get lost or need help" and the light came back up (not as bright) and a small tiny angel kind of sang a little and we carved his number on a stick (no one had a pen and the boy scouts were no where to be found) and we silently headed back to "the trail".

Being the smart cookie that I am, I decided to trade horses with my daughter Ashlea (remember her - she rode the difficult trail without stirrups) - I thought she could handle the head tossing thing better than I could. My arms were tired and I just couldn't face going back on the narrow trail with the constant picture of plunging down. I got back on Tina who had on my slippery dressage saddle but kept her head steady and walked instead of trotted. She was calm and steady between two horses - one foot in front of the other. The perfect mount for me on that narrow scary trail. Of course Antonio didn't toss his head once with Ashlea - now it is confirmed, I definitely had a hot seat! After we made it through "the trail", we were all happy and pumped up and ready for "the bridge" and camp. Suddenly I had a great idea - I could take pictures of this momentus event. I would get off my horse and take pictures as everyone crossed. Wow - I'm brilliant! I was second behind Sue so I got off and tied Tina to a tree a little way from the bridge where I would have a good view of the crossings. I got my very nice Nikon camera ready and signaled for Sue to go across. Now remember, my position on the trail was right behind Sue so Tina felt that she was being left behind immediately and began to get nervous. She swung around and hit me and my camera trying to get a view of where the horse that she was supposed to be following was going. So much for a picture of Sue - oh well, I thought to myself I have 7 more pictures to take. One by one everyone crossed the bridge and with each horse Tina became more and more freaked out. She called out to them and swung around trying to see where they were going and eventually pulled herself loose so there I was trying to hold her with one hand and take pictures with my really really nice but what I realized now was really really heavy Nikon. Each horse would clip clop across and then make a final leap off the end of the bridge to the other side and then disappear down the trail. Suddenly my brilliant photo op seemed ridiculously stupid .... what was I thinking? The bridge started looking more and more dangerous as I watched each nervous rider and horse approach and quickly dash across with the horses shaking and their riders letting out a "whoop" as they landed safely on the other side - relieved to have made it. I was feeling more and more like Tina and wanted to call out to them - we were both two mares getting left behind and wondering how we were going to make it. Both insecure about our abilities. I know I had already determined that Tina couldn't have Ace but if I had some, I would have split it with her!

When everyone had gone across and Tina and I were both about as worked up as you could get (I'm not sure who was shaking more ... me or her), Kristy was waiting on the other end. I nervously told her that I was going to just secure Tina's reins and let her go across alone and Kristy in her ever calm rational voice said that would be OK. At the last minute though I felt that Tina and I were in this together and decided to walk her across .... she and I together, a team of two. Tina apparently didn't feel the same way - she had the "every man for himself" philosophy and when we stepped up on the wooden bridge, she bolted dragging me with her to the other side. Besides the part when she flung me against a big rock (remember I had my really really big and really really heavy camera around my neck), we made it to the other side in one piece. I was alone in my relief though because Tina was still feeling abandoned and I apparently was not a comfort to her (remember, I have a hot seat which does not make a nervous horse feel comfortable).

Kristy tells me to get on quick - don't think, just 1 2 3 GET ON! I told her that I was shaking too bad - you know that kind of shaking when you have no control over your knees. Kristy in her calm voice said "I know, but you have to do it now". Her voice was hypnotic and I somehow controlled my shaking enough to jump on. 1 2 3 ... GO! The second I hit the saddle Tina took off looking to take back her place in the line. Did I mention that it was a dressage saddle and not a western saddle with the horn and other safety features attached that make you feel secure? Being the almost experienced rider that I pretend to be, I knew that when a horse is running away you pull hard on one rein - I was proud of myself that I chose the mountain side rein to turn her into the mountain. Quick thinking cowgirl! Tina in her terror reacted to my quick thinking by quickly turning into and up the side of the mountain. Now I don't know about you all but up the side of the mountain is not a good place to be because the other side is down. In this case it was down to the trail and then the other side of the trail was down to the water (remember the bridge ... it was there for a reason). I remember being told that if you have to get off, get off on the mountain side so I did. I was in a precarious position right against the mountain so it was easy to just put my foot down and step off. There, I did it - I followed the rough rider rules. Tina apparently didn't attend the rough rider meetings and took the opportunity to continue up the mountain so now I found myself below her. Below her was not good - it was a definite no no in the rough rider manual. I remember vividly seeing Tina's belly and four hoofs and thinking Uh Oh and then I just kind of pushed myself down and away. As I was going down, I heard her coming down after me - hooves flailing trying to get herself upright. We both hit the trail - she got her footing and took off and I went over the other side. Somehow I grabbed a rock and pulled myself back up the side. I wanted to throw up - I was sobbing and relieved and overwhelmed and alive. Now, who knows how close I really came to perishing on the mountain - the whole thing took probably less than a few minutes. My hand was bleeding and I was bruised and thank goodness at the beginning of the event I had given my camera to Kristy who was still standing there on her trusty calm horse Teddy watching the whole thing unfold.

Ashlea heard the yells and hooves and rocks sliding and saw Tina come running around the corner with no rider and jumped off Antonio. She came running down the trail to see me with tears streaming down my face crawling back up to the trail. "Mommy" - She led me back up the trail where we switched horses again and I got back on Antonio who was no longer tossing his head because Sue had rigged up a martingale (had to say that to make myself look better).

As we rounded the last curve and saw the camp we all let out a collective Rough Rider WHOOP and walked calmly into camp with thoughts of bridges and narrow trails and Dave Golden and walkie talkies and bees and closed trails. We were truly real Rough Riders. It was the best ride I have ever had and I would do it again in a heart beat!

Kate