Usually when the ride is over, you pet your horse goodbye and that's that.
Thank you, friend.
Not at Broken Saddle Riding Company! After our ride, I was instructed to go to the office's front porch and get some carrots - two per horse!- for our mounts.
I loved this.
Thank you, Lily.
Thank you, Shadow.
And thank you, Broken Saddle Riding Company. What a great way to end a great ride!
We mounted up and headed out. The trail took us into the Cerillos Hills State Park. Our guide, Brad, told us that "cerillos" means hills, so it's "Hills Hills State Park."
No surprise, we were going uphill in no time.
My horse, Lily, was very lively. I don't think I've ever ridden a rental horse with so much go. Karen's horse was cut from the same cloth, and we were encouraged to let them move out whenever the trail allowed. Lily was foxtrotting in this clip. I didn't take any of us cantering, because she really was lively, and I needed both hands!
This area contains lots of old silver mines, most with fences around them.
As we got higher , the views got better.
Higher.
Higher.
Better!
There was an old looking building at the top.
I thought it was part of an old ghost town, but alas, it's a modern replica.
We rested the horses...
and I took photos.
Then Brad took photos of us. I love these!
Once everyone had caught their breath, we headed back down.
This trail was steeper and rockier with lots of switchbacks.
The horses handled it like the old pros they are.
Even in the steepest, rockiest stretches, Lily was still lively.
There were a few flattish spots where we were able to move out at a foxtrot/running walk and canter.
Nothing about this felt like a typical hourly trail ride.
Thank you, Lily, Shadow and Brad for such an amazing morning.
Left to their own devices, horse girls are always going to horse. Karen and I are both dyed in the wool horse girls. There was never any doubt that our weekend trip to New Mexico was going to include some horse time.
On Sunday, we climbed in the Tesla and drove thirty minutes south of Santa Fe to the village of Cerillos located on the historic Turquoise Trail.
For a moment, I thought that was a Breyer Clydesdale mare on the sign, but closer inspection revealed it to be a knock-off.
We arrived early, which gave us a little bit of time to walk around and take in our surroundings.
The decor was unrelentingly, eclectically and charmingly horsey.
So much to see!
I could have cuddled up to the cat and stayed there all day.
But no! First and foremost, horse girls need to horse, so we went to the office/tackroom, signed our waivers and paid for a one hour ride.
Then - because I am an old horse girl - I asked to use the facilities. I was pointed to two wooden shacks located at the back of the property. I've experienced some terrible barn outhouses, so I had concerns...
Fortunately, what I found behind the wall, was a really clean Porta Potty.
No rattlesnakes. Phew!
With that done it was time to meet the horses.
Karen was assigned to a Tennessee Walking Horse named Shadow.
I got a chestnut Missouri Fox Trotter called Lily.
Our guide adjusted our stirrups, mounted his horse, Bubba, and then the six of us headed out.
The horsing part of our horse girls road trip was about to begin in earnest.
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