San Pasqual Stables

Sometime around fifth grade, my friend, Amy, started taking riding lessons at San Pasqual Stables.

"It's sooooo much nicer than Eaton Canyon," she told me. "You should switch barns."

I wrangled an invitation to watch her ride, and wow! She wasn't kidding. San Pasqual was really nice. Although my heart belonged to Eaton Canyon, I did want to ride at San Pasqual. 

I wanted to ride there a lot.

About the same time, another friend, Dawn, got her own horse. He was an Appaloosa gelding named Appache Tai, and she kept him at San Pasqual. Again, I wrangled an invitation, and again, I was struck with barn envy. 

San Pasqual was so nice. I really wanted to ride there.

It took several years, but that did finally happen when I was eighteen or nineteen. First on Janie's Beamer...

and then on Valerie's Rainsong.

Mostly, however, San Pasqual Stables remained an unrealized dream.

After my fun visit to Arroyo Seco Stables, I decided I would drive by San Pasqual next to see if my memories matched the reality. 

Even all these years later, the drive was immediately familiar. Who could forget these tall palms...

and curving tree shaded roads?

I drove around the final curve...

and there it was.

My first thought was, "Wow, this is nice."

That surprised me. I've been to a lot of nice barns in the past forty years. I hadn't expected this one to measure up, but it definitely did.

I parked in the lot and got out.

I really wanted to wander through the historic barn where Appache had lived.

Unfortunately, the signs were clear. This is a no random strangers facility.

As I had at Arroyo Seco the day before, I decided to hike around the perimeter.

The trail, which connects to Arroyo Seco Stables in one direction and the Rose Bowl in the other, brought back a whole new batch of memories.

What I would do to ride on these trails again!

For a minute or two I thought about what it would be like if I moved back to California to take care of my Mom full-time. Olive would come with me, and I could finally live out my childhood dream of having my own horse at one of these stables.

Don't worry, friends. That's never going to happen. As appealing as these grand, old barns are, they simply don't have enough turnout. Olive would be so unhappy living full-time in a box stall. I would never do that to her.

Besides, I like my life in Colorado. This is home now.

Still, it's fun to think of how things might have been. I really enjoyed my visits to Arroyo Seco and San Pasqual Stables. I'm so glad they're still around, doing business and looking the same in 2024 as they did in 1984.