Misty Morning Ride at Heil Ranch

It has been a pretty dry March so far here in Boulder, and plans were set earlier in the week to trailer
over to the Heil Ranch Open Space, just a few miles from Boulder Vally Ranch. To all our surprise we woke up to a wet and misty day—rare here in this part of Colorado.

After some confusion about our time to leave the ranch, a low tire (thank goodness Bob was around to get the air compressor up and running) and a balky-loading horse we finally got under way.

The four of us ventured out and were transported into a misty world. The smell of creasote from a earlier controlled burn scented the airas we ascended up the fire road and into the mist. I had the song Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin in my head the entire ride. We stopped to let a flock of wild turkeys cross the road, and were watched carefully by herds of does in no rush to get anywhere.

Up, up and up we rode, walking and trotting—the footing was perfect (but hoof protection is recommended). This trail system is a great way to start conditioning your horse, as it steadily climbs and descends on the return. It also is designed with trails for bikers and hikers so you have dispersed use. On a clear day the canyon views are quite astonishing, but for today we had the turkeys, does and mist-filled forests all to ourselves.

Returning back to the barn we all felt refreshed and at peace—less one hub cap off my trailer. Maybe I will come across it on Highway 36 one day.

- LindaP

Fall Riding In Colorado and Wyoming

It's been awhile since I posted to this blog, and it's been a very dry October and November in the front range and most of Colorado. The horses have grown long winter coats as the daylight hours become night, I was not quite ready for that and neither were the horses. Trying to ride in these warm temperatures makes them uncomfortable, sweaty and need I say dirty dusty ponies.

Some fun rides we did in early to mid fall were Red Mountain in Larimer County (pictured left from the Rim), a quick "I can't believe it's this warm in Vedauwoo", lets go camping at the last minute trip, and Caribou Open Space in Nederland.

Today, finally snow has fallen. It made me so happy and the feeling of cooler temperatures at ease.
Hopefully more snow will fall soon and I will head up to Copper Mountain for a few turns. I love riding in fresh powder whether its on my beloved furry pony or on skis!

May the holidays bring you together with friends and family—both near an far—and 2017 bring peace and love to the world.

Linda and Nico

It's Spring & Mud Season

It has been some time since I have written on this blog. I was busy writing and managing the Boulder County Horse Association Nicker blog. As a new Board of Directors brings a fresh look to the Association and its website I have decided to get back to my TravelsByHorse blog.

It has been a wild Spring here in Boulder, Colorado. Winter brought piles of snow to the mountains—great for us skiers—and a few piles here in the front range—not so great for us riders! Trees and fruit blossoms were a bit stressed and tree crews had a lot to clean-up. With the winter thaw, and the arrival of spring, so comes the mud and intermittent trail closures on our area open spaces.

What is arriving: Pasque flowers, wild asparagus, Bluebirds, Meadowlarks, and yellow Goldfinches to name a few. Their songs fill the fields and they line up on the fences—what a pleasure after such a long winter.

As the grasses begin to grow along with daylight I have gone into the shed and pulled out my grazing muzzle, cleaned my brushes and tack, and continue to make good use of my shedding blade on both my horse and my dog. Last week was the spring shot clinic at our barn and Mark Fitch made it quick and easy. This friday it’s off to get the trailer serviced at Scott Murdoch’s in Loveland.

It has been stop and go on starting conditioning Nico. But it looks like the weather may start cooperating a bit more. We started intervals of trots, and up and down hills. For me, I continue with Pilates and now interval training at a local Orange Theory here in Boulder.

In the meantime keep your eyes peeld for wild asparagus and colorful birds as spring bursts forth with all its wonderful surprises here is Boulder!

Grilled Asparagus Recipe
- peel stalks
- brush with a mixture of balsamic vinegar and olive oil
- place on hot grill (in basket)
- when done sprinkle with flaked sea salt and parmesan cheese

Winter Riding

Nico in Winter at Boulder Valley Ranch

Winter is here in Boulder, Colorado and I find myself a bit off my usual schedule—riding after work
(darn that daylight savings time) is down, and weekend trailering to local trailheads too. I just pulled my front shoes to give Nico's feet a break. I think it is important for the hoof to make contact with the earth for a few months, so this is the time I do that too.

As my body grows a bit stiffer, I stay on my Pilates schedule to keep my lower back moving, my inner thighs in shape and my body flexible.

Here is a list of some of my favorite local winter rides:

Heatherwood:
The trailhead is accessible in from the Heatherwood neighborhood off 75th Street in Gunbarrel. Most users of this trail system access the trails from Valmont or Arapahoe, but I love the convenience of the wide street for parking and less bikes from this Northwest access point. The soft footing does not require hoof protection, and the grasslands and undulating terrain allows you to get in a few good gallops and also work your horses hind end climbing up and down the small canyons. There are no bathrooms here, you can find one at the Arapahoe trailhead, and no water sources. Also as a courtesy to the neighbors please pick up your manure at your trailers!

Boulder Valley Ranch:
I board here so these are my home trails. This trail system does have a lot of user groups (so good for desensitizing your horse to bikes, dogs and cross country skiers in the current winter snow),  but the trail system is big enough that you can spread out. The trail system offers equestrian/hiker only trails too. There are water sources and a bathroom at the Longhorn Road access point (beware not enough room to park a horse trailer at this location). The trailhead off Neva Road has plenty of parking, but  the bathroom is near the Beech Pavilion not in the parking lot. Another great parking area is off Highway 36 near the septic tank area. It is an in and out, so head down towards the parking lot that had the tunnel under 36, drive past and park near the cement septic tanks. There is a gate there to access the Hidden Valley area of Boulder Valley Ranch, then you can simply take the left back out to Highway 36.


Marshall Mesa:
Now that the brand new tunnel has been completed there is a lot of terrain to cover here. It is a heavy bike use area but worth riding in the spring, fall and winter. Trailhead parking is available on the Southeast side of Highway 93, Dowdy Draw off Eldorado Road, or Flatirons Vista on the west side of Highway 93. There are bathrooms at all locations except for Dowdy Draw. The area can be rocky so hoof protection might be a good idea on this trail system.


Bear Lake State Park in Morrison:
I like this trail system to work on water crossings—there are a lot of them here. There is a fee of $7 to access this Park but it is a nice riding area just a short distance from Boulder. Parking at the corral area also lets you do some arena work. The trails range from wide open and flat, to beautiful tree lines streams. In winter the North facing hill climb can be icy so beware!


Rabbit Mountain: You will find this trailhead off Highway 66 in Lyons. There are bathrooms and designated trailer parking sites. A steady climb out of the parking area takes you to more open trails where you can trt out and open up into some nice canters. You also can take side trails and do some loops. These side trails tend to be rocky so hoof protection is recommended.

Hope to see you out and about this winter! Linda P

It's been a while!

It has been a while since I have posted on Travels by Horse. It's been a long, windy winter here in the Front Range and our trail system is recovering from the infamous 1,000-year flood. It seems every time I want to get out and ride the weather goes wild or a trail closes because of bad conditions. For me spring can't come fast enough, and it will take some time getting my horse back in shape.

I have had my hands full helping with the Boulder County Horse Association (BCHA) Board and blog, BCHANicker.org. If you live in the Boulder County area this is a wonderful organization to support. You do not have to be a horse owner, you can join and get involved even if you simply love horses and want to see them thrive in Boulder County. The City of Boulder Open Space surveys consistently show that people just love to see and interact with horses on trails around Boulder. They are wonderful creatures to watch and herds have complex and interesting behaviors. Most riders will even stop and let you visit with them and their mighty steeds—simple ask.

This April, BCHA will be holding its second annual BCHA Horse Fair and Annual Meeting at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Barn A, Sunday April 13th, from 10 AM to 5 PM. What's going on?

• Mingle and reconnect with other horse lovers.
• Attend our educational seminars. Learn about camping with your horse from the Northern Colorado Backcountry Horsemens Association and Conditioning your horse presented by Cheryl and Randy Winter.
• Do a bit of shopping we will have some great vendors.
• Learn about horse breeds. This year we will have a live horse breed exhibit. Rumor has it more then 20 beautiful horses will be on display. 
• Do some to -tapping. The Wallpaper House Band featuring Anne Gifford will play from 1 PM - 5 PM. 

For more information and updates on the BCHA Fair please click here.

Happy travels, Linda P

South Boulder Trail Ride

A hiker was nice enough to take our photo.

We had a lovely trail ride on Sunday on the South Boulder trail system to the west of Highway 93 on Sunday.

Now that the road from Boulder Valley Ranch was clear of ice and snow, and recently graded,  I thought it would be nice to get out of dodge, so to speak. Nico and I hauled out to meet the gals in South Boulder. We saddled up and headed down Marshall Road to the crossing on Broadway (Highway 93) to access the wooded trails off the Mesa Trail.

This system is fairly rocky so if you are not shod hoof protection, such as Easy boots are recommended. The trails were snow packed so the pace was no more then a walk. We meandered through the pine forests enjoying each others company and the horses had a few gradual climbs to work their hind ends.

As we crossed the last meadow towards home we came upon a lovely herd of very healthy does, they seemed to enjoy our company as they traveled along with us.

Thanks Nico, Mary and Spear, Peg and Cinch, and Freddie Nemo.

Audit or Ride a Buck Brannaman Clinic?

I had the opportunity to audit the Buck Brannaman Clinic at the Boulder County Fairgrounds this past summer. A couple of my friends were riding in the clinic, for the steep fee of $600+.  These are my observations:

1. Seemed like way too many riders for one man.
2. Riders did a lot of sitting on their horses, or some standing while holding their horses.
3. So many of these novice riders with green horses could better benefit from one-on-one instruction (let's do the math, assuming a lesson is about $50).
   Wow! That would give them 12 lessons.
4. Helmets, saw many riders "duded" out on their horses but no head protection.
   It's alive, it has a flight instinct, and it is over 1000 lbs...dah!
   My friend Dr. Murray would say "all those riders are paying off my school loans".

From my perspective audit one of his clinics and search out a qualified trainer in your area.
The $25 audit fee (free if you are over 65) was the best deal in town that day.
I took notes, learned some pointers and met up with some old friends. It might be great to attend one of his clinics if the size was smaller and you could get his full attention, but in my opinion save your money and work one-on-one with an exceptional trainer in your area.