After breakfast we headed to the SK Stables outside of the Fall River Entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Shopping for Cowboy Hats
With an hour to wait after signing up, we shopped for cowboy hats in the gift shop. My daughter already had an orange one with seashells my dad got for her from the base BX kiosk he worked at. Usually not a hat person, she hadn’t yet worn it until this day.
Learning the Ropes
Our trail guide would be Alex, who taught us how to ride horses and the rules of riding on the trail, especially the national park.
Do not let the horses nibble on the trail.
Keep the horses on the established path, because the RMNP rangers want to preserve the land, so they don’t want new paths made. However daily rainstorms create frequent rain puddles that the horses prefer to avoid. Nevertheless, we were taught how to keep them reined onto the established path.
Since my horse likes to trot, I was taught how to slow him down.
Since my kids’ horses are like the stubborn Don Quixote horse that doesn’t move when told, they were taught how to encourage them to go.
Saddling Up
Alex helped us mount our horses and secure the cinches. He rode lead on Maverick, then my daughter followed on Elmer, I was next on Ripple, while my son was last on Cutter.
Shortly after starting Alex noticed my cinch wasn’t quite tight enough, so we paused long enough for him to make necessary adjustments.
As predicted my kids had the most difficult time getting their horses to get up and go, so Alex helped as needed.
My son was especially disappointed. I think he had an urge to gallop into the sunset up Mummy Mountain (one of the alpine peaks) to find the elusive bighorn sheep.
However this mommy felt better that her son’s mighty steed refused to go anywhere too quickly.
While my son worked on getting his horse to go, we stopped to wait. By the time that horse got going, my daughter’s horse refused to go. LOL
Amazing Views
Anyway we soon got the routine down so we could go sightseeing on horseback through Rocky Mountain National Park!
First we crossed the bridge over Fall River where we saw the Alluvial Fan, created from a busted dam on Lawn Lake in 1982. (Our plan was to visit that location that afternoon, after our horse ride. Stay tuned!)
As we rode through the adjoining Horseshoe Park we gained 1000’ in elevation; we rode at no more than 8800′. Okay, we’ve “ridden” on horses before, but never this independently, and never with this type of elevation gain. The views were gorgeous!!!
Where we left the trees to venture into the meadow, a steep hill dropped steeply down to our left. Alex said that grade was as sharp as the one the horseman takes in The Man from Snowy River. Vividly I remembered that scene and was glad my horse didn’t even try to recreate that moment!
In fact, my horse hadn’t yet trotted, although he was quite responsive. The scenery surrounding us was breathtaking. The sky was blue.
We crossed the uphill side of the meadow, with the alpine peaks of Ypsilon and Mummy Mountains in our view.
Alex pointed out 2 coyotes playing in the distant meadow, a mom and pup. One of the kids saw another coyote. Alex said it was another adult. He kept a close eye on them.
The mood was incredibly peaceful. Even the chipmunk, perched on the boulder nearby, curiously watched us.
Our trail took us on some sharp curves, one of which was called Dead Man’s Curve. Alex teased us, saying that we might need to pull the ripcord on the parachute behind us (actually they were rain slickers).
Treats for the Horses
As we neared the corral my horse made several attempts to trot but obeyed my pull of the reins. Alex said Ripple knew treats were coming, and we’d get to give our horses their treats!
Perhaps the easiest part of horseback riding for me is getting off the horse, except this time. I was so sore with rump-rot that I was just stuck there. Chuckling Alex helped me down, then told me to be sure to hit the hot tub!
When I explained that we were KOA Kabin Kamping, no hot tub around, he grimaced, understanding my pain.
Alex told me to do lots of walking. I said that would be easy because we had a lot of hikes planned. Stay tuned for all those! They were great, despite the soreness!
I highly recommend SK Stables which was very clean, patient with us suburbanites, and professional. We had a great time and would love to do this again! (Except my son would rather have my horse next time, ha!)
