Starvation Mountain Ride

On Wednesday, Daniel and I rode Glory and Delgado up to the top of Starvation Mountain.

Peggy and Delgado in his new saddle on top of Starvation Mountain.

I have done this trail twice before on Telma. There is challenging part and we found it more overgrown than before, sometimes with  vegetation 2 - 3 feet tall. This made it even more difficult.  I was first up and decided to get off and lead Del. It was very difficult keeping him on the trail  as I climbed along beside him. With more training, I might have felt I could lead in front of Del, but I didn't have enough confidence that he would stay behind me and feared he might knock me down in the process.  That part of the trail (no photos as I was way too busy just trying to keep us safe) is narrow, rocky and steep. On one side of the trail it drops off rather quickly and there are large boulders, trees and bushes. Add the overgrowth and it was hard to tell just where the trail really was. As I write this, I a remember thinking that I would not take this route again unless we were to go up and do some serious maintenance on it. Daniel followed leading Glory. Her calm nature and the fact they were following must have helped, as Daniel led her up with less difficulty. What I learned about Delgado is that he does trust me. I am so glad I have been doing the ground work with Del "on line". Meaning, we have been working while I am on the ground, with a lead rope, doing things like backing him up, making him stand, moving him sideways, forward, etc. I know he was scared a few times, but he did as I asked and we made it through the difficult part in good shape. I praised him big time when we were up on a flat area standing, while we all caught our breath. I believe I have never challenged myself, or a horse, in such a manner. If it hadn't been for the fact that I had ridden up twice before, I probably would not have even attempted this route. The rest of the ride was not nearly as difficult!

Daniel and Glory on the top of Starvation Mountain.

At the top of Starvation Mountain, Daniel and I rested the horses while taking in the incredible views. Then, we proceeded to go down a different way. Daniel led and I followed on Del. I forgot to mention that we had taken his dogs with us. About half way down the other side of the mountain, we were in tall Deer Brush and we heard a rattle snake. Later, RD told me "If you hear them rattling, that means they are too close!" We moved along quickly and Daniel called the dogs. We were happy to leave that snake behind!

At one point we stopped and traded horses. Its fun to ride Glory and watch how beautiful Del looks moving. We finally made it down to an asphalt road. I made a movie of Delgado (its too big a file at this point to offer here) and when RD watched it with me he thought I had the camera settings wrong. He said Del was moving too fast. Funny, that was real time! He his legs do move that fast.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. I was extremely proud of both Glory and Delgado. What great horses they are!