Muleshoe Ranch

It was a year to the date that we were here last. This is a favorite ride of mine although it takes some fortitude to get there. Muleshoe Ranch is an area managed by the Nature Conservancy, the BLM and the Forest Service in the Galiuro mountains, 90 minutes northwest of us. A full hour of that trip is on a dirt road, and although scenic, it jars the teeth and probably turns the horses' knees to jelly.


But it is so worth it! Muleshoe has spectacular scenery as well as a varied terrain. It is almost like riding in a park as there are so many varieties of plants on display. I try to time this ride to see the wildflowers, and although we saw some, our timing may have been off. Then again, perhaps this was not the year for the flowers. So much of their abundance in the desert depends on rain at the right time of year.


We ride the Vista Trail that takes you through wooded areas (where currently luscious green grass is growing), through washes, across hill sides, over ridges, across cinder fields, and along a stream that actually had water in it today. Bueno has no problem crossing water, after he drinks and splashes in it, but Buggsy, the desert native, looks at it very askance before deciding ... to jump, or not to jump? Today he did not.

We were the only riders there today, and we may have been the only guests as we did not see a soul the entire time there. We had brought a sandwich as it is a 2 1/2 hour ride, and we ate it while the horses grazed on green grass. That is, after I shared my sandwich with Buggs who apparently loves a ham-and-cheese. Undoubtedly leftover behavior from his days when he used to take kids on rides that were only to eager to share their lunch with him.


On our way home we saw 6 antelope cross the road ahead of us. What a thrill!


As a side note, we think we saw the tiny bunny in the last post again today. As we were getting the horses ready for the trailer, he hopped from the tack room to Buggsy's stall to eat some chaff while the big guy was away. What an intrepid little bun!