Olivia Hakel, who rode her quarter horse, Honey, in the Saturday horse show at the North Mesa Stables. Honey’s registered name is Zip’s Sweet Honey Bar. Courtesy photo

By DEIRDRE MONROE
AERC New Mexico Stat Trails Advocate

The show on Saturday was a fun, local show, with a little kid on a lead line, english and western riders in a trails class, and even a lovely mule named Nehi. This show was an opportunity for people of all ages to get together, socialize, and spend time with friends, family, and spectators. The kids learn responsibility in caring for their animals, many of which frankly dwarf the kids. All the riders have spent many hours training and teaching their mounts, who are partners and friends, not “just” animals.

We sometimes think of horses and their riders as recreational “users”. Nothing could be further from the truth. Behind the scenes, horse owners are members of many organizations, like BCHA (Back Country Horsemen of America), which clears trails from fallen timber and packs in equipment for trail projects, such as building bridges for stream crossings.

We are also fortunate to have the NNMSAR, a New Mexico search-and-rescue group that goes into places like the San Pedro Parks Wilderness to retrieve lost and injured hikers. I, as a member of AERC (the American Endurance Ride Conference), have worked with the USFS to gather folks from many backgrounds (riders, hikers, and runners) to remap all of the trails in the San Pedro Parks; this resulted in a new USFS trails map of the area. The old map was so inaccurate in some areas that, in my mind, the old map posed a safety hazard.

The North Mesa Stables has a pony club chapter and an equestrian program for boy scouts. Basically, horses and their owners contribute so much that is often unknown outside our equestrian community.

There are so many more stories I could relate about equestrian benefits and accomplishments, but my main point is that horses, which have been so crucial in our western history, are still a fundamental benefit to who we are today. I think of a little girl I saw at the show on Saturday, proud as punch to ride her pony in this local, but so important little show, ribbons in her hair and bouncing along as she guided her pony through its paces. I know her mom was beaming in pride. Think of the hours, behind the scenes, when these kids and other riders are working with their animals, learning to ride (or ride better), and so, let’s keep active with horse activities at the North Mesa Stables. Let’s bring back evening gymkhanas and more opportunities for local shows.