If you have visited Santa Fe and the area you might have noticed what a great place it appeared to be for horseback riding.
You may not hear about horse ranches or horse shows as part of the Santa Fe charm, but to many of its residents it is a way of life.
Southwest history is full of the Spanish Vaqueros, Indians and Cowboys who rode the beautiful vistas of this part of the Southwest on their beloved horses.
The wagon trains, cattelranchers, and outlaws of New Mexico history could not survive without the horse.
The horse was originally a gift from the Spanish to this new world when the Spanish came to conquer these parts.
Since those days of the Spanish Conquistadors the horse has become a recreational hobby as well as a practical part of the sheriff’s department.
The annual Rodeo de Santa Fe, one of the oldest rodeos in the nation is where today local horses can be seen doing cowboy tricks, barrel racing and the like.
Santa Fe Horse Park is where Santa Feans can be seen playing the dignified British sport of polo. World class show jumpers also show of their stuff here as well.
Indoor dressage is also enjoyed in Santa Fe at the horse park.
For a town of this size Santa Fe offers quire a comprehensive horse community. Junior Dressage Olympians are trained here and a range of competitors also reside in the area.
The cost of housing a horse or two is not cheap in Santa Fe like the rest of the country. The median price for a home in the Santa Fe area is getting close to $350,000 and if you want more space for horses and their needs it goes up from there.
But compared to other areas of the country there are more benefits. One being the 300 days of sunshine. The other is that federal lands abound and there is no urban construction allowed because of it so there is much more open space to ride in.
The other pluses are that there are great event centers for horse events One called the Goose Downs Farm.and the other before mentioned Santa Fe Horse Park.
There is a breeder in town that breeds fox hounds for fox hunting – Juan Tomas Hounds.
Organizations abound for horse lovers such as a driving society, Nm businessman’s roping Association and the Back Country horsemen who ride the trails on national forest lands.
To top it all off outside of Santa Fe is what is called “The Taj Mahal for horses” it is an area named Las Campanas that is a 120 stall barn water bottles and seat covers are covered with the LC logo and two dedicated wranglers are available for trail rides. There is a 30,00 square foot indoor riding area where top notch trainers can help any level of horsemen, discipline or age. Property owners can use the barn’s full service year round and training for $1100 a month. A phone call can be made to the center and the horses can be groomed and gotten ready for riding.
Santa Fe truly is the city different even for the horses!
Eileen Richardson
