Yesterday I enjoyed one of the last warm days of Indian Summer.  Today has been rainy and miserable and they are predicting rain and snow for the next 5 days, so I'm glad I went yesterday.

About 3 hours south of where I live is an area known as the San Rafael Swell. It is famous for being a hide out for Butch Cassidy and the Wild bunch. It is very very rough country. It's too hot to ride in the summer sun, And winter can put a lot of snow in the area. But it's a great place to ride Spring and Fall.

We didn't stop riding much, So most of my photos are the back of head. Sorry! This is Macarty Canyon where the Wild bunch had a camp. Water and wind have moved any loose dirt off the ridges and deposited it in the bottoms. Lots of deep sand.

If it wasn't sandy it was pretty much solid rock. The depresions in the rock collect water, Often referred to as Indian Bath Tubs.  The horses drank from these pools as we rode by.

Here the water has removed all loose sand. We ride on sheer rock. Notice the 3rd horse, He is just about to leap up a 3 foot ledge. There were lots of sheer drops that the horses to scramble up and over or drop off. I had some doubt the first couple if my colt could do it.  Rear back put the front feet on the high ground and jump up. 

Here we are crossing a narrow neck of land between two Mesa tops. You can see the rider standing in front of her horse holding it's reins. Her shoulders are lower than the horses feet.  We were stepping off and climbing over 3-4 foot ledge a lot during the day. The sides of this narrow neck of land drop off hundreds if not thousands of feet on both sides.

Did you ever see such a blue sky?

We rode the rim rock of the Mesa. Stopping occassionally to drink in the view.

I took a 3 year old colt that I started recently. He has had about 30 ride him and did fantastic. I wish I could get another 10 rides like this on him before putting him out for the winter. He had to pay attention to where he was putting his feet all day. No time to act up, and I'm sure he was too tired to act up.

They don't call it slickrock for no reason.  It's actually not to bad. A compressed sandstone, so the shoes dig in and hold pretty good. Unlike walking on harder rock like Granite or Asphalt streets. Think back about some of the westerns you've watched. Where you see the bad guys leading a posse over slick rock. i.e. Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid.  You hear the hooves go clippty clop, but the horses don't seem to sliping or falling down even on the rock.

Yes it's Central Utah. About 3 hours south of Salt Lake City.

I have high hopes for this colt. I've raised him here at the house and now I have to make horse out of a back yard pet. He is a little spirited and it had me nervous about riding him. But a good long ride like this really showed his willingness, calmness and heart, and renewed my confidence in him.

Wonderful pics!!!!  Love the views! The slick rock reminds me of the granite I gotta cross in alot of my trails, makes you pucker up in the saddle at times! I just drop my reins hang on to the horn and "Josie" takes care of the rest for me......

F2 Cowpony's Corral

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