Skip to main content

Spring Break Series: Open Trail Rides in the North Texas Wild


It's been a while. I've missed you all. 

 Since this blog started five years ago to tell you about new and adventurous things to do in and around Fort Worth, I am here to help you with some ideas in the wild outdoors of the DFW backcountry just in time for planning your Spring Break. 

 You don't have to travel far and empty your bank account to have an exhilarating time this Spring Break. So I will do a little series on this blog of some great ideas. And be looking for my march issue cover story in Fort Worth, TX magazine that will have you exploring areas you never thought existed in our hometown. You just thought you had to go to Utah or Colorado to enjoy the great outdoors. And don't forget to click the links I've embedded into this post for more information. 

 Chisholm Trail Rides are the only OPEN trail riding experience in North Texas. Do you realize how happy this makes this thrill seeker?!? This is not your average trail ride where the horses walk at a snail's pace on a tiny trail in a public or state park. It is on their private land complete with wide open spaces (and dare I say...limited rules)!


Depending on whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced rider, these cowboys and cowgirls will patiently work with you to make sure you have an exhilarating experience. This is why they break the trail rides into dual rides so the beginners can stay in their comfort level and the advanced riders and thrill seekers like myself can cantor that horse through trees, over hills and through creek beds.

 They begin each ride with a 30-minute lesson in the arena to see if you and your horse are the right fit. They also want to make sure you are at the riding level you say you are.

 They have many breeds (like the gorgeous Arabians) to choose from. And if you're a veteran, you get the fee waved! Recent studies show that PTSD scores dropped 87 percent after riding. They call this equine therapy. All I know is that whatever is going on in my life, if I get on a horse they melt off my shoulders and fill my heart with joy. Horses are amazing creatures and so healing. And I ramble.

So, this spring break I am putting my 6-year-old adventurous son and his father on a horse with a big ole western saddle complete with a horn to hold onto. This will be a dual riding experience as I will be on an English-trained horse on a tiny English saddle riding for two hours at a walk, trot and cantor. But the best part is they have a method of keeping us all together!

 I could not be more excited! 

 UPDATE: We got two confirmation emails the night before about our ride, but as my son and I had our blue jeans on and were headed out the door we got a call from a young man saying that our ride was not going to happen. Then the owner called me and was unkind. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Big Sky No. 2, parts 1+ 2

  By Jocelyn Tatum   I have an affinity for all things that cause me to look up — mostly trees and clouds. When I walk the dogs or go for a long run, I often trip over something because I am admiring tree limbs reaching toward the ever-changing clouds, or the way sunlight plays with both.    Komorebi is a Japanese word that doesn't have an English translation, which means the way light travels through the leaves of trees. I wonder if there is a word for the way light shines through the clouds. Fall Gallery Night 2019, I stumbled upon a magnanimous canvas of clouds with the sun piercing through. It knocked me back. I took a picture just to admire it from home but walked away knowing I would never allow myself to get it. A year later, it occurred to me that I still think about that art. The strange state of things and lots of extra time at home has encouraged me to do things I never thought possible. And I don't understand the correlation between the pandemic and my newfound imp
Post a Comment
Read more

My Marfa 2020

By Jocelyn Tatum  I n the 12 years that I have been going to Marfa almost annually, a lot has changed. But the small-town-in-a-vast-desert charm has stayed the same. Here are a few things I always plan to do in my two days and two nights in Marfa.  First, drive. I know it seems like it is far away, and it is, but this road trip goes fast because there is no traffic headed west and away from civilization. Driving is part of the right of passage to get there. I also feel like I shed the societal sludge that builds up on my shoulders as I careen across Interstate 20.  Once you turn off onto HWY 17 in Pecos, the drive starts to transition from sulfur and pumpjacks to pure beauty. It always reminds me of my road trip though the Scottish Highlands. My thoughts change with the landscape. Again, no traffic and no crowds. A tip: when you do pass a fellow road warrior once you get into the mountains, give them the friendly L-shaped finger wave the locals do there. Even the
Post a Comment
Read more