[mountainmilers] Good, non-rocky trails without cattle guards/gates?

From: "Terri Rashid" <terri@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mountainmilers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:57:13 -0800

Dear running friends,

 

Keen (my FEI horse) and I are training for the 2012 Team selection
trials (100 mile ride) in Texas at the end of March.  While I *love*
riding the trails around here, I am having a hard time finding a good 20
mile training route that we can canter the whole way.  For our shorter
rides I have been cantering a small loop that has good footing, but I'd
really like to find  a longer route (or at least a bigger loop) that
allows us to keep a sustained pace for our longer rides.

 

I thought I would ask you all if you know of any long stretches of dirt
roads / two tracks or trails that have minimal rock and rutting and that
don't have to go through a cattle fence every 2 miles.  They can't be
too steep either since cantering down steep hills is really hard on the
horse.  (Slight downhill grades are OK.)  A 5 mile spacing for fences or
the occasional short rocky section would be OK.

 

The other training route that I would like to find is a good hill, again
with good footing and no fences - I used to have a route that was a
1500' climb over 3.5 miles - that was a nice workout.  Less steep is OK
if the footing is good since I can just ask her to work the hill at a
higher speed.

 

I am willing to drive slightly out of the area to find something like
these, though ideally I'd rather not have to drive much more than 1
hour.  Maybe 1.5 hours if the course is really good.

 

Amusingly Copper Basin looked like it might be an option in the summer -
though right now it has too much snow/ice on it.

 

Thanks in advance for any tips!

 

.Terri

[mountainmilers] Good, non-rocky trails without cattle guards/gates?

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