1966-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1966 September Voice RS | Page 20

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which the river spreads out and meanders leisurely be­
fore descending into the roaring cataract below.
We had arrived at our rendezvous. A veritable fishei-
man's paradise a Utopia for amateur photographers
surrounded ,on all sides, by scenic grandeur of a magni­
tude that would tax the ingenuity and the vocabularies
of those ad men, who write the fabulous travel brochures,
to adequately describe the magnificent primitive wilder­
ness area.
We wasted no time in removing the packs and saddles
from the steaming horses, and as narrated earlier,
hobbled and turned them out to graze.
During the following week we rode every day over
rugged, boulder strewn trails to explore and photograph
the innumerable box canyons nestled between towering
granite crags. Myriad alpine flowers of even’ hue in the
rainbow glorified the landscape with a symphony . of
color. We circled countless, crystal clear lakes, teeming
with hungry trout and floating immense lily pads profuse
with white, pink and yellow blooms. We crossed over
tremendous, eternal snowdrifts, now yielding to the
summer sun. First with tiny trickles, then in rivulets
flowing and feeding into the East Fork River, a tributary
of the Green River, to eventually drain into the Pacific
Ocean via the Colorado River.
Only a short distance, over the top of the north
and west slopes of the Continental Divide our mounts
carried us over even greater glaciers. Immense masses
of perpetual ice now adding their summer contributions
to the tributaries of the Wind River, thence on through
the Missouri. Mississippi and into the Gulf of Mexico.
The panoramic views from those tremendous heights
were, to use the hackneyed expression, literally out of
this world we were on the pinnacled crest of a two-
ocean waterway.
The Rocky Mountains are aptly named. Few are the
trails where one can ride without encountering rocks,
shale, pebbles, boulders, even solid mountains of stone.
The trails we traveled in the primitive, unspoiled wil­
derness measured up adequately to their rocky namesake.
On previous trips into the Bridger Wilderness and
into the Uintah Mountain Wilderness in Utah, we had
used some excellent mounts, other than Walking Horses.
In every instance, both on the trails with pack outfits
and on the many, challenging side trips to explore re­
mote areas, we were obliged to stop periodically to wait
for the riders not mounted on Walking Horses. They
simply could not keep up with the free, easy, long stride
so natural to Walking Horses. Our experience has also
proven that a heavy, flat plate shoe is superior to calks
of any kind, when traversing the testy, rock-strewn
terrain.
We have demonstrated, in many other ways, that
the Walking Horse is not only fast, dependable, durable
and sure footed on our stamina testing mountain trails
It is most versatile.
Through the many years, during which we have
bred and ridden registered Walking Horses, we have
used them on cattle roundups, to herd sheep and on
innumerable mountain trail rides. On two occasions we
enjoyed a two hundred and fifty mile trek from Ogden,
Utah, to the historical Jackson Hole country in Wyoming!
The “Walkers” finished strong with no leg or hoof
problems. On the final mile they were still on the bit
and “rearin’ ” to go.
We have toured the back country, the hinterland, of
Yellowstone National Park on a Walking Horse. The thrills
on that trip were superb. Unfortunately, the Yellowstone
Park tourists, who literally race through in motor ve­
hicles, at breakneck speds on super highways, miss much
of the scenic grandeur and the abundant wild life which
thrives everywhere in the remote areas away from the
“tourist race course.”
To add still more variety we have ridden “Walkers”
in Sheriff posse drills and in dress parades on city pave­
ment.
In harness hitched to buggies and in winter to cut­
ters with sleigh bells, our Walking Horses have evidenced
the Standard Bred blood in their lineage. They are
truly classy in harness.
It should be noted that the “Walkers,” so used
were from our breeding stock. Many have been con­
sistent blue ribbon and champion trophy winners, both
at halter and in pleasure classes, in approved Utah and
Idaho horse shows.
Walking Horses are gaining popularity rapidly in this
section of the Rocky Mountains, as they are elsewhere.
The question asked of us most often by those unfamiliar
with the many fine attributes of the breed is, “Can you
ride Walking Horses safely on our rough mountain trails?”
The answer is Yes! Decidedly Yes! Walking Horses
have qualified admirably on our challenging trails. In
fact wherever and whenever we have put them to the
test.