 Riding the (Front) Range by Judi Tobias
As you can imagine, there are lots of wonderful places to ride your horse along the Front Range of Colorado; the trick is to find them.
What follows is a group of rides I have enjoyed over the years. Before starting to describe the rides, let me give you a couple of hints on how to make trail riding safer and more enjoyable.
Etiquette
First, take a rake and shovel along in your horse trailer. Clean up the manure from your parking area. Sometimes you can scatter the manure in the nearby flora, but sometimes your best bet is to put it in your trailer or a bag and take it home with you. In some of the riding areas you can even be fined if you don't do this. Find out about the local rules for the area you are visiting.
Second, in many areas, especially in national forests and state parks and wildlife areas, you must use certified weed free hay or pelletized feed for your horse. The certified hay is usually available from your local feed store.
Third, wherever you ride, but particularly on private property, be sure to leave gates as you find them. Leaving a gate open so someone's stock gets out is a serious matter.
Safety
Try to ride with a partner. If you must ride alone, let someone know where you plan to ride and approximately how long you will be gone. Some people tell me if they ride alone, they carry a whistle so they can call for help if they are injured.
Always lock your vehicle, including your horse trailer.
Put an identification tag on your horse and carry one on your person.
I always carry a hoof pick, a Swiss army knife and a roll of vetwrap along. They take up very little room in a pack and can really come in handy.
I haven't mentioned riding helmets. I realized that is a very personal matter, but the newer trail helmets are very light and ventilated for comfort and I have personally seen them save lives countless times.
Comfort
Comfort is important, too. A minimum to carry along, even on a short ride is water, lip moisturizer and rain gear. I always like to carry a couple of pieces of hard candy or a granola bar along.
Horse comfort needs to be a consideration. The old saying is, "no feet, no horse." In this case, that means putting shoes on your horse. Most of the trails in the area are rocky and the soils are abrasive to hooves. So shoes are a must. In the winter, many of the trails are icy, so if you plan to ride in the winter (and there are some beautiful winter days when you will want to be out on the trail) use borium shoes for traction.
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