Friday, August 13, 2010

A Horseback Ride for Research

On Monday, my husband and I took a guided horseback ride with Academy Riding Stables on a trail through the Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs. This was done for research for the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series. The weather was delightful, and the vegetation was super green from all the rain we've been having (rare for our high-alpine desert environment).

My legs remembered what a horseback ride was like--and the soreness afterward, and I was able to make a follow-up lunch appointment with the stable manager to ask him about the business aspects of the operation. I hope you enjoy the photos below half as much as I enjoyed the ride!








4 comments:

N. R. Williams said...

Looks like fun Beth. when I was a little girl my family went for a horse back ride. My horse jumped the fence and took off with me. A cowboy did a movie stunt and came to my rescue. LOL I was scared at the time but it makes for a fun memory.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

Colleen Collins said...

I'm just "down the road" from you, Beth, but I haven't visited Garden of the Gods in years...your post made me realize we need to plan a trip, soon.

Didn't realize they offer horseback rides, too!

Best, Colleen

Beth Groundwater said...

It's a beautiful ride, Colleen, and I recommend you take one. They offer three lengths--1, 2, 3 hours (the longer one just after tourist season ends), and I recommend you take the 2 hour one at least, since it takes about 10 min to get to/from the park from the stable.

Kaye said...

Wow, beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing.