The Best Colorado Riding Trails

Posted on May 27, 2020 by blogeditor

Stay at home orders are beginning to lift and the parks are opening back up. Also, riding trails have started to reopen their gates. There are many Colorado riding trails all over the state and can be found on our Colorado Horse Parks and Trails page. The following is a list of some of the most popular places to ride in Colorado. Remember, if you are looking to buy or sell horse property in Colorado, contact Colorado Horse Property for assistance. We have horse-person realtors who have been in the business for decades.

The Most Popular Places to Ride in Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park

There’s so much to see at Rocky Mountain National Park that you can’t see it all in one day. Accessed through the city of Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park can be viewed a number of ways. You can hike, cycle, and even drive through the area. Also, this park provides wonderful Colorado riding trails for horseback riding. Go for a scenic ride along rushing rivers and high mountain lakes. Horseback riding through this park will bring you face to face with wildlife and nature.

Roosevelt National Forrest

Another gem that is accessed through Estes Park, this park is also popular with riders. Roosevelt National Forrest brims with sprawling valleys, thick forests and glistening alpine lakes. Start your horseback journey in the city and continue into the Forrest. Roosevelt National Forest is also teeming with wildlife like deer, elk and coyotes. All of this and more can be experience on horseback.

Maroon Bells Park

The two peaks that make up Maroon Bells are the most photographed peaks in Colorado. This beautiful vista is located on the border of Gunnison and Pitkin Counties in western Colorado. Maroon Bells Park also includes a reflective, glass-like lake just below the aspens and conifers framing the often snow-spotted rocky peaks. All of this and more can be experience on horseback.

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The Modern Cowboy

Posted on May 27, 2020 by blogeditor

The definition of a cowboy has been the same since it’s inception, however things are changing. Cowboys have the same cattle management tasks. They also have dressed in similar clothing and have similar core skills. And yet the modern cowboy takes things a step further. Early Spanish explorers created the need for American cowboys. Spanish exploration brought cattle and horses to the new world and with it the concept of the cowboy. Over time the demand for cows has increased. However the number of rural Americans have decreased. The modern cowboy has more work to do now than ever before. Old methods for tracking cattle are no longer viable in this new climate of a growing middle class.

Cowboys of The Future

Modern cowboys are turning to technology as a way to track cattle. Organizations around the world already track animal identification, premises identification, and animal movement. This tracking leads to the eradication of animal disease and improving the quality and cost of beef. Utilizing drone technology would allow individual tracking of each cow. This thereby eliminates a lot of labor for cowboys and the cattle industry. A few educated workers can do the work of a dozen, lower-paid workers. The benefits to the economy are paramount.

Drone technology has come a long way. Once little more than a remote-controlled toy, drones are now very sophisticated depending on the manufacturer. Drones have immense potential for surveillance and management that has barely been tapped into. Drones can also be used to track plant growth and health, check fence lines for damage from wildlife, and so much more. Remember, this will never take away from a cowboy’s responsibilities. The rugged breed of men and women who wear plaid, big belt buckles and even bigger hats will always be needed. However, this technology will aid them in efficiency. If you are looking for a horse property for sale in Colorado, contact Colorado Horse Property today. We have a group of horse-person realtors ready to help you today.

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Easy Places to Buy Land in Colorado

Posted on May 1, 2020 by blogeditor

With so much open space, state parks, and pristine area untouched by industry, Colorado is one of the best places to find land for sale. However, land in Colorado can be very expensive if you don’t know where to look. The following are three of the easiest, most cost-effective places to buy land in Colorado. If you are looking to buy land in Colorado, call Colorado Horse Property today. We have an elite team of horse-person realtors standing by.

Crestone

The town of Crestone, Colorado has a lot of land for sale. 111 listings to be precise. The prices for land in this area start a $2,000 and goes up from there. Crestone is a small town in southwestern Colorado with a rich history. It is a small village at the foot of the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo Range. It also lies in the northern part of the San Luis Valley. Crestone was a small mining town, but little paying ore was discovered. In the 1970s, the Baca Grande was established to the south and west where several hundred homes have been built. The community lies just north of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

San Luis

San Luis also has a lot of land for sale in Colorado. There are currently 135 listings available for land in the area. San Luis is a town in southwestern Colorado that has a lot of history. Hispanic settlers from the Taos Valley established several small villages along the Rio Culebra in the San Luis Valley and officially took possession of this portion of the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant on April 9, 1851. Today, San Luis is a great place for horse owners. Resting north of the Culebra Creek and the Sanchez Reservoir, San Luis has a beautiful landscape.

Fort Garland

Fort Garland is one of the easiest places to buy land in the state of Colorado. There are 240 listings in the area for land. Listings start as low as $2,500. For Garland is a town in southwestern Colorado. Fort Garland is referred to as the “Gateway to the San Luis Valley”, as it is the first town one encounters when traveling west having crossed over La Veta Pass in the Sangre de Cristo Range. The Fort Garland Museum preserves some of the historic buildings from the fort.

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Best Camping Sites in Colorado

Posted on May 1, 2020 by blogeditor

Camping is a great way to connect with nature and a unique way to vacation and reconnect with yourself and your family. Camping is also a cheap way to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and to just relax. Some of the best camping sites in Colorado are near the Yampa River and Steamboat Springs. If you are looking to buy horse property in the state of Colorado, contact Colorado Horse Property today.

Flat Tops Trail

One of the best camping sites in Colorado is the Flat Tops Trail region. The best thing about this area is that it is remote but easy to reach. This national scenic byway connects Yampa (near Steamboat Springs) with Meeker to the west. The highlight of the area is Trappers Lake, the third largest natural lake in Colorado. There are several campgrounds down at Trappers Lake, but no dispersed camping. Trappers Lake Lodge is open late May through September, and rents out boats, horses and cabins. It also has a mini general store and restaurant/bar. Other camping grounds along Flat Tops Trail include Chapman Reservoir, Vaughan Lake, Himes Peak, and the Marvine Campground.

Buffalo Pass

Another great spot for camping is in Buffalo Pass. This area is close to downtown Steamboat Springs and two hot springs resorts. This historic route was once the main route to Walden, Colorado. A gem at the top of the pass is Summit Lake. Fishing and hand-powered watercraft are permitted on here. There’s also fishing in town on the Yampa River. The Dry Lake Campground and dispersed campsites in the area fill up quickly during the peak summer season. Therefore, if you have a specific spot in mind you better get there early. For more great camping spots in Colorado, call one of our horse-person realtors today.

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5 Unique Horse Riding Tips

Posted on April 30, 2020 by blogeditor

Riding horseback often looks easy when a trained rider is at the reins, but it is actually one of the hardest activities to master. One of the biggest problems that new riders face is getting into their heads too much. However, there are some horse riding tips to circumvent overthinking in the saddle. Number one, make your focus more physical. Focus on the feel of your horse, or the way your body is moving. In other words, pay attention to your senses more than the voices in your head.

Get Out of Your Head

The point is to think less, but if you can’t stop your thoughts at least change what you’re thinking about. The second and third solutions are imagery. Imagery is a great way to improve your riding. Think about taking a leisurely walk when you want to ride slowly and think about running when you want to ride faster. Alternatively, imaging a song or sound bite can help. If you are practicing a light trot with your horse, think of a song with a slow and steady tempo. For more aggressive riding, think about a song with a quicker tempo.

Horse riding tips number four: use a catchphrase. This might sound a little silly, but thinking of a phrase that gets you in a specific mood could really help shape your confidence. The best part is you don’t have to say it out loud. Thinking “ride like the wind” or even “high-ho silver” is enough to get your head in the right place for riding. The last and most important tip is to think quicker. Doing any type of training at home, we have the space and time to make mistakes. We can stop what we’re doing and think about how we can do it better. When riding you often have to make quick, split decisions. You’ll still make mistakes. However, once your skills improve, being about to make quick decisions will be a very big asset. If you are looking to buy or sell horse property in Colorado, contact Colorado Horse Property today and talk to one of our horse-person realtors.

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Can Horses Contract Covid-19?

Posted on April 30, 2020 by blogeditor

The pandemic brought on by the novel Coronavirus that is sweeping across the world, has impacted every American is one way or another. The pandemic can also affect our beloved animals. Can horses contract Covid-19? The short answer is no. There are no reported cases. However, the more important question is: how does the Coronavirus affect horses? The Coronavirus affects animals in two different ways, directly and indirectly. The direct way that the pandemic is affecting animals is through contracting the disease Covid-19. This has been reported in a few cases, mostly cats and dogs, though it is very rare. The broader, indirect way that our animals have been affected by this pandemic is due to limited access to supplies and interrupted care.

How To Stay Prepared

Now that you’ve answered the question “Can horses contract Covid-19,” you should get prepared. In order to reduce the affects of the pandemic on your horses is to stay prepared. Ensure that you have stocked up on extra supplies. This includes medications, forage/feed and other necessities. Stay in contact with your local feed store. If they are open, you may be required to wear a mask and gloves before entering the store. If they are closed, there may be other options for you to stock up on what you need. Talk to your feed store owner about ordering online or by phone, putting your order outside the door of the store as you arrive or other alternatives. Be proactive and less reactive. Write down specific care instructions for your horses. If you get sick, someone will be able to jump in and follow your plan.

If you are sick, you should not go out to collect supplies. Rely on the strong Colorado Horse Community around you. Contact your friends, over the phone of course, and see if they can lend you supplies. They can even help arrange to bring in food to leave at your gates/steps. If you have any other questions about how you can help reduce the affects of the pandemic on horses and other animals, contact Colorado Horse Property today.

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Colorado Horse Racing

Posted on April 3, 2020 by blogeditor

Horse racing has a long and distinguished history and has been practiced in civilizations across the world since ancient times. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. This sport has been around for a long time and though many tracks have closed since their heyday the industry is stronger than ever. In fact, the sport is worth around $100 billion dollars. Also, the horse racing industry employs around 1.5 million people. There are approximately 10 million horses in the US that contribute to the racing industry. Despite this, betting on horses is legal in 22 states. Another fun fact is that 60% of horse betting is now done on mobile phones. If you are looking to buy a horse property in Colorado, contact Colorado Horse Property today and speak to one of our horse-person realtors.

Arapahoe Park

Colorado was once home to many horse racing facilities, like Centennial Park and Memorial Park. Today the Arapahoe Park racing track is the premiere Colorado horse racing track. Arapahoe Park is a horse-racing track in Arapahoe County, Colorado on the outskirts of Aurora, owned and operated by Twin River Worldwide Holdings. Located at 26000 East Quincy Avenue, Arapahoe Park hosts Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Paint Horse and Arabian horse racing. Check out our posts on popular horse breeds for more information about these types of horses.

The racing season generally begins in mid-May and continues through the late spring into the summer, wrapping up in mid-August. The track is home to the Mile High Futurity and the Mile High Derby, both quarter horse stakes races with final purses of over $100,000. For Thoroughbreds, the meet’s marque race is the Gold Rush Futurity, a 2 year old stakes race going six furlongs for $100,000 in purse monies. Arapahoe Park also hosts four graded stakes races, all for Arabian horses. For more information, check out the Arapahoe Park website.

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Best Colorado Fishing Spots

Posted on April 2, 2020 by blogeditor

Because of its dry climate and land-locked location, many people think that the state of Colorado lacks waterways. Not only does Colorado have some of the most beautiful waterways in the country, it is also a great place for fishing. Summer is the busy season for anglers and the best fishing spots in Colorado usually crowd with anglers during this season. But don’t worry, you can also fish throughout the entire year in Colorado and get the same great catches. Trout, including brown, brook, and lake trout abound in the state’s rivers and lakes. The official state fish is the cutthroat trout, an indigenous variety of the trout in Colorado.

Top Colorado Fishing Spots

Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a 1,896 mile long river that begins in the San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado and ends in the Gulf of Mexico. The best place to fish in this river is in the San Juan Mountains between the towns of Del Norte and South Fork. The best time to fish in the Rio Grande River are from June to July.

Gore Creek
Gore Creek is a tributary of Eagle River and is around 18.5 miles long. Although this stream is relatively small, it is one of the best fishing destinations in Colorado. You can find lots of cutthroats, brooks, browns, and rainbows in this stream. Gore Creek runs alongside the route of U.S. Highway 6 and Interstate 70 in the town of Vail, which makes it easier to access than other waterways.

North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately 716 miles long. It winds through Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. It is important to know that some sections of the river can only be accessed by raft or kayak adding to the adventure of fishing in this destination.

Upper Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river’s source basin lies in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas River Valley, where the headwaters derive from the snow pack in the Sawatch and Mosquito mountain ranges.

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Horse Facial Markings

Posted on April 2, 2020 by blogeditor

Ever wondered how a horse owner can tell the difference between the members of their herd? Size, breed, gender, and personality will always play a big role in differentiating between horses, but what if these factors where irrelevant? How would you tell the difference between two horses of the same size, breed, gender, and temperament? Any horse owner will tell you that they have learned to memorize the facial markings of their horses. Also, facial markings are great identifiers because they don’t change. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse’s life.

Most markings have pink skin underneath most of the white hairs, though a few faint markings may occasionally have white hair with no underlying pink skin. Markings may appear to change slightly when a horse grows or sheds its winter coat, however this difference is simply a factor of hair coat length; the underlying pattern does not change. Below are a few of the most common facial markings of horses. How many have you seen before? Also, if you are looking for a horse property in Colorado, contact us today and speak with one of our horse-person realtors.

Blaze: a wide white stripe down the middle of the face.
Strip, stripe, or race: a narrow white stripe down the middle of the face.
Bald Face: a very wide blaze, extending to or past the eyes. Some, but not all, bald faced horses also have blue eyes.
Star: a white marking between or above the eyes. If a stripe or blaze is present, a star must be significantly wider than the vertical marking to be designated separately.
Snip: a white marking on the muzzle, between the nostrils.

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Colorado Horse Communities

Posted on April 1, 2020 by blogeditor

Colorado horse communities are more than just areas on a map that are zoned for horses. They are neighborhoods well equipped for equestrian use. Horse communities have pastures, fencing, water rights, no HOAs, and important outbuildings like barns, sheds, stables, and more. Also, Colorado horse communities have riding trails within the area where riders and their horses can ride beyond their own backyard. In fact, there are over 500 horseback riding trails in Colorado like Spruce Creek Trail in Breckenridge and Mount Falcon Castle Trail in Morrison.

Colorado Horse Property is the most comprehensive horse property listing site in Colorado with over 10,000 listings. If you are looking for a horse property in Colorado but don’t know where to start, try searching by horse neighborhood. In other words, our horse neighborhoods have amenities and nearby trails. Below are a few that can be found in Douglas County. Also, if you have any questions about our horse communities, contact Colorado Horse Property today.

Horse Communities

Burning Tree Ranch

A horse lover’s dream, peaceful Burning Tree Ranch opens up those starry nights and fresh mountain air. It features prestigious Franktown CO equine real estate south of Denver in the Rocky Mountain foothills. Drive through the rustic gate to feast upon forests and meadows in Burning Tree Ranch. In addition, residents often spot deer, porcupine, fox, owls, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, and other awesome wildlife and birds. And they enjoy wonderful views of Pikes Peak and Longs Peak.

High Prairie Farms

Horse real estate in southern Colorado is available in High Prairie Farms. The neighborhood is not too far from Denver’s employment sectors. Yet it basks in the country lifestyle of the foothills of Douglas County. High Prairie Farms is east of Parker Road on South Pinery Parkway. See the stone entrance and bronze horses. Desirable homes and lots are up Singletree Lane and Saddle Creek Trail.

Keene Ranch

Love horses in a community setting? Castle Rock equine properties in Keene Ranch offer the best of both worlds. Located south of Denver, Keene Ranch is at 7000-foot elevations in Douglas County. The community lies on a Butte overlooking the variegated foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The community is adjacent to Dawson Butte Open Space and 1500 acres of meadows and forests. The views are fantastic in every direction. This is the horse property that allows equestrians a ride off into the colorful sunset.

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