Tierra Bella

My 6-year-old Paso Fino gelding, Alegro, is usually calm and downright lazy. But take him on a big group ride, and he suddenly becomes excited and even difficult to control. When I first got him a few years ago, a friend invited me to join her for the national Missouri Fox Trotter five-day trail ride in the Phoenix area. I was aghast to be astride a horse who wouldn't calm down and backed into cactus along the trail because he was fidgeting during rest stops. He didn't behave normally until the last day, worn out from exhaustion.

After that less-than-ideal experience, I joined the Tucson Saddle Club, which I can't say enough good things about. These friendly people give generously of their time, and thoroughly enjoy riding in the desert and mountain country surrounding Tucson.

The club offers one-day and weekend rides throughout the year, topped by the grand Tierra Bella (which means beautiful land), a five-day ride held every October.

I started taking Alegro on numerous one-day group trail rides offered by the club. Before each ride, I give him an oral paste to calm him down. This seems to do the trick, and helps ensure that I'll have an enjoyable riding experience.

In 2003, I signed up to participate in my first Tierra Bella, only to be thrown from my spirited little Paso Fino mare the month before the ride, resulting in a badly broken wrist. (See "Falling After Forty," Cactus Country, September/October '04). Disappointed at my bad luck, I vowed never to fall off a horse again (and haven't!) and make it to Tierra Bella in 2004.

Due to the intense summer heat, Tierra Bella signals the beginning of our busy riding season in Tucson, October through April. True desert rats, my trail-riding partner, Terry, and I rode early on Saturday mornings throughout the summer to ensure our horses stayed in good condition so they'd be prepared for challenging fall rides, especially Tierra Bella.

Now that I've personally experienced Tierra Bella, I know why Tucson Saddle Club members speak of it so fondly. This time, a family graciously allowed the club to ride on their working cattle ranch in the Whetstone Mountains southeast of Tucson. The ranch is located at a higher elevation than Tucson, so we rode in less cactus and rocks than usual while enjoying beautiful vistas of the San Pedro River valley south of the town of Benson.