I may not own a horse, but that has not kept me from riding

I may not own a horse, but that has not kept me from riding. The year after I retired, I leased a horse for one summer. Since then, I have gone on trail rides every year in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, so I know something about the pleasure of riding in the West.

For me, it's not just the horse, but the country you're riding through. In the mountains and forests, the trails wind among spruce, fir, and pine. In desert and canyon country, you pass through sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and juniper, with red rock and open views stretching in every direction.

When I leased a horse, I usually rode out alone, which I preferred, just as I prefer hiking alone. But riding alone also has its risks. Once my horse shied so suddenly that I could not stay on. Fortunately, I held onto the reins, so I did not have to make the walk of shame back to the barn without my horse. Now, as I move through my seventies, trail rides seem the wiser choice, since there are other people nearby if something goes wrong.

Even on a group ride, though, there can be surprises. One early June day in Montana, our group entered a meadow where several elk were grazing. One of them apparently decided the meadow belonged to the elk, not to us, and charged the horses. One horse bolted and took off running, but fortunately the woman riding it managed to stay on.

My favorite ride has always been around Fisher Towers above the Colorado River in Utah. More than any other place, that canyon country—with its towers of red rock, its breadth, and its silence—has given me a special feeling for the West.

Person wearing a cowboy hat riding a horse through a red rock desert landscape with low shrubs and large sandstone cliffs in the background

Man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt sitting on a speckled horse on red rocky terrain with red rock formations and a bright blue sky in the background

Man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt riding a white horse with dark spots through a red rock desert landscape under a clear blue sky

Man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt riding a dark horse standing in a grassy field

Wooden ranch entrance gate with an elk skull mounted on top, a saddled white horse tied to the gate, rustic buildings, lush green grass, and dark storm clouds overhead

(click on photos below for larger image . . . - Esc or clicking outside of image will close it)

Man wearing a cowboy hat sitting on a brown horse in a red rock desert landscape with sparse vegetation and large rock formations in the background

Man wearing a cowboy hat riding a horse in a red rock desert landscape with tall rock formations in the background

Person wearing a hat riding a brown horse across a red rocky desert landscape with sparse green shrubs and large red rock formations under a partly cloudy sky

A man wearing a cowboy hat and vest riding a brown horse in a red rock desert landscape with sparse bushes and large rocky cliffs in the background

Man wearing a cowboy hat riding a brown horse in a desert landscape with red rock formations and sparse scrub vegetation

Man wearing a cowboy hat rides a horse through a red rock desert landscape with scattered shrubs and a distant cliff under a partly cloudy sky

Man wearing a cowboy hat and vest sitting on a saddle riding a brown horse in a desert landscape with red rock formations and sparse vegetation

Man wearing a cowboy hat and vest sitting on a brown horse in a desert landscape with red rock formations and sparse desert vegetation

Yellow vintage-style metal sign depicting a pin-up cowgirl sitting on a fence with the text 'Dudette Ranch' and 'Cowgirls live to horse around' mounted on a rustic wooden wall

Saddled white horse tied to wooden gatepost beneath a ranch sign with elk skull and large antlers, with rustic buildings and pine trees in the background under a cloudy sky

Saddled white horse tied to a wooden fence under an archway with an elk skull and antlers, with dark storm clouds overhead and rustic buildings in the background

Desert landscape with reddish dirt and scattered low shrubs in the foreground, and layered, jagged tan rock formations under a partly cloudy blue sky

Two horses running in a green pasture under a cloudy sky with a weathered wooden fence in the foreground

Three horses running along a dirt path next to a rustic wooden fence under a dramatic cloudy sky over a vast green meadow

Six horses running across a wide green pasture under a dramatic cloudy sky, viewed over a rustic wooden fence

Several horses walking across a green pasture under a cloudy sky with wooden fencing in the foreground

A herd of horses running across a green grassy field under a cloudy sky, with a wooden fence in the foreground

Horses running across a green field under a cloudy sky, viewed over a wooden fence

Horses running freely across a green grassy field under a dramatic cloudy sky, with a wooden fence in the foreground

Horses running across a wide green pasture under a cloudy sky, viewed over a wooden fence

Horses running across a wide green field under a cloudy sky with a wooden fence in the foreground

herd of horses running freely across a green pasture under a cloudy sky, viewed over a weathered wooden fence

Wide green field with a herd of horses running across under a cloudy sky, viewed over a rustic wooden fence

Horses running across a wide grassy field under a cloudy sky, with a wooden fence in the foreground

Horses running across a grassy field under a cloudy sky with a wooden fence in the foreground

Horses running through a wide green pasture under a cloudy sky with a wooden fence in the foreground

A herd of horses running across a large green pasture under a dramatic cloudy sky, seen from behind a wooden fence

Horses running across a wide green pasture under a cloudy sky, viewed from behind a weathered wooden fence

Herd of horses running and grazing in a sunlit green pasture under a dramatic cloudy sky with wooden fence in the foreground

Horses running across a green grassy field under a cloudy sky with a wooden fence in the foreground

Multiple horses running across a green grassy pasture under a cloudy sky with a wooden fence in the foreground

Several horses running and grazing in a wide green pasture under a cloudy sky, viewed beyond a weathered wooden fence

Horses running across a green pasture under a cloudy sky, viewed over a wooden fence

Horses running across a green pasture under a cloudy sky, viewed over a rustic wooden fence with shadows cast on the grass

Horses running and grazing in a large green pasture under a cloudy sky, viewed over a rustic wooden fence

Horses walking and grazing in a large green pasture under a cloudy sky with a wooden fence in the foreground

Several horses grazing and walking in a large green pasture under a dramatic cloudy sky, viewed from behind a weathered wooden fence

Man wearing a cowboy hat riding a horse through a desert landscape with red rock cliffs in the background

Man wearing a cowboy hat and beige jacket riding a brown horse on a forest trail with green trees and grass around

man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt sitting on a dark horse with the number 159 branded on its side, in a grassy field

Man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt sitting on a brown horse in a sunlit grassy clearing with tall trees in the background

Rider on a dark horse with a light mane looking out over a sunlit forest and distant mountains under a clear blue sky

Person wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt sitting on a black horse on a grassy trail under a wide, partly cloudy sky

Man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt sitting on a brown horse in a sunlit forest clearing with tall trees and green grass

Man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt riding a brown and white horse through tall dry grass under a partly cloudy blue sky

Man wearing a white cowboy hat and plaid shirt riding a brown horse in a grassy plain with mountains and a partly cloudy sky in the background

Close-up view of a rider's hand holding reins and a black horse with a saddle on a forest trail surrounded by tall trees

Man in a cowboy hat standing beside a saddled brown horse in an outdoor fenced area under a clear blue sky

Person wearing a cowboy hat standing close to a saddled horse in a field of tall dry grass under a partly cloudy sky

Person wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt riding a brown horse through tall dry grass under a partly cloudy blue sky

Person in blue jacket and cowboy hat riding a brown horse through a green grassy field under a cloudy sky

Man wearing a cowboy hat riding a white horse in a vast green mountainous landscape with snow-capped peaks in the distance

Person wearing a white cowboy hat and blue jacket riding a dark horse through a dry grassy field with mountains in the background

Man wearing a cowboy hat riding a horse through a dense green forest with tall trees and greenery

Person riding a light-colored horse on a dirt path with stacked hay bales and trailers in the background, surrounded by mountains and partly cloudy sky

Black horse with a saddle tied to a post in a fenced corral with red dirt ground and red rock formations in the background under a blue sky

View from horseback of a rider in a plaid shirt and cowboy hat on a dusty red trail with expansive rocky cliffs and blue sky in the background

Person wearing a cowboy hat riding a horse along a grassy trail with a rustic wooden fence and snow-capped mountains in the distance under a clear blue sky

Person sitting on a black horse with a light mane, looking out over a sunlit meadow surrounded by pine trees under a clear blue sky

Group of riders on horses following a narrow trail through a green meadow under a bright blue sky with the sun shining

A person wearing a cowboy hat rides a brown horse across a grassy hillside with distant mountains under a blue sky with scattered clouds

Person wearing a white cowboy hat and denim jacket riding a dark brown horse through a dry grassy field with mountains in the background

Close-up of a chestnut horse with a white blaze on its face wearing a rope halter, standing in a dirt area near fenced enclosures with other horses and ranch buildings in the background under a partly cloudy sky

View from horseback following a rider wearing a blue shirt and hat along a forest trail surrounded by tall trees

Several horses standing close together with visible breath vapor in cold air

A person in a plaid shirt and white cowboy hat gently holds the reins of a saddled brown horse in a field of tall dry grass under a cloudy sky

Person wearing a cowboy hat riding a brown horse along a dry grassy trail with a wooden fence on the side and snow-capped mountains in the distance under a blue sky

Person wearing a white cowboy hat and denim jacket riding a dark brown horse through a grassy field with mountains in the background

Person wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt sitting on a brown horse in a sunlit grassy area with tall trees and dense green foliage in the background

Man wearing a cowboy hat riding a brown horse on a dirt path flanked by grass and leafless trees under a clear blue sky

A man with a beard wearing a hat rides a brown horse on a dirt path surrounded by leafless trees and green grass with mountains in the background under a clear blue sky

A man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt riding a brown horse through tall dry grass under a partly cloudy blue sky

Person sitting astride a white horse next to a brown horse standing in a grassy field with mountains in the background

Close-up of a horse with a dark mane blowing in the wind and a light-colored face

Person wearing a cowboy hat riding a brown horse on a green trail surrounded by tall evergreen trees

Man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt riding a black horse on a grassy trail under a blue sky with scattered clouds

Man wearing a cowboy hat riding a brown horse through tall dry grass under a partly cloudy sky

Man wearing a cowboy hat standing close to a saddled horse in a field of tall dry grass under a partly cloudy sky

Man wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt riding a brown horse through a field of tall dry grass under a partly cloudy sky

I am aware almost nobody reads these pages; the analytics show a quiet indifference that doesn’t bother me. These words were never meant for an audience—they have always been for me. Still, the fact that they could be read gives them a certain presence, a reason to choose my words more carefully, as if I’m leaving something behind to be found.

Writing puts shape to a life that might otherwise blur. It steadies things, allowing me to hold onto what would slip away—rebuilding a fragile archive of memory before it fades. I return, again and again, to the moments that felt alive: the long walks with the dogs where the world narrowed to companionship; the annual journeys to coral seas where impossible color takes over; and those rare nights at the dance hall when music and a stranger’s smile remind me how simple joy can be.

I go back to the photos not out of nostalgia, but to remember how the light fell and what it felt like to be there. As we get older, it becomes clear that the only things we truly keep are these fragments of beauty: the sharp light above timberline, the cold streams from snowfields, and the backpack trips to high mountain ridges with my border collies. Everything else fades. These don’t.