People are constantly asking us what kind of camera we use in all of our adventures. Maggie is kind of a photographer fanatic and through the years has owned more cameras than she can count. Some of them have been high dollar cameras. When riding our horses, Maggie has always had a camera with her and has probably broken a dozen or more of them. Even a speck of sand destroyed a really nice brand new camera because it got in the lense. Then there was the dropped camera! So we searched for a TOUGHER camera that happens to be appropriately named, “Tough”. When we ride, Maggie has the camera in her hand no matter what kind of scary, tough trail we are on. The camera never leaves her hand, even when her horse fell on her pinning Maggie beneath. We know a lot of people might not think this is the safe way to ride, but Maggie never misses that perfect shot. This camera has been on every journey with us, whether it is hiking, skiing, or riding. However, because of where we live and ride and the high altitude, mountain riding we experience drastic changes in weather. You can go from 90 degrees to a snow storm before you know it. You name it, we have been hit with it. This includes torrential downpours, hail, high wind, and snow. This camera is still kicking and still taking all of the fabulous pictures you have seen of Facebook.
That is why we have decided to share this with you all. We have already had people buy this exact camera due to our recommendation and they love it too. Believe us, this camera gets USED. In a short ride we are taking about 500 pictures believe it or not and it isn’t uncommon to take around 900 on our big rides. This camera is like half the price these days Highly recommend!
Before we had a high tech watch to help us find our way out on a trail we used a trusty good old fashioned trail book. And what do you do when you are lost while in the saddle? Well you pull it out and read it on the back of your horse!
Even though we have this fancy watch now. We still use this guide book of the Tetons to help us find trails that we have not yet explored. It is a hiking book, but most of the trails that are listed in this book are trails we have done and are horse approved.
This book gives great description and details. It is divided by regions and there are also some maps included. It has details for over 80 hikes and excursions on Caribou-Targhee National Forest, including the spectacular Jedediah Smith Wilderness on the west slope of the Teton Range. Forest regulations, safety precautions, camping and visitor services are outlined in this informative guidebook.
This book has definitely served us well and if it is something that interests you, click the link below to purchase it on Amazon.
If any of you have followed us on Facebook, which we are sure a lot of you do :), you will notice we don’t do a lot of flat land riding. However, we can’t just throw our horses into high altitude riding without getting them in shape first. Just as us humans can’t go climb Mt. Borah (the tallest peak in Idaho) without doing some easier hikes first.
So this brings us to the question… how do Amy and Maggie get their horses in shape? Well as soon as most of the snow melts, and the weather turns nicer, we are out on the trails. However, since it is early season there is far too much snow in the high country and that doesn’t start to melt until late June or later. Since we live in Idaho we have a lot of desert riding we can do and we are also fortunate enough to have the foothills of Idaho. These are at a much lower elevation so the snow melts sooner and it offers the hills that will help us build up the muscle in our horses. There is also a local ski hill that is at a lower elevation. It has several trails that are open to us as well as hikers, bikers, and motor bikes. The ski hill is a constant climb to the top, perfect for getting those muscles warmed up.
We also have some Wild Life Managment areas that are great for riding. To find local WMA near you, do a search. We searched WMA in Idaho and came up with this comprehensive list from the Fish and Game website. It divides all the WMA by regions in Idaho and gives you directions on how to get their along with a guide to the activities that are permitted at each site.
If you have difficulty finding areas to ride that are outdoors or you want a place to ride during the winter, there are also indoor riding arenas. We used to ride in these a lot during the winter months, until we discovered skiing. The only drawback to these is that most arenas charge a fee to ride in them and it can get crowded. You have to work around their scheduled events too, but if you’re lucky enougth to find an arena to ride in, it’s a start.
Now, we usually start riding in late March ( sometimes Feburary ) or April depending on the weather. It is very unpredictable here in Idaho. We try to get our horses out at least twice a week but that is sometimes tricky since we still have those adult responsiblities of a job and don’t get out of school until June.
While riding in these areas are a good start to getting our horses in shape for the kind of riding we like to do. It doesn’t fix all problems that we have at the start of the year, such as the change in elevation or the long 15-20 miles or more, rides we like to do. So because of the love we have for our horses we make sure we take an easy on them the first few times out. We let them rest often after a long haul up the mountain and we find trails that maybe aren’t as long when we are first getting started. We do ride with our saddlebags most the time to get them conditioned to carrying the extra weight also. We pack them light to start and increase the weight over time.
Let us know where you bring your horses to get them in shape for the kind of riding you like to do!
Desert riding
Desert riding
Early season Desert riding
Desert riding
Foothills near Idaho Falls Idaho
Desert riding.
Foothills of Idaho Falls, Idaho. April.
Foothills of Idaho Falls April.
Desert riding windy and cold.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.ERA
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Camus Creek, near Rexburg Idaho
Camus Creek, near Rexburg Idahol
Running in the Desert.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.ERA
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Kelly Canyon, near Rire Idaho
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
Stinking Springs, near Rire Idaho. Great place to get a horse in shape.
One of the questions it seems like we often get is how do two girls go to all these amazing places, most of them places we have never been before, and keep from getting lost??? Well let us tell you it isn’t easy. We have definitely had our fair share of times where we have ridden out in the dark, gotten home at 2:00 in the morning and then have to go to work and educate those cute little six year olds 🙂
One of the most memorable times we got lost was at a place called Kilgore. We were riding with a group of people who decided to turn back because the weather was starting to get nasty. However being the SUPER brave and FEARLESS riders that we are… we decided to continue on and make a loop that seemed all too easy. Well turns out it wasn’t. We got all sorts of turned around and ended up back tracking and finding our way out many hours later.
We vowed never to do this trail again… but we didn’t listen to ourselves, it’s hard to keep us off the trail. We also vowed never to get lost again…but of course that happened again on other trails.
So we got smart and found this amazing invention called a GPS. But we couldn’t just get any ordinary GPS, we had to get something special. So we introduce to you the Suunto Ambit2 watch.
It is a pretty amazing little invention and it has definately kept us from getting lost. We just plug the watch into our computer, and it links to its own app called Moveslink. Moveslink links with Google maps. So we just type in the trail that we want to go to and find it on the map. However the best part is, we can plan our route. We mark the parking spot, mark all of our turns and stops along the trail, and then load it onto the watch. While we are out on the trail, we just pull up our map on the watch and it highlights our route. We just follow the little arrow on the watch as it tells us where to go. This watch has a million other features too, however this is our primary function and it has definately saved us a time or two when the trail becomes lost or there aren’t any signs.
Sometimes the trails are branded into our heads because we have been on them so many times, but we still bring the watch. The watch will also track where we are going and then when we get home we can pull up the map on the Moveslink account and save it for later or share it with others. At the end of each ride we also get a stats update. It tells us how many miles we rode, our elevation, and our top speeds.
So there is our trick, a tiny little watch that takes us on some crazy adventures and brings us home at the end of them.
My name is Maggie Morgan. I have two wonderful sons and two wonderful daughters-in-law. I am now a proud grandmother of a beautiful baby girl! I am hoping one day that she will join us on our adventures! My father grew up in Teton Valley and that is where my heart is. I am proud to say that there are mountains named after my family ( Beard ) in Teton Valley. We spend a lot of time with the Spectacular Tetons in our view!
I have been an extreme horse lover my WHOLE life and have had a passion for riding for as long as I can remember. I was very young when I started riding. I trained my first colt when I was 10 years old. I can spend every day, ALL day long in the saddle. I am in love with all animals and nature. Riding in the mountains is such a pleasure for me. I appreciate the view each and every time! Where most people would love to go on exotic vacations across the world, I am happiest on my horse on top of a mountain!
My passion for the GREAT outdoors has taken me many spectacular places. I have two wonderful horses- Joey ( an American Paint Horse ) and Gracie -( A Quarter Horse) plus I have three other horses that I ride from time to time. I am proud to say I am a posse member on the top trail source on Facebook, HTCAA. Horse Trails and Camping Across America has over 50,000 members now and our pictures of our rides have become well known. I have made many connections in the horse world from this site.
I met my bestfriend Amy at the school we both work at in 2008. We have been the best of friends since then and I couldn’t ask for a better riding partner. Amy had never really ridden a horse but started hanging out around the barn with me. It didn’t take her long to learn about horses and she started riding with me. Amy became an advanced rider rather quickly and can ride anywhere on her wonderful horse, so to have her as my riding buddy has been a real blessing. Amy rides a fabulous American Paint horse named Tux and they have become an unstoppable pair! OH the places we have seen! OH the places we have yet to see!!!!! The view never gets old and it is exciting every single time. I am so grateful for the miles and miles we have spent together in this beautiful country. The best way to view the world……is between the ears of a horse!!!
I grew up in Wisconsin… the land of cheese and lots of flat land. After I graduated college, I decided I needed a change of scenery so I packed up my bags moved out West and landed in Idaho. I have been here for 8 years now and couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else. I luckily landed a job at an elementary school, the same school that Maggie just happened to work at. We became instant friends and it didn’t take me long to learn that she had a love for horses and well, animals in general. Maggie started inviting me out to a barn where she borded her horses. I grew up a small town city girl so the only time I had really been around horses was at a fair. This horse world was completely new to me. One day while I was hanging out with Maggie at the barn she asked me if I would want to ride one of her friend’s horses. I thought sure why not. So we saddled up the horses, Maggie teaching me every step of the way… how to saddle, the parts of a saddle, etc. She was very knowledgeable and I was soaking up every bit of information she was throwing my way. Maggie brought me out to the outdoor arena. It was my first time up on a horse so naturally I was a little apprehensive, but Maggie was there guiding me every step of the way, especially when the horse got away from me and we took off galloping through the arena, me screaming and Maggie laughing so hard that she, well you know 🙂
I had no idea that when I sat in that saddle for the first time that it would be the start of one awesome adventure with my best friend. After spending some time riding various people’s horses, I quickly became addicted. I also learned that riding in an arena was nothing compaired to the freedom and serenity I felt in riding in the mountains. I started searching for my own horse and with the help of Maggie, found the perfect little horse named Tux. She is my perfect little black and white Paint horse. I have learned a lot from her and Tux and I have been on some amazing adventures. Life is an adventure and I can’t wait to see what this summer has in store for us!
Welcome to Amy and Maggie’s Blog. Come along with us as we explore the Rocky Mountain West on horseback. We are lucky enough to live in Idaho and ride in this beautiful area. We are within an hour and a half from heaven in any direction. We have ridden the borders of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana and have yet to explore other neighboring states. We have put a lot of miles on our horses, as we explore the high country and have had many adventures. We wanted to create this blog so that we can explore this beautiful world with you. We are often asked questions such as, how do we get to the trail head, where to camp, and what do we pack in our saddlebags. We hope to answer all of these questions and more within this blog.
