Mystic Saddles/Redfish Corrals
Rekindle Stanley’s wild west at Redfish Lodge Stables, Mystic Saddles.
Along the forest surrounded promenade leading to Redfish Lake, one can hear the neighing of horses. The talkative copper-red quarter horses and caramel speckled appaloosas are longtime residents of these parts. Older than the SNRA, Mystic Saddles has beenoffering a horse-eye view of the White Clouds and Sawtooths since 1969.
The Scene
Walking up to the corrals is a bit like an old Hollywood movie; cowboys saunter with reins and saddles in hand and tall swinging wooden gate lead to a well-travelled hilly path that ushers horse and rider to mountain top views. Guests are free to peek at the empire state building-sized midnight black draught horses or lounge on the log benches while the cowboys and girls prepare for the ride.
Mystic Saddles offers a surplus of horse-back adventures. First time riders and families can swing over the saddle horn for the daily hour or hour and half ride. Additionally there is a half day trip to the crystal clear Bench Lakes and a full day ride to various back country locations. Continually, Mystic Saddles’ overnights, pack trips and fly fishing trips immerse each patron in wilderness, western lingo and know-how. New this fall, corral master and seasoned hunter Mat Cain will lead elk and bear hunt overnights. But no matter the selection each trip begins with a horseback guide carefully explaining to each guest “how to make a horse go”.
The Peak
My favorite moment last week occurred on Thursday morning, half way out on a Mystic Saddles trail ride. Slithering through young pine saplings, tremendous antique Lodgepoles and crowds of aspen, each turn on the trail paints a new landscape. But it is on the half-way point, that the trail reaches an equilibrium of beautiful. This sweet spot bestows a panorama of transparent Little Redfish, indigo blue Redfish Lake, the lulling curves of the White Clouds and the surmounting Mt. Heyburn in the distance.
Typically the Mystic Saddles guides sing re-worked country songs, explain eco-systems and tell the tall and short tales of the valley. But this spot replaces conversation with the quietness of one’s own heart. The chain of horses halts on the hill top, letting each rider inhale that forgotten feeling of intricate connectedness with the forest wilderness.
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Tags: Stanley Adventure
