by Susie Morgan
For a couple of years we have been hauling the 2 hours from Santa Fe to Chama for a 2 or 3 night stay to ride the Preserves and private lands in the area. Each year, some of the same people return and new people join the group for an ever-changing mix of friends and horse enthusiasts.
Chama is a great addition to Santa Fe because the terrain is lush pines and grassy meadows unlike the high desert of Santa Fe. The horses and humans enjoy the change of scenery and wildlife – especially Elk. We were greeted at the Quinlan Ranch Lodge by the professional staff including Austin, the gourmet chef serving us up 3 delicious meals a day, and his dog Gunther (a gentle giant Bull Mastiff). They accommodated our horses in pipe corrals; many of them had loafing sheds.
Apres riding, David and Scott took up a game of horseshoes in the front yard while the rest of us cheered them on from the porch with a beer or glass of wine. We watched the sun set and hoped for clear skies during our stay.
The Preserves in the Chama area include Humphries, Sargent’s, and Rio Chama – all within 20 minutes of the Lodge. While Humphries and Sargent’s boast lush piney woods, Rio Chama has vast fields of sage and trails alongside Vado Lake and the Rio Chama River with occasional clumps of pine or oak trees.
The 16,000 acres of contiguous Quinlan/Garcia ranches back up to Sargent’s and the Colorado border. While we didn’t see any newborn elk this year, we saw an abundance of cow elk each morning on our way to the corrals to feed the horses. In the early mornings before the Lodge started to wake, a small group of deer grazed their way through the front yard.
Each year, we watch for Elk Sheds in the meadows on the ranches. Last year and again this year, we were lucky enough to snag one or two which the Lodge permits us to keep. This trip, we were surprised to ride up on a large bull elk carcass that had been killed a few months earlier. The wrangler told us a mountain lion has been taking down more bulls this year than in the past. He must have had 6 or 7 points on each side. We have never seen a mountain lion, but two years ago we saw a mama bear and her cub, and another solo bear.
If you decide to make the trip, keep in mind historical weather patterns and hunting seasons. By September, bow season starts, although the Preserves allow horseback riding until November. To access the Preserves, which are managed by New Mexico Game and Fish, you must have a G.A.I.N. permit and a Habitat sticker – both of which can be ordered online at or risk a fine by the game wardens. Humphries has no facilities at trailhead; Sargent’s has pipe corrals and port-potty; Rio Chama has pipe corrals only. For more information or reservations visit Quinlan Ranch,