Love this shot provided by Carol Grosvenor, showing her horses's mane flowing into the picturesque landscape at Gillespie Ranch. The ranch is located in the southern Sacramento Mountains just east of Cloudcroft.

Photo provided by Lin Sutherland

Website:www.gillespieranchulazy2.com

Address: Gillespie Ranch, P.O. Box 14, Mayhill, NM, 88339 (location: 562 Walker Canyon Road Mayhill, NM, 88339)

Contact: Kent & Susan Gillespie (575)687-3732
gillespie_ranch@yahoo.com

Directions:Head towards Mayhill, New Mexico from wherever you are – picking up Hwy 82. 1-1/2 miles east of Mayhill, off Hwy 82, look for road #607, aka Carr Gap Road. Turn north on Carr Gap Road (the only way you can go) for 3.5 miles to Walker Canyon Road. Go west on Walker Canyon Road for about 1.5 miles until you see the Gillespie Ranch sign and entrance. It is on the left, just before the second cattle guard. The ranch entrance has recently been widened and provides an easy access for big rigs. Follow the lane down to the right turn up to the campground. Give them a call when you turn onto Carr Gap Road – your cell phone may not work much further than that.

Camping: Equestrian camping is allowed!

Carol Grosvenor at Gillespie Ranch.

Facilities: 12 RV water and electric hookups (30, 50, and 110 amp.), individual sewer hookups, picnic tables, 12 covered 15 by 15 pipe stalls to include a 25 gallon water bucket for each stall, and a large hay barn. There is also a cozy cabin which easily sleeps four available to rent. A round pen and roping arena is also available.

Cost: Check with Kent and Susan for their current rates.

Mileage: Miles of trails, the exact amount is unknown at this time.

Map: Be sure to ask Kent or Susan for a map of the trails.

Dogs: Dogs are allowed at the ranch but need to be kept on a leash. No pets are allowed inside the cabin.

Hunting: Allowed

Terrain: The terrain is diverse; mostly dirt to few rocks in the low canyons and rocky to steep trails in the mountains.

Trail users: Trails are used by equestrians, hikers, bikers, and ATVs.

Cell Phone: The cell phone coverage at the ranch is poor.

Trail Riding at Gillespie Ranch, New Mexico

Lin Sutherland on Jewel at Gillespie Ranch.

Story by Lin Sutherland with Onion Creek Ranch
(Re-posted with her permission, thank you Lin!)

Kent and Susan Gillespie run a breeding operation of about 15 head of dun and roan Quarter Horses, plus 85 Black Baldy cattle on their high-mountain ranch in Mayhill, New Mexico, which is in the south central part of the state.

The horse ranch is surrounded on all four sides by thousands of acres of Lincoln National Forest, known as the birthplace of Smoky Bear. The best part? The Gillespies lease 15,000 of those acres for their cattle operation – and unparalleled trail riding.

For guests, the Gillespies have 12 recreational-vehicle hookups for six rigs, plus 12 covered, 15-by-15-foot pipe stalls and a large hay barn for visiting horses. They plan to have guest cabins by next summer.

Nearby is the delightful town of Cloudcroft, which offers Western atmosphere. Farther up the road is Ruidoso, which provided more good restaurants, entertainment, and shopping.

Photo provided by Carol Grosvenor.

Photo provided by Lin Sutherland.

Flora, Fauna, & Fun
The ranch is set at 7,000 feet, and is surrounded by ponderosa pine, some pinon, spruce, and pin oak. As it’s in a protected area, there’s an abundance of wildlife. We sighted bald eagle, red-tail hawk, a bobcat, numerous elk, mule deer, chipmunks, hummingbirds, and coyote. Also in the area are the endangered spotted owl, black bear, and puma – although the Gillespie hound dogs keep the predators at bay.

And there are wild mustangs at the ranch! Last year, Kent and Susan rescued 10 of them near the appropriately named Wild Horse Canyon.

Every night, we watched the best of old cowboy movies, such as Monte Walsh, from their video collection. We also played poker, ate watermelon, and sat on the porch looking for elk and enjoying the diamond-lit night sky.

Kent and Susan Gillespie, photo provided by Lin Sutherland.

Ranch Living
Kent, the son of a Texan, grew up in Arizona farming alfalfa and cowboying. Susan grew up in Long Island with a pony she rode bareback all day. After years living near Phoenix, where Susan worked as a biochemical engineer, the couple decided they wanted to raise their son, Cole, on a ranch. Susan spent two years researching the perfect spot.

The Gillespies both team rope, with Susan heading. Kent, an old bronc buster, says Susan can rope better than him and most men. She’s also the one who starts their young colts and looks after the cows. The cows eat out of her hand, which disappears down their throats as their long tongues wrap around her wrists for the range cubes.

The Gillespies are frontier pioneers of the 21st century, building a ranch and a home from raw, gorgeous land. They’re doing the opposite of what most ranchers are doing now. That is, rather than selling out pieces of their land until the large ranches are gone, they’re buying chunks adjoining their ranch to build a larger ranch – an admirable goal. Their place feels warm and welcoming; they’re honest and forthright in their dealings.

Gaiting the Canyons
The trails at Gillespie Ranch are beautiful and quite moderate in difficulty. There aren’t as many rocks as there are other places in New Mexico, such as on the trails along the Penasco River, where we’ve been other times. Long stretches of dirt cover a forestry logging road and cattle trails.

On our gaited horses, we rode up Latham Canyon and over the mountain to my favorite place, Three Mile Canyon, which has long dirt roads. We helped Susan drive 13 cows and calves back to the main herd at the top of Walker Canyon. We also rode the striking Upper Claim Canyon, Wet Burnt Canyon, and Long Canyon.