June 3rd, 2010 -- Normally my travels in New Mexico have centered around the historic, but one the highlights of a recent family trip through New Mexico was spending the afternoon in Ruidoso Downs. All things in Ruidoso Downs revolve around the horse, and the racetrack is a Mecca for horse-racing. Having never seen a live horse race I was mesmerized by the pagentry, sport, speed and force of the spectacle.
I stood on the railing next to the track and could hear the rumbling, as if a encrouching thunder until in a swift moment the racing brutes rolled past me kicking up dirt. I loved it!
After the races we explored the
Hubbard Museum of the American West which is actually part of the Smithsonian Museum. They had a wonderful exhibit on the puebloan culture and the frontier west. The most impressive spectacle at the museum is on the grounds where giant horse statues gallop across the landscape!
