T C
he fi rst step in planning for a trail riding or camp- ing excursion is to check the weather report. Many large storm systems are easily predicted and will show up on the radar and in the forecast. I like the NOAA website (ht p://forecast.weather. gov/) as it tends to be most accurate. You can use their forecast map to more accurately pinpoint your location and get a detailed forecast for the next seven days.
However, any t ime
Riding in a winter wonderland may not be what you had planned on (or maybe it was!). T e scenery can be stunning and the memories of such trips will last a lifetime. T is photo, believe it or not, was taken at a ride in northern Nevada in June.
you are heading into the mountains or on any horse camping trip it always pays to plan ahead for inclement weather regardless of the forecast. Storms can move in quickly and conditions change in the blink of an eye. You may be perfectly comfortable one moment riding in a t-shirt and get
soaked to the skin or pelted by hailstones the next. CARING FOR YOUR EQUINE PARTNER
aring for horses while camping in inclement weather can be a real challenge, especially when it rains heavily. Blankets get wet, the footing gets muddy and every-
thing turns into a soggy mess. T at was pret y much what hap- pened to me at the Grand Canyon. It began innocently enough, with a light rain one aſt ernoon while I was riding on the Arizona Trail with a friend. T e sky had been blue and gorgeous when
we leſt on the trail marking and checking excursion. Fortunately I had brought along raingear, which I quickly donned before get- ting too wet. My friend and I rode 14
miles that aſt ernoon and it rained on us for about 12 of those miles. Upon arriv- ing back in camp I quickly pulled Bo’s tack and put a fleece blanket on him. He was already completely soaking wet from spend- ing several hours in the rain. Now I just needed to keep him from becoming chilled, as the temperatures were quickly dropping with the set ing sun. I had to take care of myself, too! I fixed Bo a nice mash
of soaked hay pellets and complete feed and added salt to it. While he ate I wrapped his legs with a clay poultice, quilts and wraps. By this time his back had cooled down and I was able to add a warmer blanket on top of the fl eece sheet aſt er brushing his coat out the best I could under the conditions. It continued to rain off and on for the next day or two, and
then the temperatures dropped enough to turn the rain into snow. T is made conditions especially diffi cult, since every-
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WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US • December 2011 | 19
As long as you are prepared for the cold, riding during or aſt er a storm can be quite a memorable experience. Talk about feeling like you are top of the world!
Story and photos By Karen Chaton enge weather
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