Camping With Your Horse
Helpful tips as you plan trail rides and camping with your horse
by Jenny Lance and Angie Ferrell I
t’s that time of year...warmer weather and more daylight mean more chances to ride! When those
opportunities expand to overnight (or longer) trips away from home, you and your horse will want to be prepared.
Be sure to have a checklist for camping/horse supplies, especially if you are a new camper. You don’t want to forget something crucial. Supplies vary depending on the type of camper you are (standard or living quarters trailer, tent) and whether your destination includes a horse stall or picket/high line area.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME You have to admire the folks who can make their regular horse trailers seem like the Taj
Mahal. Sweep out the trailer, add a cot, small table, and lamp and you have a bedroom! Add screens and curtains to the windows to sleep bug-free. Bring along a 10x10 canopy, fold up table, chairs, grill, and propane-powered appliances such as cook tops and coffee pots; in campgrounds with electricity, plug in that lamp, maybe even add a fan, and you have all the comforts of home.
If you need to tie your horse to a highline overnight, it is helpful to have a quick release snap on at least one end of the lead from which you are tying your horse to the line; one for each end is even more helpful. Be sure you have either a swivel snap attached to a standard “knot eliminator” on the line or an inline swivel so your horse’s lead does not twist and tighten as he moves around.
High lines work well because your horse can walk a circle, lie down, and reach his nose to the ground to eat hay or drink water. Buckets on the ground for water
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do not work well because your horse may knock them over, creating a big muddy mess. Many people prefer to offer water from a bucket throughout the day. Jenny prefers oval, low, black rubber 3-gallon “feeder pans” as water troughs. The pan can be set just close enough for the horse to reach, but not in the path of their feet. Plus it does not take up much room in the trailer. A standard small muck tub can also be used in the center between two horses.
If you place a hay net on the line, be sure it cannot slide
around and is, again, just within reach. In addition to your water-resistant highline (to avoid stretching) and your tree savers, a short ratchet strap on one or both ends of your line will help you draw it high and tight. Bring a step stool to help you get it up high enough that your horse cannot put his head over the line.
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED Always pack extra bucket straps, leads, miscellaneous straps and snaps or clips. If you arrive at a horse camp that includes stalls, you may find that there are no latches on the doors or there is nothing from which to hang your water bucket. Also have a water container to transport water from a distant source to your picket/stall area.
Holistic Horse™ • April/May 2012 • Vol.19, Issue 78
photos credit Live to Ride
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