# Going on a camping trail ride-need help



## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Lots of water! Snacks, fly spray, hoof pick. Telephone. Hay for the horses.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Are you camping in a tent or trailer? Will you have a bed or need a sleeping bag? Without more info it's kind of hard to help you much.


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## Gunnerssugarbar (Jul 18, 2012)

How I'm sleeping doesn't really matter... I know what to take for ME as far as camping goes. Been doing that since I can remember. lol. But I've never been with a horse.


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

extra halter and lead
salt
and not sure what water your using, but if you add apple cider vinager at home then when giving different water add the vinager to it and there shouldn't be any issues with the new water.


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

Are you picketing your horse?


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## Gunnerssugarbar (Jul 18, 2012)

I'm not exactly sure what picketing means but we are putting up a temporary fence using tposts and hot tape.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

A temp fence will work. Is there access to water for the horses? Bring hay/grain, med kit for your horse and you, brush, hoof pick, water bucket, obviously a halter and lead rope/s, grain pan if you feed grain, knife(Leatherman's are nice but any will do.) Do you have saddle bags, cantle bag or pommels available? You don't need them all. I now carry a compass on trail, you can't always count on cell phones. Dress according to the weather, maybe a snack on trail would be an option. It sounds a tad much but after you camp time and again, it becomes second nature as to what you need. Don't forget to enjoy the experience. :wink:


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## Gunnerssugarbar (Jul 18, 2012)

I didn't think about compass since its a guided trail ride of over 100 people but that's a really good idea. I was going to take water bucket and buy one of those big jugs of water (bigger than a gallon) because I don't know what sort of water options we will have. I do have a saddle bag. I need to remember to get the med kit out of my trunk at the barn! 
Great advice thank you!!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

It is still good for you to know where you are at, not relying on others. you just never know sometimes. Oh, a nightcap around a campfire is nice!


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Spare halter and lead rope have already been mentioned.

Spare reins -- annnnd you can make a spare set out of binder twine and two 85 cent quick release snaps. They roll up into nothing and if you would have to give them away to help somebody else, you're not out much money.

If your horse is shod, it might not be a bad idea to carry a set of boots for the front, in case you lose a shoe -- generally over night camping means you stand a good chance of getting into rough terrain where the horse would need the hoof protected if he throws a shoe.

I assume there's water at the campground. If the horse water is a public drinking tank, do NOT let your horse drink from it. That's how horses get Strangles.

Get your horse's water from the water spigot or carry your own from home. Carrying some of your own might be a good idea anyway, in case your horse is a fussy water drinker, like one of mine is.

Keep some minor first-aid stuff back at camp - 99 times out of a 100 nobody's going to get a leg severed out on the trail but they can get cuts and scratches that can wait 'til you're back at camp.

Make sure you have enough grain and hay -- more hay than grain. I would rather be carrying hay back home on Sunday night because I brought too much

*Keep your cell phone on YOU, NOT the horse.*

Two of the die-hard-ride-off-into-the-wilderness trail riders on my local forum downloaded the Everytrail app to their cell phones. There really is "an App for that" lol lol

Review: EveryTrail for iPhone | Modern Hiker

I think theirs were free but I also think there's more hi-tech versions for under $10.

They love love love it. So do the rest of us because we click on the link they give us and follow their trail AND see the pictures all at the same time.

Everytrail has a GPS, so they don't get "temporarily misplaced" - I hate that word "lost" lol lol lol

Lastly --- have a wonderful wonderful time; this is a great time to really bond with your horse


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## TrailheadSupply (Sep 6, 2012)

There has been some great ideals posted here. Just remember its a personal thing and greatly depends on where you are riding. Example (cell phone) where i ride i just toss mine in the pick up before i leave there is no cell service in 99% of the Bob Marshall or the Cabinet wilderness....shoot there isn't even enough sat service to use a sat phone most of the time. Cell phone towers are place where there is people and I like to ride where there are no people. Anyway make a list of what you end up taking ( it will probably be WAY to much stuff) after the trip make a note of what you really used. Hopefully this isn't your first and last overnight with the horses the more you go the more you perfect that list. Over the years i'm down to almost nothing for 10 days except a comfy chair, plenty of food, fishing pole and a good friend or two !!!! have a great trip let us know how it goes.....


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## huntfishnride (Jan 25, 2012)

Camping with horses isn't near as hard as its made out to be. I did my first overnight trip without adult supervision as a 12 year-old. I had a saddle, bridle, lead rope, halter, my BB Gun(the bear killer), bedroll, and some granola bars. It was a blast.

Don't get me wrong, it is good to be well prepared, but don't overdo it. Other than food and water for yourself and your animals it really shouldn't require anything more than what you take on a normal trail ride. 

An overnighter like you describe is obviously very different from an extended back country trip and I would have very different advice for that.

Have fun.


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## justicehorse (Oct 17, 2012)

My horses' list: Hay (expect to feed up to twice as much than when at home), water (I like to bring 20 gallons per day, per horse), electrolytes (if needed), buckets for water, big bag of treats, brush/hoof pick, leatherman, boots, simple first aid kit, fly spray/masks (if needed), electric fence set-up, pitchfork and heavy duty garbage bags to clean up your horse's mess (leave no trace principle).


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I have to agree with Trailhead, A lot of the places I ride, there is no cell service. But I do often bring the cell phone, if for nothing else I do track some trails with Everytrail on my phone, At least I have an idea of the mileage we rode. 

I do a lot of camping at the trailer and day rides away from the trailer. I can take more people with me since I'm not using some of my horses to pack supplies in.

As far as the horses. I do take more feed than they usually get at home, They will be working harder and I think they deserve the extra calories, Also when they are tied up to Highline or the trailer, they get bored, extra feed gives them something to fuss with and relieve their boredom.

I keep a fair amount of spare tack in the trailer. Extra set of reins, cinch, blanket etc. Flyspray. Some vet wrap and minor vet supplies to clean a cut or wound. And some basic farrier tools to pull a shoe that might start to come off or rasp off a rough hoof.

A highline setup, I hate sleeping with my horses tied to the trailer. Much prefer to tie them between trees. I also bring hobbles and let my horses graze a little. That also helps with their boredom in the evenings.

If we are dry camping where water is hard to find, I bring my own and the appropriate buckets so I can water the horses. Also in dry areas I like to feed some soaked feeds, Like beet pulp to add extra hydration to the horses guts. I can easily slip some electrolytes into that.

Know where the nearest vet is. I've too often seen horses colic and owners load them up to the haul off and not know which direction to go for the nearest vet. A large trail ride my have a vet at the ride or at least have one on call in a nearby town. I also keep a gun in case we have to put a horse down. It's only happened a couple times in 20 years. but once in a great while, Somebodies horse will get hurt and need it.

Know what is normal for your horses. Resting respiration, heart rate, hydration. And how fast he/she recovers from normal exercise. If a horse is not showing normal recoveries, then pull him out of the ride and give him a chance to rest.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

How was the camping trip?
We figure we need most of what we need at home...only in smaller supply. Plus Banamine and bute.
Along with a compass, it is a good idea to carry a whistle. The sound carries in an emergency.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Check ALL equipment before you back it. REPLACE any leather that is questionable.
Take one extra of everything: halter, lead, shipping boots, saddle, bridle, pad, water bucket, etc.
Buy a cheap set of saddle bags. We have a few canvas saddle bags. They don't weigh anything, but hold a LOT of stuff.
Ride with one side horse RX, one side human RX.
Ride with an extra rein, a swiss army knife, and a handful of rawhide latigo (show lace thick) strips for leather repairs.
Poor a water bottle that is full over your horse's withers and see if he needs desensitizing to it. Can't tell you how many times my CW canteen decided to open up on my horse. There are ENOUGH scary things on the trail, so you don't want to "shoot yourself in the foot."
Have fun and report back. =D


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

We just came back from a horse camping trip. We rented a cabin in Homochitto Forest in Mississippi and covered stalls so it wasn't really "roughing" it. BUT we were not in an area that had an Academy, Gander Mountain or Wal-Mart so we had to bringing in all food/supplies.

For the horses I had saddles, saddle pads, bridles (one extra in the trailer) halters (one extra) and lead ropes, extra girths, 2 sets of horse boots, hunter orange vests, Kool Vest, feed, hay, fly spray, Deep Woods Off, horse snacks, people snacks, bottled water, horse medications, hoof pics, hoof rasp, hoof nippers, hoof knives, jingle bells to ward off hunters, Garmin, knife, helmet, cameras, pitch fork and broom to clean out trailer, grooming brushes. Sounds like a lot but all of it but the feed, hay and pitch fork and broom fit in a TINY Brenderup tack closet. 

We also had buckets and haybags in the trailer. I like to have enough to make my horses comfortable. We also had big tubs for water and a mounting block in the back of the truck. We had a blast and I can't wait to go again.


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## Gunnerssugarbar (Jul 18, 2012)

The trip was amazing!! It was a very long 8 hours and we actually ended up not spending the night. Funny story as to why... We got separated from the rest of the group and got lost coming back down the mountain. We trucked it through the woods which did not have a good cut trail. We got to a deep trench that my horse does not like and instead of hopping over it like normal he decided to react like he was going over a 5 foot jump. Since it was towards the end of the ride I didn't have as good of a footing on him and came out of the saddle. Sprained my wrist, jammed my thumb and shoulder, sore but otherwise unhurt. It ended up being about a 2-3 hour longer ride than intended and I didn't feel that me or my horse could handle another day in the saddle. So I took him home. It truly was an amazing trip and he didn't do anything wrong and stopped immediately when I fell. So he did amazing. Did everything I asked of him. Thanks for all the advice and we were very prepared for the trip! Except for a seat belt on the saddle. LOL


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

i would also say banamine & bute as well as some betadine scrub and duct tape


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