# New to trail riding...info wanted!



## nicolegrantier (Mar 22, 2011)

Hello everyone!

My name is Nicole. I live in Washington State. Eastern Washington to be exact. I recently purchased my first horses since I was a teen! Ponies actually. One is a POA, the other a Quarter Pony. Both are 13.2 hands and 19 years old. I wasn't really in the market for horses but we couldn't let these girls go! 

My daughters, 10 and 5, have been taking western riding lessons for several years now. These are the horses they have been riding...and they are sweet as sweet can be! The woman they were taking lessons from recently divorced and had to part with several of her horses. So how could I NOT buy them? Laf 

Anyway, these gals are used to just about everything...they do poles, barrels, fairs, "races", lessons, cattle...you name it! But what they haven't done is trail ride...

My husband wasn't as excited about the horses as I was, but I thought this might be the key to his heart. We are already big backpackers and we'd love to incorporate the ponies. We aren't really looking to ride them on the trails but instead using them for light packing...or perhaps carrying a tired child...

I know NOTHING about trail riding or packing...I've begun looking at trails in out area and reading a bit online but am wanting as much info as I can find! Feeding, packs, etiquette, shoes, you name it, I want to know about it! 

Thanks in advance everyone! So excited!

Nicole


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

get in contact with the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington. Just google them. There's a member here called, "Trails" who is involved in this organization and would no doubt love to help you.


----------



## SailorGriz (Nov 28, 2010)

Depending on where in Eastern Washington you live, there is also a very active Back Country Horsemen of Idaho in Lewiston. We have members from both sides of the river. If it's close, they, too, are a good resource.

The weekend of April 9 is the Inland Outdoor Show at Lewiston. The Horsemen are putting on a packing demo/seminar at the show on Saturday and Sunday. That, too, would be a good place to get an introduction to packing a horse or pony for the back country. You can go here http://www.twinriversbch.com/Documents/INWOS-2011.pdf for more information.


----------

