# Camping?



## Cowgirl140ty (Jan 7, 2010)

How many of you have gone camping with your horses? 
We go once every couple months atleast. It is such a great thing. Dont get me wrong, I love competing. But its so nice to get away with friends and ride and just relax. If you get lost you have a blast doing it. The time spent camping is so great with my horse. It just makes me love him deeper. I can let him loose to eat grass while I eat lunch, and he will stay right by me. Everyone else has to tie their horses up. It just makes me realize how much Ty is my heartbeat. 
Thats said, we are going camping this weekend and can not wait!
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## livestoride (Mar 30, 2011)

I love camping with my horse as well. It is so much fun and can be very relaxing. Gem doesn't get the point though and her princessy butt starts to pace around dusk wondering where on earth her stall disappeared to and why she is still outside. She gets to be very ****y and will sulk around because she is left outside. 

One side note - please be careful with letting your horse graze untied or unheld. Last time I went camping there were multiple different people who did this in the camp and I ended up spending my relaxing night chasing horses who trotted off who had never done it before. I gave up after the first two and wen tback to enjoying my night.


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## Walkamile (Dec 29, 2008)

I love camping with my horses! This year hoping to include my husband a few times as he is showing an interest in riding. Does a good job on my mare (she takes very good care of him and makes him look good :wink: ).


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

i go a few times a year with my rescue Arab, Ridge. we go to Lake Luzerne (even cross the hudson!) and also this year are spending halloween at Gettysburg!!! can't wait!!!


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## loveduffy (Dec 22, 2011)

I love going upstate ny with my big guy no body to bother me just ride and talk horse with nice people


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## Cowgirl140ty (Jan 7, 2010)

Oh I always have a peppermint or bag of cookies. He cant pass on one of those. Lol. And he doesnt ever really eat the grass, cause i share my soda with him. And he know when im done eating, he has his lunch of carrots or apples or both. Lol. And im in Florida. Its nice. But I think up north would be so much prettier. But i live with in an hour from 8 great places. And within a couple hours of probably close to 15 places. Tys used to being stalled to. Buts hes stalled during the day. And thats when i ride him. So hes content. But alot of places we camp have stalls. And most of them are free camping.
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## Cowgirl140ty (Jan 7, 2010)

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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

loveduffy said:


> I love going upstate ny with my big guy no body to bother me just ride and talk horse with nice people


where in upstate NY do you go? we go to Lake Luzerne usually!


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## Jolly Badger (Oct 26, 2009)

Horse-camping people are some of my favorite people. Most of the ones I've known are helpful and friendly, willing to just stop and chat, and give a "heads-up" about trail conditions, wildlife, etc.

Generally, I prefer to ride by myself or in a smaller group (no more than about six people). Bigger groups just frustrate me, especially when I don't know the people I am riding with or if someone in the group needs constant baby-sitting and coddling. 

Even if you don't ride with the main group, you can still all gather back in camp at the end of the day once the horses are settled. And as my SO says, it's not really camping without a campfire. 

Just sit around, laugh and joke and enjoy being outside without the glowing screens of televisions, cell phones or the iPads/Pods/Gadgets.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

We camp with our horses too. Love it. Love the rides with my favorite peeps. My cousin and her hubby and several other couples/singles go. We sometimes have up to 30 people camping. We cook out together and just have a blast. I can't go this month but am supposed to go next month and every month after that though October when we are going over to Mississippi to ride/camp.

Be careful about turning his totally loose. I have read way too many stories about good horses running off that had NEVER done it before. Get a biothane halter/bridle and take his bit off and attach the rein to the halter ring. You then have a very long lead line but your boy is safe from himself and whatever else could come up. I have one from Taylored Tack and I LOVE it. Wasn't crazy at first about halter/bridle combo but after trail riding in it I don't even put on his leather one that matches his saddle!!


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## Cowgirl140ty (Jan 7, 2010)

Well we hauled out friday. And it stormed all day. Si we didnt get to ride. But we got in a 3 hour ride yesterday, a 2 hour ride last night and a 5 hour ride today. It was hot. But the horses did fine as we just walked and did a little trotting. Now they are home happy in their pasture, and im enjoying my a/c in the 101 degree weather.
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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

We used to camp with our horses all the time. Usually it was for at least a week, probably five or six times a year. Man I miss it!
We now live where we camped so there really isn't a reason to pack up. I don't think there's a better way to bond and train a horse than taking them out in BFE and roughin it! We live too far out to meet people that ride, wish we had more groups like yours QOS!

Glad you had a good trip Cowgirl!


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Flygap, I was introduced to the group through my barn manager! We went up to join a trail ride almost 3 years ago. My barn manager, the assistant barn manager and another boarder went too. I met my cousin on that ride (knew of her, knew her dad and grandmother well but not her!) and now we ride together all the time. Funny thing is I grew up in the same neighborhood as her hubby. I met all of their group and they are super nice people and fun to ride with. A good group is hard to come by!!!


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

That's awesome!
I do know a group of ladies that ride near here but they all ride TWH but I'm really not into those. My vets assistant keeps inviting me so I'll have to give it a go and see if Rick can keep up, probably not from what she says. They really like to march...
We'll find some somewhere. The best trailhead around is practically at the end of my driveway, always a few trailers parked down there on the weekends. I've almost jumped on the horses several times just to track someone down and say hi! Lol!!
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## hberrie (Apr 28, 2012)

When you guys say camping do you mean carrying a tent and camping on the trail or do you have a permanent site. I would absolutely love to camp with my horse but I don't have a trailer and the closest place I could go is 2 and half hours away .


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## Pattilou (Jul 8, 2010)

My favorite past time is horse camping. I started with a tent and just got myself a 2H LQ . I have gone twice now with my LQ and boy is that traveling in style ! 

I also love spending time with my horse. Have met some wonderful people and have seen some beautiful country. I told my kids now that I have a LQ , if they can't find me , I am a camp host at a Park !


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

hberrie said:


> When you guys say camping do you mean carrying a tent and camping on the trail or do you have a permanent site. I would absolutely love to camp with my horse but I don't have a trailer and the closest place I could go is 2 and half hours away .


Obviously I can't say about your area, but I've never used a trailer to camp with any of my horses. Since most of the area is rural country I'd just ride and camp for the night where I could get permission at a good location. Some times I would camp at a place I'd camped before, but it wasn't always the case.

For me camping means a tent, highline, etc...
When I first did it (to many decades ago while I was a teenager) I just took a change of clothing, military entrenching tool, some food, rifle or shotgun w/ammo, and small items like a lighter, small light weight pot, canteen, etc... Most of it rolled up like a bedroll in a large ground cloth that served as a tent if it rained. Used a folded up wool blanket that served as both saddle blanket and bedding.

I'm not as tough today :lol:. Now I take an actual tent, MRE's, and some additional small creature comforts. Pack horse is nice to have for the extras. Have better horse feed for taking along today than I did over 35 years ago. Lighter and more compact gear is more readily available. I picked up larger horses with heavier cannon bones so that I can carry more and still keep the weight at about 20% of the horse's weight.


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## phoenix (Jun 7, 2010)

Camping sounds like fun. A few of my friends did it last year but my horse was in no way ready to tackle that obstacle. Maybe this year he will be. I went along to help set up camp and then left them to it.


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## hberrie (Apr 28, 2012)

Its lbs not miles--- i would love to go camping with you!!!


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

hberrie said:


> Its lbs not miles--- i would love to go camping with you!!!


I hear that at times . If you've never done it (with your horse) I'd strongly suggest you try a couple of practice nights at or near home if you have the area available. For many (ok, most) people it's one of those things that sounds fun, but when they actually get down to what it will require and how little they'll be getting by on they tend to rethink actually doing it. :lol:

There are not a lot of creature comforts  like most people enjoy with trailer camping. There are the required items like a well fitting saddle, good saddle blanket, cord for high lining, colapsable bucket, heavy duty trash bag for copra horse feed, enough hay to provide some evening fodder (experimenting with cubes),small brush, hoof pick, hoof knife, travel rasp (obviously my horses are unshod), med kit (for equine and human), canteen. Notice that none of my required items have anything to do with the rider except part of the med kit and canteen. :lol:
Recommended items like a bitless bridle/halter combo (one items serves dual purpose and makes grazing easier doing breaks), using a folded wool blanket vs a pad (rider can use it at night if you don't mind horse sweat :lol, full size poncho (military is good, multiple uses), multi tool (wish those had been around 35+ years ago), good walking footware (something you can walk all day in), sunblock, repair kit, small/compact entrenching tool (today you can find smaller ones that the military uses), cell phone (and hope you have signal if you need it), lighter (matches can be less reliable), good working gloves.
The basic comfort items :lol:: tent, change of clothing, wide brimmed hat, food (MRE's are light and easy to pack out the waste for disposal), extra hay and feed to lengthen time between resupply, small and light weight cook pot, and anything else you might like if the overall weight stays low.

You start the day by feeding/watering the horses, eating something, break human camp and pack up the gear, insuring that area looks as understurbed as possible from the camp, area permitting take the horse(s) out to graze for an hour or two, kick around the manure to spead it out as much as possible for decomposition, check feet, saddle and load the horse(s), final check of area and start out leading the horse for about a mile, mounting up and ride until around mid day, take break someplace where horse(s) can graze (about 2 hours), you eat while letting them graze or save it until you start out again, lead about a mile and mount up, ride until about 3 hours before dark (leading some if it's a long day). Stop to set up camp, unload/unsaddle horse(s), check feet and take grazing, set up high line, do feeding, unpack and set up rider's camp, fix/eat supper, check horse(s), retire for evening. Get up the next morning and repeat :lol:.

That's a bit simplified, but you get the idea. It's not for everyone. Often just the idea of using "cat holes" is enough to change some peoples mind :lol:. Some people do enjoy it and some people would rather not :lol:. I certainly encourage anyone who wants to do it to practice it some and find out if they like it. It's unlike anything else you'll do with your horse, but you do need to train and condition your horse before you do it, so trying it out first is a good thing to do before spending all the time to condition and prepare your horse (it also gives you a grasp of what you really want to have and what you can do without). If you like it then make the most of it.


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## cowboy bowhunter (Mar 15, 2012)

I went to medora. It is a great way to get your horses more broke and it is good for horses that compete to trail ride. We put 25 hours on in 5 days.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I've done everything from camping at the trailer and day rides, to full on pack in a wall tent, cots, wood burning stove for winter camps.



















Some Forest Service trail heads have corrals that we keep the horses in









Other times we just put up a hot wire around the meadows and high line at night









Sometimes when we are packing light. 1 pack horse for 3 riders. We don't take a tent. Just sleeping bags and food


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