HOW TO PACK YOUR HORSE FOR A
LOW-IMPACT HORSE CAMPING TRIP

by Don West
"Your Learning Leader for Equine Adventure"

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First of all, when planning a horse camping trip, try to find the lightest, most compressible, most versatile, most efficient equipment available in the market today.  Items developed especially for backpacking, like stoves, tents, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads will work well for low-impact horse travel, and camping too.  Evaluate each piece of equipment carefully.  To have more fun with less fuss, follow my simple rule: "when in doubt, leave it out!"      Pack your sleeping bag in one side of your HS-WT, SSS Cantle-Leaver.  It should fit into a waterproof stuff sack no larger that 8" x 8" x 15", and weigh less than three pounds.  In the opposite side of your Cantle-Leaver, pack your tent; or your half of the tent, if you are traveling with a friend.  One person can take the fly, poles, and pegs. The other, the tent itself.  That should balance out at 2 1/2 to 3 pounds each.  Tent poles can be rolled into a small, 3/4 length, self-inflating, air mattress (held tight with SSS Fru-Loops. of course).  The bulky clothing; everything you are not wearing, can also be stuffed into the Cantle-Leaver. Then tighten the compression straps.

SSS Knight-Riders or Outback-Packers will hold the rest of the load.   Divide the things you're packing into two piles of equal weight and volume.   Adjust the size of your bags (with the compression straps) to accommodate the size of the load, before you pack your gear into them.  You will have a backpacking stove, nesting set of pots, fuel bottle or fuel cartridge, food (dehydrated), first aid and personal hygiene items, horse grooming tools, and other odds and ends.   Pack the gear carefully, so that sharp items will not poke into your horse.

Once all your bags are packed, snap the Knight-Riders or Outback-Packers into the Heavy-Duty Saddlebags-Suspenders and (gently) place them behind the cantle of your saddle.  Run a saddle string, the ones attached at the corners of your cantle, through the D-rings at the front of each Saddlebag-Suspender, and secure it with an over hand knot, like you would do to start tying your shoes.   You should have a second set of stings, behind your cantle.  Run one of these under, or over, (whatever works best) your Saddle-Suspenders, and through the D-ring at the rear of the Saddle-Suspenders.  Let the other half of your string flop across the seat of your saddle.

Now, carefully put your Cantle-Leaver in place.  The D-ring in front, on both sides, should line up with the front D-ring of your Saddlebag-Suspenders.   Run the string through this D-ring in the Cantle-Leaver and tie it in place with another overhand knot.  Next, take the strings that you put though the rear D-ring in the Saddlebag-Suspenders and run them thru the matching D-ring on the back of the Cantle-Leaver.  Pull the matching other half of these strings over the top of the Cantle-Leaver.  Run them through the appropriate slots in the 1" web ring, and D-rings.   Now tie the strings tightly together, with a square knot, on top of the Cantle-Leaver.

Lastly, take the forward corner cantle strings and run one end up through the upper forward D-ring on the top of the Cantle-Leaver.  Now, pull that down tight, and tie with a square knot.  Do the same thing on the other side.   Your load should be tight and secure.   For extra good measure, run a Cheer-Y-O through the Bungee-Cord (secured in bottom forward D-ring of Knight-Rider, Outback-Packers or Day-Trippers) and then through the large D-ring on your cinch.    Velcro it in place and adjust for proper tightness.   This will hold your saddle bags forward and prevent them from flopping.   Carry your camera, field glasses, sunglasses, sunscreen, munchies, horse feed (oats) and a set of bicycle water bottles in your Pommel-Granites.   Attach them together and hang them from your pommel.  Use the D-rings to attach them more securely and to keep them from rubbing on your legs.

Use our SSS Han-D-Hobbles for grazing.  Use SSS Tree-Saver Straps, a locking carabineer and 50 feet of poly-propylene rope, to tie your horse on a highline at night.  Tie the line, as tight as you can, as high up as you can reach.   To stop your carabineer from running all the way to the tree, allowing the horse to wrap itself up, tie a short stick (about 6" long) about six feet from each end.   Tie a figure 8 knot in the lead line, and clip in to the high line, using the locking carabineer.  Leave the lead line long enough for the horse to put it's face to the ground, stretching the high line, just a little bit.  Now your horse is free to travel up and down the highline, reaching left and right to nibble things, etc, without tangling itself.

Be sure to bell your horse, using a small Swiss Cowbell.  Camp within site of your horses.  Even in the dark, the cowbell will tell you if your horse is getting into trouble.   For very short stops you can tie your horse to a tree.  Always tie high so your horse cannot exert maximum force if it decides to pull back.  Horses tied to trees should always be supervised.  For longer rest stops, use your Han-D-Hobbles.

And don't forget, before you mount, check your cinch!  Now you're ready for adventure!!

Go Right - Go Light! SADDLE UP-LET'S RIDE!

Happy Trails,          

                             

                  

 

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Last Updated: December, 2006

Have Saddle-Will Travel, Inc,

P O Box 700

Fruita, CO 81521-0700