Go prepared to have fun camping

By Joe Andrews
Correspondent

Camping overnight can open up many opportunities for the average trail rider.

Not having to trailer back home at night allows you to explore places further away or go for longer rides. And there is the experience itself--getting away from your normal routine, enjoying a romantic taste of the Old West, sharing nature with your equine friend.

Before you blindly go where you have never gone before, consider that proper preparation goes a long way toward ensuring you have a pleasurable experience.

Plan on taking food and water for your horse.

Some areas, like Rocky Mountain National Park, don't allow grazing. Even if grazing is allowed, don't count on there being enough grass to sustain your horse. You can use baled hay, hay cubes, pellets or a complete feed. Whatever type of feed you choose, make sure it complies with the weed free regulations in the area you will be camping. Also, if the feed you take camping is different from the feed you normally use, get your horse used to it at home with the same gradual change you need any time you are switching your horse's feed.

Many streams and ponds in the mountains are seasonal and may not have water in them all summer. Even when water is available, some horses are finicky and won't drink water that smells or tastes different from what they are used to. The amount of water a horse needs depends on the temperature and amount of work the horse is doing. A horse carrying a rider in the mountains during the summer could drink as much as 15 to 18 gallons of water per day.

Water tanks made specifically for horse trailer tack rooms are available. One type doubles as a saddle rack, another type stands vertically in the corner. Or you can use a plastic 55-gallon drum and siphon the water out.

Take electrolytes with you. You will be riding longer distances, on steeper trails or at higher altitudes than your horse is used to. Just like human athletes, horses lose electrolytes when they sweat. If these electrolytes are not replaced, a severe metabolic condition called tying up could result.

Plan for safe containment of your horse.

If the area in which you are camping does not have corrals, you can secure your horse by tying to your trailer or a high line, or with a portable corral.

If you will be tying your horse, prepare him by working with ropes around his feet. He should give to the pressure of the rope without panicking, and he should lead forward with a rope on either front foot. Also, your horse needs to be accustomed to standing tied for long periods of time.

When tying your horse, tie long enough so your horse's head just reaches the ground. Horses need to lower their heads to clear their airways. They also should be able to lie down. Of course, tying this long creates the possibility your horse will get a foot over the lead rope; this is why you need to make sure your horse will not panic if he gets tangled in a rope.

Portable corrals eliminate the problem of getting tangled in a lead rope. They also give your horse room to move around. You can use metal panels, but the number of panels you can carry on your trailer will limit the size of the corral. You can make a much larger corral with electric tape and a battery powered charger. Two hundred feet of tape, which fits easily on an 8-inch spool, will create a 50-by-50-foot corral. If you choose the electric corral option, use a wide, white tape that is clearly visible in moonlight. If your horse is not used to electric tape, use the temporary electric corral inside his normal fence for a few days.

Have a practice campout at home.

With your horse tied to the trailer, can you sleep when your horse gets restless and his pacing shakes your whole rig as he runs into the end of the lead rope? How much extra energy does your horse have in the morning after the confinement of being tied all night? How much do you need to exercise him prior to riding? What does it take to put up your portable corral and how will it be affected by uneven ground? Can you actually get a siphon started to get water out of your barrel?

After you work everything out, go into the wilderness prepared and have fun.

Joe and Kim Andrews train horses, give riding lessons and hold trail-riding clinics at their ranch west of Loveland. As the Larimer County Horseman's Association public lands liaison, Joe works closely with the Larimer County Open Lands Department to develop and maintain horse trails in Larimer County.