Tips

The Best Trip is One Well Planned
The First of 12 Steps to Awesome Back Country Adventures

Any horse riding and camping trip starts long before you load the trailer. Planning good trips takes a bit of time, but it can also become a big part of the fun.

The first thing that I do when planning a trip is decide on the goals of the trip and make sure that everyone is on board with them so there aren’t any surprises. If you’re new to horse camping it’s best to go with an experienced partner or group, the first time you head out. If you haven’t yet found a group of friends who like to trail ride and camp, consider joining a local equine club such as Back Country Horsemen, or choosing an easy trip for your first adventure.

A solo trip with your horse can be just as rewarding as going with a group but don’t head out on your own unless you’re well prepared for the extra challenges of going solo. Mistakes and accidents will all be worse when you’re out on your own.

A worthwhile source of horse trail and horse camp information. www.trailmeister.com

1 Research – Deciding where to go is the first part of any trip. Now is the time to starting learning about an area to see if it fits your plans. I always start with an online search where a few quick clicks will return a lot of information about great horse camping areas. I go to www.TrailMeister.com first for a complete idea of what to expect at a given area including pictures, accurate directions to the trailhead, trail maps of the area, weather, links to land managers, and even GPS tracks. If the dates of trip are firm you’ll want to search for areas that are open during that time of the year. Here in the Pacific Northwest most high-elevation areas are snow covered well into summer. It’s important to know when is the best time to visit.

Now that you’ve decided on the location of your adventure it’s time to learn as much as you can about the area and then start planning your routes. We’ll tackle that next in Step #2. Coming Soon!