Tips for Successfully Camping With Your Horse

Trail rides with your horse are fun, but if you feel like you’ve done it all and are ready for the next adventure, you may be ready for going on an overnight with your horse. Equestrian camping can mean an exciting adventure and some serious bonding time with your horse. Hacking it out in the wilderness together overnight can feel very much like going back to your roots, together.

There’s a lot at stake when it’s just you and your horse in the wild overnight, so here are a few tips for a successful introduction to equestrian camping.

Do Your Homework

Your first trip isn’t a good time to just wing it. Do your research and plan your trip from the time you roll out of the barn with your horse in the trailer, to the time you load up again and go home. This means looking at trail maps, planning your route, and deciding ahead of time where to spend the night. For a successful first camping trip with your horse, look for a campground with conveniences such as corrals and shelters for the horses, running water, and RV hookups.

Start Small

In addition to looking for a campground with all the conveniences of home, you should also plan on keeping your first equestrian camping trip fairly short. In general, one overnight is considered a good way to start out. That should give you a morning to trailer in, an afternoon to ride the trails, another morning to ride, and an afternoon to trailer home: plenty of opportunity to enjoy yourself, bond with your horse, and make some memories on your first overnight.

Travel Light

There are a few ways to plan your equestrian camping trip. Either you’ll be parking your truck and trailer and riding to the campground where you’ll spend the night, or you’ll be driving in, setting up a base of operations, and riding out from camp. Either way, it’s important to consider carefully what goes into your packs. Remember, you don’t want to weigh down your horse or throw off his balance with a pack that’s too heavy or shifts too much weight to one side. Focusing on packing the necessities first, such as food, water, tack, first aid, and a bedroll for you if you aren’t spending the night at a campground with a lot of conveniences.

Bring a Bit of Home

Equestrian camping is an adventure, but it’s important to bring as much of home with you as you can, for the safety and security of your horse if not for yourself. Keep your horse’s feed the same for the duration of the trip, and his water too, if you can help it. If you can’t bring enough water, flavor his water at home with Gatorade for about a week before the trip, and continue flavoring it on the road to make the water taste the same as at home. Bring his usual tack, blankets, and anything else he’ll need from home too, so that the familiar smell will comfort him even though he’s someplace entirely new.

Planning for Success

Part of a successful equestrian camping trip is being fully prepared. For instance, feeding your horse something that travels easily is a good idea if you want to travel with your horse more often. For more information about pelleted feed that can be stored, transported, and fed with little fuss, contact Sacate Pellet Mills today.