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. . . . Here are some wonderful trail tips for you and your horse! If you would like to add or correct any trail-tips feel free to e-mail me at: shadracksking.com 
. . . . Get luggage tags, fill out with information (phone number, horses name, owners name, etc...) and attach to the saddle. If your horse gets away and someone finds him/her they will know who to call. Some people even braid these into the mane so if the tack falls off your horse(s) still have ID on them. . . . . Lengthy Trail Ride Musts: An extra hoofpick, halter/leadrope, easyboot, twine for emergency tack repairs, folding knife, reflective gear for night riding, emergency poncho, a small woolen blanket, waterproof matches, pills to purify water, aspirin, bandages (for horse and rider), canteen, & don't forget the saddle-bags to carry all of it! ~.^ . . . . A whistle- and make sure its on you and not the horse! So if you fall off you can use it to help people find you, because long after your voice gives out you can still blow a whistle. . . . . One kind of Emergency Blanket that is great to use is made of aluminum laminated polythylene. It reflects body heat, is windproof and waterproof, and measures 52 x 84 inches. It is small enough to fit in a fanny pack, saddle bag or your back pocket, and they cost less than $5.00 at most sporting good stores. . . . . Attach a sponge to a string (dog leashes work great) and take it on rides... You can lower the sponge to the water and pull it back up, making it much easier to sponge the horse down at creek crossings when you don't want to get off (or the muck is too disgusting to wade in!) . . . . On rides where you have to ride in the dark, many people use glo-sticks attached to the breast plates to help light the way. Some people use bike or special headlights but these cast a lot of shadows and are not so effective. Don't forget to still wear the reflective gear sold in horse catalogs as well so while you can see the trail, people can see you. . . . . Try carrying walkie-talkies and/or a cel phone so if an emergency happens you can call 911 and/or a vet without having to run breakneck speed back to base-camp. These should stay on YOU and not the horse, so if you come off you still have them. . . . . Carry something with you that can be used as a sling in case of that horrible chance you take a fall and break a bone. Vet wrap works well because you can sling your arm and tape it to your body for support. . . . . When you have to fill up buckets or barrels of water and tote it in the back of a truck or car to your campsite, just line the container with a plastic garbage bag first and twist the ends after filling. No Splashing! Water stays in the container, not in your truck. . . . . Check your girth before steep climbs, this can save from some nasty falls/slips . . . . To make fly spray use a 32 to 36 oz hand spray bottle with oz.. marks on side (walmart sells them for around $2) and add:
. . . . When you plan to ride in a certain areas rather that carry a big cumbersome map, go to a store with a color printer (or print your own) and have them color copy the area you plan on riding in from a map. Then you can just fold a standard paper size into your saddle bags and easily get it out to study it while still on your horse. . . . . For safe travel tying: Take a garden hose and slit it all the way on one side. Take a rope inside it and then hitch the horse to one end and hitch the other end to a stub in the ground. The garden hose won't let the rope get tangled around the horse's foot. The horse can move around in a wide area and not get tangled up and eat grass, which is good for you and the horse. Both can lay down and rest from the long days journey without a worry. . . . . Most breast straps attach with a single buckle strap to the D-rings of the saddle. A second buckle strap, attached to the ring on each ring of the girth hitch, will also help keep the saddle on if the cinch or off side billet loosens or breaks. . . . . If you are picking out your horse's foot and he has thrush, you should disinfect the hoof pick with 50% bleach and 50% water to prevent reinfection of thrush. . . . . Tired of flys? Add a teaspoon to tablespoon of powdered garlic to your horses feed everyday. After it has time to get in their system flies will begin hating the smell/taste of their skin. . . . . Make an economical pommel pouch out of an old pair of denim jeans. Cut off one pant leg about 12 inches from the bottom. Sew the cut edges together to form a bag, then sew a 15 inch piece of webbing between the hemmed edges to make a handle. Hang this soft bag from your saddle horn, and it's a convenient place to keep trail snacks or sunscreen. . . . . When trail riding in a group, always remember while crossing a stream, river, etc. to give the horse behind you a chance to drink before leaving the water. A lot of horses will not drink, even though thirsty if they see the horse ahead of them leaving. . . . . When deciding whether or not to walk on ice, consider this: Following fresh tracks may seem safe, but consider that the previous travelers may have cracked and weakened the ice. Unless the ice is extremely thick, never ride across ice. Always lead the horse across using a long lead line in order to spread out the weight being borne by the ice, staying at least 20 feet ahead of the horse.
If you are Not within my frames please let me know and I will take them down immediatly. I mean no offense, most pictures I found awhile ago and I don't remember where they came from. |
