Horse camping is a great way to have fun with your horse. Just make sure he's prepared for different types of containment, including highlining.

Photo by Becky Pearman Photography

If you're a camping enthusiast as well as a horse lover, overnight horse camping could be the perfect combination of your interests. If you're interest in events such as endurance riding or competitive trail riding, horse camping is often part of the experience.

No matter why you're hitching up and camping out, the key to having a good time is making sure that both you and your horse are prepared.

One of the ways to be prepared is to make lists.

"I have a camp list for horses and a people camp list that I use," says Bonnie Davis, consulting editor for The Trail Rider.

Horses
This is my basic camp list for horses. As I load an item in trailer or towing vehicle I check it off list. Before leaving, items are reviewed to make sure everything has been checked off and loaded! Add your own items too!

• Highline ropes
• Lead ropes
• Highline lead ropes
• Extra ropes
• Hammer
• Insect spray
• Bickmore
• Grain bags
• Rags
• Nails (various sizes)
• Saddles
• Saddle pads
• Gloves
• Water cans
• First-aid kit
• Bridle(s)
• Extra head stalls, reins
• Saddle bags
• Hay nets
• Knot eliminators
• Water tubs
• Pails
• Horse blankets (summer & winter)
• Manure rake
• Feed (weed free when required)
• Extra set of shoes
• Horse shoe nails
• EZ-boot
• Salt blocks (Mineral & plain)
• Broom
• Funnel
• Hooflex
• Spurs
• Halter(s)
• Extra halter Grain
• Horse’s medication
• Grain tubs
• Coffee can (for measuring)
• Baling wire or string
• Burlap bag(s)
• Hay hooks
• Tree savers
• Hoof cleaning tools
• Brushes Folding rake
• Duct tape Flashlight (extra batteries)
• Garbage bags Shovel
• Papers (ownership, vet, etc.)
• Leather sewing kit
• Water

Emergency road equipment-road flares or stands, spare tires for both trailer and towing vehicle checked to make sure they have air in them, jacks, lug wrenches to fit lug nuts on both trailer and towing vehicle tire nuts, chocks, large piece of canvas or folded lug tarp to put on ground when wet or snowy.

While investigating a 5,600-year-old village site in Kazakhstan, archaeologists determined that its Copper Age inhabitants were among the first cultures to tame horses. The evidence? The buried remnants of corral posts. Clearly, fences have been crucial to our shared relationship all along.

Unlike ancient horsemen who were limited to sticks and stones to enclose their horses, we benefit from a vast variety of traditional and modern materials from which to choose. Unfortunately, despite over 5,000 years of development, there’s still no ideal fence for every horsekeeping purpose. Each fence choice involves balancing safety concerns with aesthetics, cost, and upkeep.

Chances are you’ll employ a variety of materials and fence designs on your property for paddocks, arenas, and pasture fences—or even mix fence materials for a single enclosure. Choosing carefully will help maximize the safety, value, appeal, and utility of your fences. Before looking at the broad range of choices, let’s discuss safe fencing construction.

Safety
America’s West was tamed by blazing guns and barbed wire. Both remain murderous when used improperly. While barbed wire is relatively safe for huge pastures holding thick-skinned, placid cattle, the use of barbed wire for horse properties has caused untold tragedies. If you have any on your horse acreage, your first fencing priority is to remove it.

Building codes may ultimately determine fencing requirements for your land, but some general rules of thumb apply nearly everywhere. Field fences should be 54 to 60 inches above ground level. Err on the side of caution and go with a 5-feet minimum height where fences abut highways or anywhere that an escaped horse can flee your premises. Six feet is the safe minimum height for stall runs and paddocks.

At bottom, an opening of 8 to 12 inches will keep feet and legs from getting trapped, and also prevent foals from rolling under the fence. Fence openings should be either large enough that a hoof, leg, or even the head can’t become trapped, or very small (no more than 3 inches by 3 inches) to prevent a hoof from penetrating. To maintain tension, most wire fences, both fabric and high-tensile smooth wire, require triangular-shaped bracing at the corners and at intervals of about 1/8 mile. The acute angles formed by brace wires represent entrapment hazards if the horse can reach them; good design (such as boards used in corners to block access) can prevent injury, even death.

Visibility, especially with wire fencing, is too often overlooked. While a white plank fence of wood or PVC is easily seen by horses, wires can be almost invisible when a horse panics and runs—the time when the worth of a fence is truly tested. Improve visibility to wire fences by adding a top rail of wood; PVC; or durable white vinyl fence ribbon, either standard or electrified. This addition not only makes a wire fence more visible, it also deters horses from reaching over the fence to graze.

Regardless of fence material and design, one of your goals should be to present a smooth side to the horses. Do-it-yourselfers occasionally make the mistake of mounting boards on the outside of fence posts, which makes them easy for horses to knock loose. Further, the exposed posts can injure a horse that runs down the fence line. With cross-pasture fencing, you may not be able to avoid this exposure; in such cases, using an electric fence wire to create a psychological as well as a physical barrier offers a safe solution.

Corners also present problems, especially if you plan to pasture horses that don’t get along well. Any corner can create an entrapment situation where one horse is bullied. The problem is especially bad when the corner angle is acute (90 degrees or less). Some solutions include corners that curve. This requires placing wire fence barriers on the outside of the posts, but this is less of a problem in corners than it is along straight runs. Another solution is to affix planks across corners to block access.

Wood posts, field fence, a highly visible electric tape, and a twisted smooth-wire top line makes this an exceptionally safe fence.

Posts
The strength and integrity of a fence come from good fence posts, properly installed. Wire fences require tension, which means that corner assemblies and gate assemblies need to be braced against the pulling forces. Generally, when using wood posts, it’s best to use concrete to set corner assemblies and gate posts. Metal T-posts benefit from having sturdy wood corner and gate assemblies as well. These are an absolute requirement for high-tensile wire.

Wood is traditional and commonly used for fence posts. Whether you’re making a plank fence or just using wood posts, local availability and custom may determine your choices in woods. For instance, while hardwood fence materials tend to be readily available in the East, Southeast, and parts of the Midwest, softwoods predominate in the West. To deter decomposition, common softwoods that are resistant to rot and insect infestation include cedar, redwood, and cypress. Unfortunately, these woods are very expensive.

For this reason, horsemen often choose pressure-treated lumber (usually pinewood or fir); such lumber costs 1/3 to 1/5 of the above-mentioned varieties. With pressure treated lumber (or “PTL”), the manufacturer impregnates the wood with chemicals that resist rot, fungi, and insects. Look for treated lumber posts that are certified for in-ground use. Paint won’t bond to the material, so PTL fences are invariably natural.

To enter, submit your name and e-mail address below.

Entry period ends at 12 p.m. (MDT) on Wednesday, June 5. Three winners will be drawn at random and contacted via e-mail on June 5.

Rules:
1. Entrants must be at least 18 years old.
2. Only one entry per person.
3. Entrants must be residents of U.S. or Canada.

The Association: The mission of the Western Dressage Association of America is to build an equine community that combines Western riding traditions with classical dressage. WDAA honors the horse, values and promotes the partnership between horse and rider, and celebrates the legacy of the American West.

The brainchild of Western trainers Eitan Beth-Halachmy and Jack Brainard, WDAA was founded in July 2010 through the vision of that pair as well as that of other well-known horsemen and horsewomen. WDAA currently has 600 members across the nation.

“It doesn’t sound like a lot, but just a year ago we had only 50 members,” says WDAA president Ellen DiBella. “We currently have seven state alliance partners, and there are 18 more in the forming process now.”

Riders: “It’s for everybody, really,” says DiBella. “We see new members who never want to compete, but want to learn Western dressage so that when they go trail riding, they have a more reliable horse. Or they compete in a different discipline, and know that dressage will make their horses more responsive and athletic for, say, barrel racing. Dressage works to improve anything else you do with your horse.”

The new discipline also gives Western riders who’ve been interested in the traditional sport of dressage—where horse and rider are judged individually and work their way gradually through well-defined levels—a way to try it out without changing gear.

“More than half the people in this country ride in a Western saddle,” DiBella observes. “Western dressage gives them a way to participate as they are.”

Horses: Any breed that can walk, trot, and canter is eligible to participate in the sport. According to the WDAA, this broad acceptance gives all horse owners “an incentive to enable their horses to benefit from the teaching of good training techniques.”

“Any horse will benefit from Western dressage because the focus is on building basic skills,” notes DiBella.

Tests: Currently there are six published tests—two that involve work at the walk/trot only, and four that include the walk, trot, and canter. Those tests were originally devised by the United States Equestrian Federation for Morgan horses. (The American Morgan Horse Association has sanctioned Western dressage for its members for the past several years.)

In 2013, WDAA will debut an entirely new set of rules and tests. The new tests will measure a horse and rider’s level of accomplishment based on the different levels of achievement; changes will enable gaited breeds to be accommodated as well.

Benefits: Riders learn correct horsemanship skills and horses become more responsive and athletic. “Because Western dressage is modeled after classical dressage, riders learn fundamentals that follow a perfect natural progression for the training of their horses,” says trainer Lynn Palm, four-time AQHA Superhorse rider and a longtime devotee of dressage. “The ultimate goal is to build a harmonious partnership between horse and rider, resulting in a willing, balanced horse that’s happy in his performance.”

Good to Try If: You like classes that involve patterns or challenges, such as Western horsemanship, Western riding, reining, or trail. “Also, if you’re seeking a really strong partnership with your horse—give it a try,” says DiBella.

Coaching Opportunities: WDAA is now involved with horseshow.com. “We use it as a way to coach riders,” DiBella explains. “Participants can upload videos to the site and have them critiqued by Western dressage coaches. It’s also a continuing education resource for coaches and riders.”

Learn More: info@westerndressageassociation.org; westerndressageassociation.org.

Barn names: Handsome and Sshamey.

What grabs us: This stallion only gets better with age--competing (and winning) against younger horses at 18 and having a Breyer figurine modeled after him at 21.

Owned by: Lisa Shover and Jerry Kackley, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Trained by: Chris Culbreth, Scottsdale.

Find out how to win a Breyer model of Sshameless++!

H&R: What's his personality like?

Lisa: He’s probably the most amazing horse I’ve ever been around, and not just because he’s mine. I met him five years ago, and he’s just got this amazing, expressive dark eye that just pulls people to him.

He’s just got this soulfulness about him. He can be very gentle and quiet, which he is 99 percent of the time. And then he can fire up when you show him in halter and be the epitome of what an Arabian stallion is.

I just showed him last May. Literally people from all over the show grounds heard him going in to the arena. He was digging through the dirt, throwing it over his back. He went in that ring like I’ve never seen him, and he beat the 4-year-olds. He was 20 at the time.

He just came off the Scottsdale show where his Breyer model was introduced, and in five days, he met 700 children one on one. He’s just got this incredible love of people. He has an affinity for those who’ve been troubled. I’ve seen it happen with adults and children. There’s just something about him that draws these folks to him. They walk away with a sense of peace.

I’ve been working with animals my whole life, and I’ve never seen a temperament like this. That’s what drew me to him. We weren’t looking for a stallion, let alone a horse. I just fell in love with him. He was next to one of my mares at the show barn. That’s how we met. I would just share carrots and apples with him. Then I started going in his stall and grooming him. My trainer, Chris, said you’re just going to be broken hearted—his owners are taking him home to sell him. My husband surprised me with him. He’s a magnet.

H&R: Does he do any events other than halter?

Lisa: We are the only team for the Arabians to ever win a performance national title (for Western pleasure) and a halter national title (stallion halter, amateur owner) at the same U.S. National competition.

He went polar opposites. He had to be really quiet and calm for Western and then he had to be bouncing off the walls for halter. He was competing against horses between three and 12 years old, he was then 18.

It’s interesting. The gentleman who was his handler for the U.S. Nationals as a 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old--when he got his first titles--was at the last Scottsdale show when I presented the American flag with him for the opening ceremonies, and he said, “That horse looks better than he ever looked in his life; I’d never believe he’s 21.”

H&R: What do you think makes him special?

Lisa: He had some bad history before us, and he loves having his family. He lives at home with us, which is very unique for a stallion that’s still breeding. When I first took him for his collection, I thought it was our true test: If he’d be able to deal with coming home. He’s just truly a gentleman.

It’s almost like a person who’s been through tough times and appreciates all the good around them. It’s a true appreciation for what he has. He loves being home. There’s an appreciation about him.

When people ask how I treat him, I say it’s with a level of respect. He responds to that. That’s what we do with all of our animals. My kids are four-legged, not two-legged. It’s just a blessing to have him in our lives. He returns that, too. It’s an appreciation about him and an affinity for or understanding about what isn’t so good. I think that’s what he recognizes about people who are troubled, because in some ways, he’s been there.

H&R: What is he like under saddle?

Lisa: Amazing! You can’t tell if you’re on the wrong lead--not that he takes it. He is so smooth. He’s a big horse for an Arabian stallion------he’s 16 hands, but he moves so softly. There’s just such a dignity about what he’s like under saddle.

When we carried the flag a the Scottsdale show, it was probably one of the biggest honors and most memorable moments of our year. He literally takes people’s breath away; you can hear them gasp. When he breaks through the gate, they stand. Someone said, “I don’t know if they’re standing for the flag or if they’re standing for Sshame.” It’s just a vision, and he’s so respectful.

Looking for a complete Western look for your father or grandfather this Father’s Day? Treat the cowboy in your family to this casual outfit that’s great for a summer barbeque or rodeo.

A rope bag, money clip, and the right pair of boots will have Dad ready to go!

Watch Clinton demonstrate this lesson in the video below.

Like a needle on a gauge, your horse’s head position is an indicator of his emotional state. When his head rises, he’s tense and prepared for flight; when it lowers, he’s relaxed and at ease. By teaching a drop-head response, you can ask your horse to calm down on cue—especially useful if your horse is the nervous or spooky type.

I’ll explain how to teach the cue from the ground, then from the saddle. It’s straightforward, but does take patience on your part in the beginning.

From the ground. Put your horse in a rope halter with training lead. Place your thumb and index finger on the knot just below your horse’s chin and apply gentle, steady pressure downward. You’re not trying to pull the head down; you’re just applying pressure as a cue. Watch your horse carefully, and the instant he drops his head even a fraction, release the pressure and praise him. (It’s better to err on the side of releasing a bit too soon than a bit too late.) Then ask again.

The first few inches down will be a challenge. Be patient and keep at it. Once your horse gets the concept, he’ll soon be dropping his head all the way to the ground every time you ask. Eventually, encourage him to keep his head down at ground level for a few minutes, to allow time for him to feel the serenity that naturally comes from a lowered head.

From the saddle. Once your horse responds reliably to the cue from the ground, tack him up (a snaffle bit is best for this) and try it mounted. From a standstill, shorten one rein a bit, lift that hand slightly to apply light pressure to your horse’s mouth, then just wait. You’ll feel tempted to increase the pressure to get a response—but don’t. Apply just enough pressure that your horse begins to look for a way out of it.

Then, the instant he drops his head even slightly, release the rein entirely and praise him lavishly. Don’t worry if he moves about a little while you’re working on this; just focus on the head dropping and release whenever he complies. As before, the first few inches will be challenging, so be patient. Once your horse figures it out, he’ll begin to respond quickly and willingly.

Then practice the drop-head cue frequently on an ongoing basis, especially any time your horse becomes tense or fearful. Eventually, your horse may start dropping his head on his own whenever he begins to feel nervous or anxious, “self-medicating” himself in order to feel calmer. Now that is a result worth working for!

Julie Goodnight, known for her ability to teach horses and riders of all skill levels, hosts “Horse Master with Julie Goodnight” on RFD-TV. She also presents clinics nationwide from her home base near Salida, Colorado (juliegoodnight.com).

Have you ever wondered how your horse sometimes seems to know what you’re feeling?

Dr. Allan Hamilton, a Harvard-trained neurosurgeon and a horse trainer, has written a book that connects the science and spirituality of horses like two halves of a whole as he explains how horsemen have much to learn in the presence of horses.

Hamilton works in two worlds: One world is the clinical, scientific world of medicine; the other is the intuitive, sensing world of horses. His book, Zen Mind, Zen Horse, bridges both worlds and explains how horses, as prey animals, evolved in a way that made them consummate, non-verbal readers of humans. That uncanny ability for horses to perceive human emotion is a hefty strand in the horse/human bond.

With glimpses at Hamilton’s book and suggestions he offers, we’ll take a look at what we can learn from horses, why they’re able to read even our imperceptible cues, and what we can do to understand and bond with our horses in meaningful ways.

Serendipity
It started with an injury. Hamilton, who served as a surgeon during Desert Storm in 1990, returned home with a back injury that forced him to give up riding for a full year. A lifelong horseman, he wasn’t happy to comply with that directive. In frustration, he turned to groundwork with his horses, and that perspective opened up a whole new world of understanding. He began to communicate with his horses—and to see how they perceived him—in new ways.

“I began to see that what was happening with horses was sort of a metaphor for other things. You can see all of life through horsemanship,” Hamilton says. And groundwork, he adds, is “one of the best ways for humans to enhance their awareness of non-verbal communication.” Not just communication with horses, but communication in all aspects of life. He contends that you can improve your communication and interpersonal skills by interacting with horses.

“Some days they match your mood, and there are other times where they mirror you, and say ‘this is what you look like.’ It’s one of their gifts—they read your body energy and give you a chance to see what you’re putting out. It’s another level of awareness that they bring,” he says.

Carefully considering non-verbal communication, Hamilton developed a new philosophy with his horses, one that was grounded in science and practiced with spirituality. And he found ways to combine his work as a healer with his deeper understanding of horses. Hamilton offers seminars that range from teaching executives how to negotiate (which, he says, is what working with horses is all about) to helping doctors develop sensitive bedside manners. He offers seminars for veterans, cancer patients, women who’ve left abusive relationships, kids in the juvenile justice system, and people dealing with substance abuse. All of them, he says, benefit from the lessons horses teach.

For example, his retreat for doctors learning about bedside manners came about when he was at a hospital, doing rounds with a group of young doctors. “We’d blow into a patient’s room, and he or she would look startled.” It was, he realized, something he’d never have done when walking into a horse’s stall. Learning to approach people with calm, respectful body language is a lesson horses teach.

“Horses,” he says, “are quiet, loving, peaceful sages that are always offering up one more lesson about your self.”

A Matter of Chi
The lessons horses teach us have their basis in science, Hamilton says. Horses are able to pick up on a person’s emotions, mood, and energy because they’re prey animals that have evolved to read even the subtlest body language.

Yet, behind that science of self-preservation is spirituality. Hamilton looks at the spiritual beliefs of many cultures, and describes using the Asian concept of Chi.

“Chi conveys a notion of flow...it relates to the vitality of breathing and implies a concept of fundamental vigor,” he says. “At the same time, it carries undertones of personal willpower and determination.”

He describes Chi at work with horses as their “primary language,” and explains that over millions of years, equids fine-tuned and developed their non-verbal vocabulary. Their survival as prey animals depended upon it.

So what does that mean for your relationship with your horse? It’s a basis for understanding. When you approach your horse from the ground, you’re transmitting information to your horse, even if you aren’t aware of doing so.

In a herd of horses, one horse’s movement—the twitch of an ear or the slightest shift of hips—is “enough to send ripples of energy through all members of the herd,” he says. That Chi helps keep a herd safe and aware, sometimes over great distances.

“Your horse can feel your energy. Just thinking about one thing or another changes the energy you’re putting out,” he explains.

Hamilton uses round-pen work as a case in point.

“If I direct my vision to the area slightly behind where the girth would be, the horse drives forward. All I’m doing is making my eyes move, but the horse senses that.” And, he says, if your attention drifts away from the horse, he perceives that change and responds accordingly.

“Horses,” he says, “are virtuosos at reading the energy given off by another horse—or a person. Horsemanship is based on the energetic interaction between horse and trainer. So to become adept with horses we must change our sensitivity to Chi.”

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