One outstanding luxury afforded by our country is the abundance of public lands available to trail riding. You can explore the wilderness any time of year. You might go on organized day rides or overnight camping trips where large groups of horses congregate. While these activities are enjoyable, they provide ample opportunities for losing your horse on the trail or from your campsite.
My husband and I once spent two months riding our horses across Colorado. During that adventure, we learned about keeping our horses in view while they were hobbled around our camp. Some lessons were learned the hard way, accompanied by time spent tracking and hiking. We always recovered our horses within five hours, but other folks haven't been as lucky. They've lost their horses for days, weeks, and months; some have never been found. Here, we'll look at ways to help prevent your horse from getting loose, and what to do if he gets out of sight, or worse, is stolen.
Here are some ways to keep a firm grip on your horse on the trail and in camp. (Caveat: Before you leave home, accustom your horse to any containment techniques you plan to use on the trail and/or while camping; if you need to, ask a knowledgeable horseperson to help you.)
Ride with others. If your horse spooks or bolts, you may be forced to let go of the reins as you fall. Then you've got a horse on the loose. Ride with at least one other person in case you do get thrown, not only for your own safety but also to enable quick recovery of your horse. Being a herd animal, your horse will tend to stay with the other horse or horses, and will be less likely to run off. And, if he does, your riding buddy can follow him on horseback to catch him.
Tether your packhorse. On a pack trip, it can be tempting to let the packhorses follow the saddle horses without a lead rope. This often works well, but not always. If there's more than one pack-horse loose on the trail, they might venture off on their own, content with each other's company, but separated from the group. Tether each packhorse to another horse, or lead him from a cooperative saddle horse.
Tie securely. Part of the wilderness experience means pausing on the trail to enjoy the view, eat lunch, go fishing, or explore steep terrain on foot. During such saddle breaks, tie your horse securely using a halter and lead rope to a strong tree. Make sure he can't get tangled in the branches with his lead rope, or catch his leg in it.
Use a breakable halter. Use a leather or Breakaway halter in case your horse does break loose. Halters made from rope or nylon won't give under pressure when snagged on a solid object; the result could be disastrous.
Use a highline. In camp, an excellent method of securing your horses is with a highline. To set up a highline, secure a stout rope between two strong trees, or between two horse trailers or a combination of tree and trailer. Find a location with relatively level, solid footing, free of natural hazards. Separate each horse by about 12 to 15 feet, or whatever distance is necessary to prevent kicking or entanglement. Tie each lead line to the highline so that no horse can get his head much lower than his chest. When you're nearby to monitor the horses, you can lengthen the line to release their heads so their noses just barely reach the ground; then they can graze or lie down. But never leave a horse unattended on a long line.
