First overnight trip

My daughter and I did our first overnight horse camp trip.

OK. The trip was a success. I did learn a bit from the trial run. First and most important!!!!! I am way to old to be sleeping on the ground without some sort of pad and pillow. ;D I'm still achy from laying on the ground. Other than that, The horses did great hi-lined for the night. I also need to bring hobbles. Standing around for an hour while they graze holding the lead rope can get pretty boring. Especially when you are tired.
I have done a bit of back country backpacking, but when taking the horses, it adds a whole new dimension with a lot more you need to pay attention to. I'm just glad everything worked out well.. Now my wife wasn't too thrilled with taking the horses but seeing it went well, she wont give me such a hard time next time ;)
Hi-line test at home

The gear

Packing up


The tent

Hanging the tack

Mandatory campfire

Hi-lined for the night

View of the trail

Packed up on the hi-line to head back to the truck

Sounds like you had a great time! Good for you!

The first time packing off of your own horse is always a fun thing.

I agree some type of cushion/insulation from the ground is a good thing. I've recently started using a hammock and have found it to be very comfortable as well as taking up less space and weight.

One small caution - The last pic with your horses saddled up on the highline. I did that myself - once. The saddle horn can catch the lead line/highline and cause a big wreck. I ended up cutting my favorite lead when I made that mistake. It's a bit safer to tie them to a tree for the brief period between saddling up and taking the highline down.

Why did you hang the saddles? I've heard that porcupines will eat a saddle to get to the salt, but didn't think they lived in NY.

At any rate, it's great to hear that the backcountry horse riding community has gained a new rider.

Nokota, it looks like y'all had fun!!!! I'd love to do that but ya know, my bones aren't getting younger and sleeping on the ground...ummm I don't think so...something might crawl on me that I didn't want to be that acquainted with!!

If I went, I'd have to have a hammock or something like that. Hammock sounds good and I'd be off the ground where creepy crawlies couldn't crawl in!!!

Oh yeah, that blue roan wants to come live with The Biscuit. What a pretty horse!

Looks like a lot of fun. I'm not into "roughing it" camping. But I love camping with horses. (I stay at camp grounds with water and corrals, etc.) I'm glad you had fun and hope you get to do it again.

Here are some of the corrals that my trail club built.

Trails, I did a lot of question and answer on another forum with guys that run packstrings into the backcountry. After posting the pics there, two guys said the same thing about tacking your horse up on the hiline. And we do have porcupines here in NY. But it was also suggested to hang the tack to keep the leather and fleece away from field mice for the same reason.
QOS, not sure if I could sleep in a hammock, but it is something I am looking into. And thanks for the compliment on the Roan. She is 5, I got her when she was 3 and by far the best horse I have ever owned.
Reiterin, nice corrals, but more than that.....what a great looking horse!!! Is that yours?

Nokota, hammocks are nice. My grandpa used to make them out of canvas and he would plait the ropes to hang them with. My grandparents were from the Cayman Islands and lots of folks slept in hammocks under the coconut trees. I went to Grand Cayman and met Grandpa's older sister (she was 96 at the time!) and she was swinging her hammock!!! Aaaahhh...I think I need a hammock right now!!! And the horse definitely wants to move to Texas.....she is tired of the snow up there.

Those are some nifty dandy doodle corrals! I like them and the horse is pretty too!

Wow that looks like amazing fun! I am so envious!!

It was fun!!!

QOS The horse has already moved south!! She came from Minnesota where winters are even colder. She does not like the heat, humidity, or bugs any more than I do!!!! I think she is happy right where she is!
But it's nice to know she has a home if anything happened to me

Oooohhhh okay (very reluctantly said I hope you know!) There are loads of heat, humidity and bugs here. It was 99 degrees at the barn yesterday when I was trimming Biscuit's feet. OMG I was soaking wet and this from a girl who doesn't even like to "glow". We have been riding early in the morning and it isn't too bad but we are wearing "cool vests" which help immensely. But...if she ever gets tired of the snow, our 60 and 70 degree winters will probably agree with her!