Winter Trip Planning

As you read this, another trail riding season is about to begin. It will be a joy to go to the barn without layering on the clothes and being greeted by a horse that may be dirty, but not necessarily wet and filthy. Of course, as this is being written, it remains slick, slick, slick outside not to mention COLD. This winter has been rough and mud season has yet to begin. It is, thankfully, also the time of year that at least there is some hope that spring will eventually arrive.

Even more than usual, trip planning has become a favorite activity among my riding buddies this winter. Everything from riding in Ireland to a day ride at a new location are in the works. Lately, returning to ride the Bob Marshall wilderness (near Glacier National Park) has been on my mind but that trip is one that I have made twice before. Perhaps I should try somewhere else this year. Custer National Park is a place I have visited, but never ridden. I know from other people’s adventures that it would be a place I would enjoy. I truly love the area around Santa Fe, New Mexico, and perhaps I should consider riding there. The Boyer Valley area of western Iowa is a gorgeous place I drove through two summers ago. I wonder if there are places to ride and camp there? Having spent a few minutes on the Internet looking for state parks or the like, the answer seems to be that it will be necessary to find some “personal contacts” for better information. That took me to the Iowa Horsemen’s Council with a request for member contact in the area. Blind contacts through the Internet have proved both very good and very bad, in my experience. I am willing to bet that IHC will be a good one.

Public lands sites are pretty available at www.recreation.gov and are a good beginning to some riding vacation planning searches. It is very disheartening to watch the number of places listed with camping and trails decline when you select horseback riding or horse camping. Many places offer none at all. Very few offer horse camping, but a few more do offer day riding.

Some offer rental horses, which is not a bad thing if the stable is decently run. These concessionaires offer the general public the opportunity to experience trail riding, often for the first time. Concessionaires also allow horse owners to experience a ride that they would not have been able to have because they did not bring their own horse with them. Some really good concessionaires even allow you to stable your own horse at their facility and enjoy an area that you might not otherwise be able to experience. Perhaps this is an area to explore even further during my trip planning, whether it happens with or without my mare. Why is it that so many public places do not offer horse trail riding? There are probably as many reasons as there are public places, but the common threads appear with regularity. Some public places are simply not appropriate for horseback riding. What! Yes, I do believe that. Generally, these are small venues with a specific view, a protected species, or insufficient funds to maintain the site for extended public access. “Insufficient funds” is even more common that it has been in the past because even though government stimulus is gushing money, very little of it seems to come to public land. Having banged the drum for years regarding the necessity of you becoming personally, directly involved in working with the land managers at your favorite public riding places, I will not go cover that topic again here. Volunteer work remains one of the most important things you can do to preserve your favorite public riding places.

When considering where to ride this season, bear in mind your limitations as well as those of your horse. The Lady and I have shared many adventures, including some that pushed her a bit farther than should have happened. Hill work in our early years comes to mind as the number one mistake I made. We lived in “flat land” and some of the challenges of riding over extreme hills for hours were very hard on her. Luckily for me and fortunately for her, no serious, lasting, or permanent problems resulted from my lack of knowledge and, yes, I now consider her condition before embarking on a ride in a new area. For horses that are not accustomed to being in a trailer for a long ride, the trip to get to your destination can be stressful, so allow a day for “recoup” prior to really getting into your new adventure.

A friend of mine took a road trip out West last summer and was traveling with a couple other trailer loads of horses and people. While she enjoyed the trip, it was marred by the fact that several of the other riders did not want to ride as much as she did. It is good to consider who you are traveling with and what their likes and dislikes are before committing to spending a couple weeks with them. If you are not all “on the same page,” you might want to consider changing your plans before putting precious travel time into jeopardy.

So, I am keeping these thoughts in mind and still considering where to travel off to this summer. This may be the summer I accept invitations to ride new places. I have not made up my mind where this will be, or whether The Lady will travel with me or not. I know that we will share many rides around the Galena area, but we do that regularly. Whatever happens, I know that I can hardly wait to hit the trails again! Hope to see you there!