Category Archives: Tack and Gear

Posts regarding saddles, tack, and gear for horse and mule packing, riding, and training

Tack and Gear

Primary Gear for the Pack Animals…

Let’s talk about primary gear for pack animals.

Now, as a reminder, this is the gospel according to the “First Book of Tony.” This is from my own experience and it pertains to long-distance horse/mule packing, rather than outfitter-style packing into a base camp.

My list of primary gear for a pack animal contains the following:

  • Pack Saddle and associated rigging
  •  Pack saddle pad
  • Pack halter and lead rope
  • Panniers (either hard or soft)
  • Cover tarp (canvas)
  • Lash cinch and lash rope
  • Breakaways
  • Pack scale

Those of you who have followed my blog for awhile will recall a couple of posts I did shortly after the previous legs of my Mexico-to-Canada pack trip. You can find them here and here, for your reading pleasure. There are a couple other related posts, as well as a couple of videos that can be found on my Youtube Channel, Western Trail Rider.

To review a little, I have used both Decker style and crossbuck style pack saddles with equal success. It is a fact that Decker style pack saddles are more versatile than crossbucks, however, for the style of packing I do, a crossbuck works just fine.  I have discovered through experience on the trail that packing with panniers is easier and more convenient for the kind of packing I do than packing mantied loads on a Decker pack saddle.

Crossbuck pack saddle on our mule, Honey
Decker style pack saddle

My Decker style pack saddles have metal bows that are designed to be used like crossbuck pack saddles as well as with mantied loads.

I’ll explain the difference. Panniers are large bags or boxes that are hung on the pack saddle frame. On a crossbuck, they are simply hung over the crossbuck via straps, allowing one bag or box to hang on either side of the pack animal. Mantied loads are bundles of gear wrapped up and tied in a canvas tarp, called a manty, after which they are hung on the side of a Decker style pack saddle by ropes attached to the pack saddle frames. Mantied loads are great for hauling hay bales, feed sacks, or odd-sized items, which can be wrapped up in a bundle inside a “manty.”

Utah-style paniers on a Decker-style pack saddle
Box panniers on a pack saddle with top pack
Mantied loads on a Decker style pack saddle

For the style of packing I do, packing up manties every morning, prior to departure, is simply a waste of time. It takes a lot more effort to pack and balance the manties than to pack and balance panniers. Additionally, panniers serve as a place to store items while in camp, which can be pulled out and replaced as needed. Therefore I will restrict my comments on this post to pannier packing.

I purchased a pair of Phillips Formfitter pack saddles from Outfitters Pack Station, which I have found to be excellent and durable pack saddles. The leather is excellent and the frames and bars well made. While a crossbuck pack saddle has wooden bars that are fixed in position, the Formfitter pack saddle’s bars are mounted so that they can swivel, allowing them to adjust to a variety of pack animal backs. Additionally, accessory bars, made to fit a mule back, are offered as well, and can be changed out with minimal effort.

In general, the rigging of a crossbuck pack saddle is less cumbersome than the rigging of a Decker style pack saddle, which saves a little on weight. However, either style can be adjusted to suit a variety of pack animal body sizes.

A Decker style pack saddle normally has a cover, called an Arapajo, apparently called after a half-breed Arapajo Indian who first commonly used them. It is also sometimes called a “half-breed.” This canvas cover holds a 1 X 4 board on each side of the pack animal, which spreads the load and prevents items in the pack from poking into the side of the pack animal. It also protects the pack saddle and straps from excessive wear from use. While I have seen half-breeds made for crossbuck saddles, their use is uncommon.

Panniers, as mentioned, are either large bags, sometimes called “Utah bags,” which are made of a durable canvas or synthetic material, or hard boxes, into which gear and other items are placed. The bags are then hung on the pack saddle frame. Some bags are deep with narrow mouths, while others are shallow with wide mouths. Your own preference will dictate which you elect to use. I tend to like the Utah bag style, which is what is pictured above, because the depth provides plenty of room for anything one would desire to place in it, while the narrow mouth makes it unnecessary to cover the pack with a tarp when the weather is fair.

A canvas or plastic tarp may be used to cover the pack, which is then tied in place with a “diamond hitch” or a variety of other hitches that have been used for that purpose.

Honey, the mule packed with soft panniers and top pack tied in place with a diamond hitch

This cover retains any gear that is packed on top of the pack and panniers and keeps the load waterproof and dust proof.  The tying of  packing hitches is outside the scope of this post.

One caution, with regard to bag panniers, is that in a river crossing, if the pack animal should get into deep water or should stumble and fall, bag panniers that are open at the top can fill with water and can drag the pack animal under and drown it. Panniers made of “bear cloth”, such as the ones pictured above, drain water quickly, but not quickly enough to save a pack animal that has stumbled in a river. If river crossings are imminent, I recommend the pack always be covered with a tarp and well tied in place with an appropriate hitch.

Box panniers are handy for a variety of reasons. In some areas where I have packed, there is a danger from bears in camp. In areas where Grizzly Bears are present, government agencies regularly require “bear-proof” boxes to contain food items. Now, there is no such thing as anything bear-proof, however several manufacturers make bear-resistant boxes that qualify under the regulations. These are generally metal or heavy plastic boxes, into which gear and food items are placed.  These boxes serve nicely in camp as tables and chairs as well.

An additional benefit of these “hard panniers,” is that they teach a pack animal to be careful of how close it passes by trees, rocks, and other obstacles. I once had a pack horse walk too closely to a point of rock on a narrow trail. He was bucked into the river when the box contacted the rock. When we passed by that rock on the way out, he was very careful not to let the box hit the rock.  After a few days carrying hard panniers, a horse will be careful of a rider’s legs when under saddle. This is how I train my saddle horses not to brush my legs on obstacles.

Regardless of what kind of packs or panniers you decide to use, it is important to have a good pack scale, with which to weigh each pack. Once both packs a pack animal will carry are balanced to within 2 pounds or so, they are ready to be loaded onto the animal. In that way, the pack tends to stay centered on the pack animal’s back. If left unbalanced, the packs will tend to slip to the heavy side, which can cause saddle sores as well as some pretty spectacular wrecks!

A good pack saddle pad is important in order to keep a pack animal from getting sore from carrying a pack load. In the past, when I was using only wooden crossbuck pack saddles, I often used a pack saddle pad with a regular riding saddle pad on top of it, thinking I was better protecting the animal’s back. However, I learned that over-padding my Formfitter pack saddles actually causes saddle sores on the withers of the pack animal. It also caused the pack saddle to be unstable and turn under the load. The first day I packed with my Formfitter saddles, I had to stop nearly every other mile to re-settle the pack saddle on a particular Quarter Horse mare we were packing. Once we removed the extra padding, things went well.

I use 3/4″ thick mohair pack saddle pads of the Diamond brand, which I purchased from Outfitters Supply. They are offered by a number of vendors. I have found these pack saddle pads to adequately protect the back and sides of my pack animals. There are other, more expensive pads that are quite thick, which I have also found to be good, but I have not found them to be sufficiently better than my mohair pads to justify the extra expense.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I prefer heavy flat-braided halters and 5/8″ poly lead ropes. My halters are made so that I can attach the lead to a ring on the side of the halter, which allows the chin strap to put pressure under the lower jaw of the pack animal, to coax it to follow.

Pack halter and lead rope

It also keeps the lead rope out from directly in front of the pack animal, so as not to obstruct its view of the trail or allow it to step on the lead rope, should it become slack. My lead ropes are attached directly to the halter via a loop I braid into the lead rope. I have no snap buckles on my lead ropes. A link to the seller of the rope and halters I prefer was provided in the previous post.

A lash cinch is a flat canvas cinch with a ring on one end and a hook on the other. It is attached on the ring end to a lash rope. My lash ropes are 3/8″ poly rope (the same type as my lead ropes) and are about 35′ long. Some packers use lash ropes as long as 50′. It just depends on what kind of packing hitch you prefer and how large your normal loads are.

Lash cinch and lash rope

Once a pack animal is loaded with its panniers, a top pack may be loaded on top. A top pack generally contains miscellaneous light items, such as sleeping bags, pack tents, clothing, etc. While it is a temptation to pack all these items in small bags and containers and then pack them into the top pack, I recently learned a new method that works much better.

On a recent pack trip to Alaska with a friend, he taught me to just toss everything into the top pack loose – the sleeping back unrolled, the clothing loose, nothing packed into any kind of bag or container. The top pack essentially converts into a suitcase for that individual’s personal belongings. This way of packing a top pack keeps things from settling to one side as the pack animal moves, requiring the top pack to be resettled on occasion. I found my friend’s way of packing a top pack to be effective in keeping a top pack centered and riding perfectly balanced on top of the panniers and pack saddle.

The panniers and top pack may then be covered with a canvas or plastic tarp. This tarp generally measures about 7′ X 8′ and is sufficient to cover the entire top of the pack and panniers. It is then tied in place with the lash cinch and lash rope, using an appropriate hitch, such as a diamond hitch.

A breakaway is a short length of breakable twine that is tied between each pack animal, which allows a pack animal to break away from the animal in front of it, in case of a wreck or other incident. I generally make mine of 1/4″ or 5/16″ hemp or manilla rope.  Mine are about 12-16″ long with a loop braided or tied into either end.

Each pack saddle has a loop of rope tied to its frame that hangs out the rear of the saddle, over the rump of the pack animal. The breakaway is looped through that loop and the lead rope is attached to the other end of the breakaway, thus keeping a breakable connector between each pack animal. This is particularly important when pack animals are used in precarious terrain, so that if one pack animal should fall, it will not pull down others with it.

Having said that, however, I seldom use breakaways anymore. I found that my pack animals quickly learned that they could break away by simply pulling back on their lead rope and they would be free. Unless I am crossing rivers or otherwise dangerous terrain with my pack string, I either tie them solid to the pack frame of the animal in front of them or simply leave them loose to follow the lead animal. Once the pack animals have been “broke to the trail”, they generally follow well. But, unless you are absolutely confident in your pack animals, you should tie them. It is a melancholy feeling to see your pack string running loose,  returning to the trailhead without you after the second or third day on the trail!

As I have learned many of the tricks of the trade, so to speak, of horse packing, I found a book by Bob Hoverson to be very helpful. Although he speaks mostly to outfitter style packing, I have incorporated much of the information he presents in the book into my horse packing routine and gear.  I recommend it.

The Packer’s Field Manual, by Bob Hoverson

In my next post, we’ll talk about camp gear, with particular attention to horse-related gear. Stay tuned.

TH

 

 

Tack and Gear, Western Trails

Another Leg of My Mexico-to-Canada Pack Trip Coming Up…

Another leg of my Mexico-to-Canada horse pack trip is coming up in May. A couple friends and I will be horse packing from Flagstaff, near where Dad and I stopped in 2016, to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Actually, we’ll be stopping this leg at Tusayan, but may take a day and ride a few of the equine trails in the Grand Canyon National Park along the South Rim. This leg, as close as I can calculate, will be about 108 miles. We’ll start making tracks from Flagstaff on May 13…if all goes according to plan.

The next leg will take me through the Grand Canyon and up to the AZ/UT border, east of Kanab, Utah. Not sure just when I’ll be making that trip. Hopefully this fall or next spring. Once across the “big ditch,” I should be able to make two or three legs per year and maybe get this whole thing done before I’m too old to ride!

So, I thought I’d write a post about horse packing gear and what I’ve learned so far, in the 555 miles I’ve packed from the US/Mexico Border in Arizona to Flagstaff.

A pack trip such as this, in which I travel from one place to another, and then another, never spending more than one or two nights in the same camp, is a little different than one in which an outfitter packs into a base camp, from which riders ride out and return each day.  For instance, packing to a base camp might include a pack kitchen, complete with stove and maybe even limited cabinet space, while my camp kitchen consists of a single-burner on a propane can. Whereas the outfitter’s meal plan might include such luxuries as chile con carne and beef steak, mine is normally re-hydrated foods, including soups, stews, or scrambled eggs, and jerky. I don’t pack a tent, but sleep under a canvas tarp, whereas an outfitter would pack wall tents for his guests. Non-horse folks might equate the two different methodologies to family camping with a camp trailer and long-distance backpacking.

On this and related following posts, I will be talking only from my experience with regard to long-distance horse packing. Your mileage may vary, so to speak.

In this post, I’ll talk about the primary gear for the saddle stock, the stuff that carries the stuff on the riding horse. Here’s a list of my primary gear:

  • Riding saddle
  • Bridle
  • Halter and lead rope
  • Saddle pad
  • Breast strap
  • Crupper or britchin’ (optional)
  • Saddle bags
  • Pommel bags
  • Hobbles
  • Brush and/or curry comb

The riding saddle for a long-distance pack trip should be a well-made, sturdy saddle. I do not recommend saddles with flexible trees, such as are sometimes marketed for gaited horses, with claims that they flex to move with the horse. I have seen some serious saddle sores caused by saddles of this type. They tend to flex width-wise, such that the weight of the rider sits directly on the horse’s spine, right under the cantle. I recommend a saddle with rawhide covered wood tree, with a gullet width and bar angle suitable for your horse. The style of saddle (Wade, Association, etc) doesn’t really matter, except that it should have saddle strings for tying on saddle bags, pommel bags, slicker, jacket, etc.  Show saddles normally lack good saddle strings. The saddle should fit the rider comfortably. A saddle with a seat length too short will become very uncomfortable to the rider within a few miles. Aussie stock saddles are quite comfortable, when properly sized for the rider, however, the inexpensive ones have very lightweight trees that are not very strong. They can fail under stress and cannot be loaded heavily with the rider’s personal gear.  A riding saddle need not be expensive, but should be of good make and condition.

My used “Utahn” (maker) saddle

I bought my saddle used, in good condition, for under $400. It is probably over 60 years old, but it would be the equivalent of a modern new saddle in the $3500 range.

The saddle cinch is something I have carefully considered and experimented with. I use only 17 or 19 strand mohair cinches. I have not yet tried cinches made of alpaca, but they appear to be very similar to mohair. Cotton saddle cinches tend to stretch when wet and can become too loose during a long day of riding. I stay away from the wide roping-style cinches (right below). They are too wide and tend to cause rub sores behind the horse’s elbows. I absolutely stay away from neoprene and felt cinches, which also tend to rub sores on the horses, behind the elbows. These cinches also tend to hold moisture and heat against the horse, making them uncomfortable for the horse during a long day under saddle.

Mohair Cinches from Buckaroo Trading Company

The standard 17-strand mohair cinch (left) is the gold standard for me. I have never had a horse develop a serious cinch sore from a mohair cinch. They stretch very little, pass water and heat quickly, and dry quickly. They are easy to clean and return to near-new condition after being washed in a bucket of water with a little soap.

The saddle pad should be of good quality. I prefer a 3/4″ wool felt saddle pad. Mine happens to be made by Five Star, but there are less expensive saddle pads available through various sellers that would work nearly as well.

My Five Star wool felt saddle pads after cleaning

My second choice would be a mohair saddle pad. These pads are quite firm and hold their shape well. They also wick sweat away from the horse’s flesh and they dry quickly. Avoid thick, pillowy saddle pads. These pads are not suitable for long-distance travel. I also recommend against neoprene and other synthetic materials for a saddle pad. Just like the cinches, they tend to hold moisture and heat against the horse and can cause saddle sores during long miles under saddle. Some people have brought it to my attention that the US Calvary in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, used only a folded wool blanket for a saddle pad. It should be remembered that calvary soldiers traveled very lightly loaded and it was their practice to ride for about an hour, then dismount and walk for about an hour. You won’t be doing that on a horse pack trip. I also caution against over-padding, such as using a too-thick saddle pad, even one of wool felt or mohair. A too-thick saddle pad will cause a well-fit saddle to fit too tightly on the horse’s withers and can cause pressure points and possibly saddle sores.

While some people adamantly recommend break-away halters and lead ropes, in my opinion those items have no place on a horse pack trip. You simply cannot have your horse break away in the night and head back to the trailhead that might be 50 miles away. I always use heavy-duty nylon flat-braid halters with welded steel or brass rings and buckles. I have also found that the weak link in an otherwise heavy-duty setup is the lead rope buckle. I have eliminated the buckles from my lead ropes. I make my own lead ropes from 5/8″ poly rope, into which I braid a loop in one end and a return on the tail. The rope I prefer can be purchased by the foot from Rigging Warehouse. A horse cannot break it, yet it becomes soft to the feel with wear and is quite comfortable in the hand. The halters I prefer come from Outfitter’s Supply. These allow the lead to be attached on a side ring for pack animals and under the chin for a horse under bridle.

The bridle for a trail horse should be simple and sturdy. I prefer a bridle made from 5/8″ or 3/4″ harness leather with a browband and throatlatch. I prefer split reins of 5/8″ harness or latigo leather, at least 6′ long, although I knot them together, so I can lay them on the horse’s neck when I need to use both hands on something else. These reins tend to have a comfortable feel and balance in my hand. I use a curb bit marketed by Robart, which has proven to be comfortable and effective on my gaited horses. I occasionally use a braided rawhide bosal for training, but I do not use any form of bitless bridle for horse packing or trail riding. This is a personal preference for me, as I consider it to be a safety issue.

I consider a breast strap to be standard gear for horse packing. It keeps a heavily loaded saddle from slipping too far to the rear on a sweaty back when moving uphill. I prefer a mohair breast strap, because it passes moisture away from the horse and dries quickly. I have found that a heavy leather breast strap, such as is used for cattle work, will wear sores on the horse’s breast as it gets wet from sweat and gathers grit from the ride.  I currently use a breast strap made by Hilason, but have still gotten mild sores on my horse’s breast during a long pack trip. The rub sores come from the leather medallion in the center of the breast strap. I intend to fabricate my own breast straps with no leather medallion and see how they perform. Keep an eye on my website, because if they work, I may offer them for sale to my followers.

A crupper or britchin’ is an optional accessory. A crupper is made to hold a saddle in position on the horse’s back when moving downhill.

A crupper is a useful training tool

They are effective for trail riding, but I do not use them on long pack trips, as they can wear sores under the horse’s tail. I also use a crupper for training my trail horses, because it teaches a horse not to be too concerned when a lead rope gets pulled up under its tail. For those horses or mules that are “mutton-withered” (rounded withers) or slight shouldered, that allow the saddle to move too far forward when moving downhill, requiring the cinch to be uncomfortably tight, a britching or “butt strap” is useful. My horses have sufficient shoulders and withers to keep the saddle in place under normal circumstances, so I do not use them on my saddle stock on pack trips.

Accessories such as saddle bags and pommel bags are useful on trail rides and pack trips, but care must be taken not to overload the horse. I usually put in them things I may need to access during a day of riding. I carry lunch and snack items for the day, as well as several survival/emergency items, such as a compass, waterproof matches, cigarette lighter, and flashlight. On pack trips I also may carry a change of clothing  in my saddle bags, unless there is sufficient room in a pack pannier.  For trail rides I may also carry water bottles in saddle or pommel bags, but on a pack trip I use a military canteen hanging on the saddle horn. For pack trips I also carry a power pack for my electronic accessories, such as my iphone and Garmin GPS unit.

Canvas saddle bags from Outfitter’s Supply

I prefer leather pommel bags, but I have used canvas saddle bags for many years and have found them satisfactory. I like the canvas saddle bags with heavy flat-braid nylon or leather straps and metal buckles. I do not like plastic buckles, due to their propensity to break when you need them most.

I do not like the saddle bag/cantle bag combinations units, as they are not convenient for what I carry on my saddle during pack trips. I prefer saddle bags over which I can tie a slicker and coat without having a cantle bag in the way.  A few year ago, I purchased a very large set of saddle bags, made of a heavy synthetic “bear cloth” material. They are very handy, due to their large capacity, but it is easy to overload the horse with them and I am careful to watch what I put in them. The same is true of many of the high-capacity pommel bags commonly offered by various makers.

My extra large Smith and Edwards saddle bags

The final item for this post is a short discussion about hobbles. It is important for a horse intended for trail and/or pack trips to be trained to hobbles. Hobbles restrain the front legs and are handy for allowing a horse to graze during breaks and in the mornings and evenings on pack trips. However, hobbles should not be used to allow a horse to graze overnight. Most horses will learn to move along pretty well, despite their front legs being hobbled. As they do so, they tend to wear sores on their pasterns from the hobbles. Many people fix the hobbles to the cannon area of the legs to avoid the sores on the pasterns, but my experience is that the hobbles will eventually end up on the pasterns anyway.

Years ago, I spent a bunch of money for several sets of very nicely made leather hobbles. I still have them in storage, most of them unused. They quickly wear sores on my horses, to the degree that I consider them unusable. Besides that, they are bulky and heavy. I have used flat-braid nylon hobbles with some success, as they are easy to clean and maintain and are durable, but, again, if left on too long, or if the horse tends to move around a lot while grazing, they will wear sores on the pasterns. The best hobbles I have come across were made by my dad from a soft nylon rope we found along the trail. I keep a pair of those in my saddle bags at all times. They let my horses know they are hobbled, but allow some freedom of movement. They are light enough that they do not wear sores on the pasterns. They are light, easy to clean,  and easy to store in my saddle bags.

My “dad-made” hobbles

That’s about what I consider to be my primary gear for my saddle horse for horse packing, based on my experience. In future posts we’ll talk about camp gear and personal gear to fill out our equipment lists.

Next post we’ll discuss primary gear for the pack stock.

TH

Good trails, Tack and Gear, Training, Western Horsemanship, Western Trails

A Training Ride and an Invitation

I am going forward with my plans to make another short segment of my Mexico-to-Canada horse pack trip. In May this year, I will make the passage from Flagstaff, Arizona to the Grand Canyon National Park. I will not be crossing the canyon on this trip, but will stop at Tusayan.

In 2015, my dad and I made our way from the US/Mexico border to Dad’s hometown of Eagar, Arizona, by mountain trails, deserts, and backroads. That leg came to 355 miles, measured by GPS, and took us 28 days. I documented that trip in several blog posts that are available for your reading pleasure on this site. It is difficult to express in words how much I treasure that experience with my father. He and I had been talking and dreaming about making such a horse pack trip since I was in high school. Dad turned 81 years old just after we finished that trip.

Starting point, tied to the US/Mexico Border fence.
Dad and me just north of the US/Mexico border 2015

In 2016, Dad and I continued our trip. The second leg was supposed to take us from Eagar, AZ to Panguitch, Utah, just in time for us to ride in Panguitch’s Pioneer Day Parade and to celebrate the 64th Class Reunion of Dad’s high school graduation class of 1952. As it turned out,  however, that was a difficult trip for us. My favorite trail horse broke a leg on the fourth day and I had to put him down. Despite the tragedy, we continued the trip, but ended up having to stop at Flagstaff, AZ, due to extreme drought conditions and fire danger. There was not one drop of water anywhere in northern Arizona…at least not anywhere along our route. That leg of the trip came to 200 miles and it took us three weeks.

Dad and Me and our pack train on the Mogollon Rim, 2016

In about March 2017, Dad’s favorite horse bucked him off and dad suffered a couple pretty serious injuries. He has fully recovered, but it was touch-and-go for a while. He finally found a new home for that particular horse, so I gave him my little mustang as a trail companion.  Jimbo was Dad’s second saddle horse on our pack trip, so Dad has a long and special history with Jimbo. They are like peas in a pod. Two of a kind. Dad and Jimbo go together like pancakes and syrup.  Even though Dad has fully recovered from his injuries and is still able to ride, it made him realize that he has been pushing his luck. Last year my mother had to go through some back surgery and it fell to Dad to care for her and get her through the rough time. Dad has come to realize that if he were incapacitated, he would not be able to take care of some important responsibilities and that other people would have to be taking care of him. He has decided his horse packing days are done. Dad will not be riding any more of the Mexico-to-Canada horse pack trip with me.

Dad on our mustang, Jimbo, 2015

That doesn’t mean we won’t be going on rides together, just not back country pack trips.

So, for the upcoming leg of my big pack trip, I have invited some friends. So far, I have two close friends (I don’t yet have permission to publicize their names) who will be making this third leg of the trip with me. The trip from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon National Park covers, as close as I can figure, about 108 miles. We expect to cover about 15 miles per day, on average, so the trip will take about 7 days of actual travel. Adding two rest days to that, and an extra day for unanticipated contingencies, the trip will be about 10 days total. We have tentatively planned the trip for May 13-25, 2019. Now, it looks like we will have only Missouri Fox Trotters and Tennessee Walkers on this trip, so we’ll see if our daily mileage beats our estimates.

We are beginning now to get ourselves and our horses “legged-up” for the adventure. We are getting our gear together and putting some miles on the horses, trying to get ourselves into condition to maximize our chances to make a successful and incident-free passage from Flagstaff to the GCNP. There are some logistical details we still need to settle, but things are rolling.

I have hopes that I may be able to cross the Grand Canyon and continue to the Utah/Arizona border in the fall.

In the spirit of all of the above, I have planned a three-day horse camping trip to the Moab, Utah area for April 4-6. That is a Thursday through Saturday. My cohorts and I will be practicing our horse camping and packing skills and making sure all our horses are well-broke to the pack saddle and that we have all our gear together.

We will begin in the North Klondike area, probably arriving Wednesday evening, setting up a camp, then riding the area on Thursday. We will head farther south on Friday, to the area near the Hole-N-the-Rock store, about 12 miles south of Moab, for some red rock canyon riding. On Saturday we will likely head about 18 miles farther south, a little past Wilson Arch, to an area we call Turtle Rock, where we will ride about half a day, before heading home.

Here is a small gallery of photos from previous horse camps in the Moab area. Click on a photo to see the full image.

Anyone who would like to join us for this horse camping weekend in the Moab area is welcome to come.  The whole event will be BYOE (Bring Your Own Everything!). There is no fee, no registration, and no specific plans. Just enjoyable riding and some pleasant evenings around a campfire. There will be no services at any of these places, so everybody must fend for themselves. There are places in town where one may fill water jugs, etc. and I suppose there’s a feed store somewhere in town.

While I’m not going to call this a clinic and there will be no fees for anything, I will be available during our evenings and mornings to assist anyone who may be wanting to get started in horse camping, horse packing, and trail riding, during those three days.

I will post updates on my Western Trail Rider facebook page as well as on westerntrailrider.com. Feel free to contact me by email at

tony.henrie@westerntrailrider.com

UPDATE:

For anybody thinking about coming to ride with me at Moab, here are the coordinates of my campsites for the nights indicated.

Wednesday 38°49’11.73″N 109°45’57.56″W
Thursday 38°22’52.43″N 109°27’23.13″W
Friday 38°12’51.91″N 109°22’3.07″W

You can enter those in Google Earth and see the places. As there will probably be a lot of folks there for spring break, we may have to move our campsites a little, but they will be very near those coordinates.

Come join the fun.

At camp on the Gila River

 

Tack and Gear, Western Trails

To Alaska and Back – Part 2

This is the second installment of my four-part blog post about my trip in September 2018 to Alaska for a moose hunt with my friend, Derek Habel.

Part 1 ended with Derek and I arriving at our trailhead destination of Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory, Canada, where we parked the rig and prepared to head out on the horses to Derek’s hunt camp.

After arriving at Beaver Creek about 7pm (local time), we got the rig parked and the horses fed, watered, and cared for, then headed into town for a fine dinner at Buckshot Betty’s Restaurant.  We made it just in time, before they stopped serving. It’s pretty much the only game in town for sit-down eating, but it was also surprisingly good food for a one-dog town like Beaver Creek! Derek had made friends with Betty during his previous visits. She owns the parcel where we park the rig and set up camp at our trailhead. She allows Derek to park there during his stay during the moose hunting season.

The following morning, which would be Thursday, September 13, I believe, we loaded up our horses and headed up Beaver Creek to Derek’s special hideaway hunt camp. There really isn’t a trail. It’s just about 19 miles of rough riverbed country with close to 30 river crossings between the trailhead and the camp.

Heading out from Beaver Creek

As we started out, while it was beautiful country, the visibility was limited to the river and the trees lining it. While there was no trail, to speak of, Derek’s experience of the previous years in getting to and from his hunt camp proved valuable in picking shortcuts through the thickets and cutting off long bends in the river.  There were a couple times when Derek told me to take the lead and I got us into a mess in the thickets.

With our string of Missouri Fox Trotters and Tennessee Walkers, we made great time packing in. My DeLorme (now Garmin) GPS gauged our mileage at 18.4 miles (a later run had it at 18.7 miles). We made it in 4 hours and 10 minutes, including stops and about 30 river crossings. Our top speed was 9.6 miles per hour and our average moving speed was nearly 5 miles per hour, through some absolutely treacherous country. Doing that kind of speed on Quarter Horses would have resulted in our gear being strung all along the trail and our backsides being seriously pounded, but on Fox Trotters and Walkers, it was easy.

These are the actual readings from my GPS unit at our camp:

Location: N6*11.2104 W141*2.3048 (accuracy 16′)
Time moving: 4:10:38
Mileage: 18.4
Max speed: 9.6 mph
Average speed (moving): 4.5 mph

On the trip in, Derek’s big Tennessee Walker, Finn, took a few missteps here and there. There was one instance, during a river crossing where I was leading and was just coming out of the river, when I heard Derek yell. I turned back to look and saw him looking like a fishing bobber on the water! His horse had tripped and gone completely under and all I saw was Derek sitting the saddle, thigh-deep in the river. The horse quickly got his head up and regained his footing, however, and made it safely across the river. Derek said that happened three times on the trip in. On the trip out, we put Finn under a pack saddle.

Luckily, both Derek and I wore waterproof pants, and so stayed pretty dry. Derek also had waterproof boots, but I had on my leather packer boots. Despite all the care I took to treat and wax them, by the time we had made a half-dozen river crossings, my feet were wet and cold.

We saw tracks of both Grizzly and Black Bear in the sand along the river shore, but we didn’t actually see a bear. The tracks made it exciting, though, whenever we headed through the thickets to make shortcuts to bypass bends in the river!

Here’s a short video of us just after starting out, during our first river crossing:

We rolled into camp late that afternoon, due to a late departure from the trailhead. We situated the horses and immediately set up our camp. Derek brought a small four-man tent for sleeping quarters. He also had a camp kitchen disguised as pack panniers, made of welded sheet aluminum with a cook top in it. Pretty cool.

As the framework for the canopy from the previous year was still standing, we pulled out the tarps and other gear Derek had cached nearby from previous years, and got our kitchen area covered. Once we got our camp area settled and set up, we made ourselves a very tasty dinner.

The hunt camp on Beaver Creek, southeastern Alaska.

I thought I was a pretty experienced and learned horse packer, but I learned plenty from Derek during our preparation and execution of this trip. For instance, Derek’s wife, Traci, provided home made dinners for us, including lasagna, beef stew, ham, chicken pot pie, and other things, which she packed in freezer bags and froze. Derek has two large Yeti cooler bags in which all these frozen meals were packed. One Yeti went in each side of a set of soft panniers, where they fit much better than a set of hard-sided coolers. Even after 15 days, we still had frozen meals in the cooler bags in weather hovering around 50 degrees F most of the time.

Our camp kitchen

I also learned Derek’s system for loading top packs. I have always tried to compartmentalize everything: sleeping bags tightly packed in stuff sacks, clothing in nylon bags, doc kit, accessories, all things in their proper bag. Derek, on the other hand, simply throws everything loose into a top pack. Effectively, each person has their own top pack and it becomes one’s personal suitcase. In other words, no compartmentalization, no little bags. Sleeping bag goes in loose. Clothing loose.  Small personal items, like soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, and meds (Ibuprofen came in handy!) in a small bag, but that’s all. In this way, the top pack contents stay loose in the top pack and the top pack stays soft and balanced. It does not have the tendency to get off-balanced by all the bagged and bundled items getting jounced around and settling to the heavy side. With everything loose in the top pack, it stays in place better. I found Derek’s system to be very effective and efficient. You have to sort of dig around to find your socks, but that’s a small tradeoff for not having to re-settle a top pack every few miles. In the past I solved that issue by covering the top pack with a canvas manty and binding everything in place with a diamond hitch. Derek’s way saved weight, time, and effort.

Derek also packed in a small chainsaw for clearing trails. It is a Stihl with about a 12″ blade. The model is normally used at the end of a long pole for trimming tree branches. It is perfect for packing on a horse and for clearing trees up to a foot in diameter. Perfect for clearing trails in Alaska. I’m going to have to take a look at getting one like that.

The view from camp toward the east

We packed in about 200 pounds of feed for the horses, which was supplemented by local grasses. However, the grass isn’t as nutritious as what the horses were used to, so the sack feed went fast. We saved a bag for the last day of the hunt, to give the horses an energy boost for the trip packing back out to the trailer. It would have been nice to have been able to bring in more feed, but that would entail another pack horse to feed, and there wasn’t enough local grass to begin with. There comes a point of diminishing returns…

Once we got everything settled in camp, we did a little camp maintenance and then just relaxed. In the evenings and mornings we glassed the surrounding hills for moose and other game, but it was apparent early-on that we had arrived before the moose rut season had begun. So, our first few days in camp were pretty easy and involved a lot of time spent reading Louis L’Amour novels and pleasant conversation about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We got a sprinkle or two of rain, but in general, the weather was surprisingly pleasant.

I noticed the first evening that the Northern Lights were showing a pleasant glow in the western sky. It wasn’t the spectacular display I have seen in some documentary shows, but it was plenty beautiful for me. That was one of the “bucket-list” things I was hoping to check off on this trip. I enjoyed watching the display every evening when the western sky was not obscured by clouds. Sadly, it wasn’t bright enough to get a good video clip.

After a day or two lazing around camp, Derek guided me up a trail he has developed over the past several years, which leads up into the foothills to the northeast of camp. Up in those hills is where Derek has done most of his hunting and has had good luck in coming out with some very nice bull moose over the past six years.

Heading up into the foothills

On the way up the trail, we passed a very fresh Grizzly Bear rub on the trail. We were happy we had Lucky, Derek’s trail dog, with us. Lucky is half Bernese Mountain Dog and half Border Collie and Derek has trained him to run ahead of the horses about 10 yards or so, to warn us of bear in the trail. When the dog senses a bear, he sets up a very noisy warning for us and allows the riders to get set up defensively in case the bear becomes aggressive. In camp, the dog is also a very effective bear alarm. He slept right outside the door to the tent. As it turned out, we had no bear in camp on this trip, but it has happened in past years. It is particularly dangerous when there is meat on the meat pole after a successful hunt.

Interestingly, we had a bull moose walk right through our camp area one night, passing not far behind our tent,  and Lucky didn’t make a sound. I was the one who heard the moose snorting as he walked by. I couldn’t even wake up Derek. I had to show Derek the tracks the following morning, so he’d believe me!

Grizzly Bear rub, pretty fresh, too!

When you get into the thick forests in that area, it’s a bit spooky, knowing there are Grizzly around. You can’t see very far in any direction and the footing is poor, so you can’t rely on the horses for a quick getaway. In the event of a bear encounter on the trail, if the horse were to spook and bolt, it is likely both horse and rider would end up on the ground.

In the photos on this post, you will see what looks like beautiful ground upon which to ride, but in reality it is tundra-like, in that most of what you see is covered in about a foot of moss with mud underneath. The moss and mud is spider-webbed with roots of all sizes, hidden in the moss, creating a serious footing hazard for the horses. It is truly tough going for them and they need to be in top condition before the trip. Derek has found that MFT’s are very capable horses in that country and can move through it well and quickly. My grade TWH seemed to handle it well, but Finn proved to be pretty much a stumble-bum in it. It was probably the particular horse and not the breed in his case.

Derek’s trail has been used and maintained annually by him and is also used by game in the area, so the trail has stayed pretty open. However, it is sometimes hard to stay on, due to many game trails crossing it. Even after several passes on the trail, I still found a way to lose it in one particular spot. Once up into the foothills, however, we just found our way across the hillsides and gullies. We had particular difficulty finding our way across certain areas that were so soggy our horses would sink up to their knees in the mush. We tried to avoid those spots, but it was sometimes difficult to see them. We also had trouble finding our way across some gullies, as the streams would cut deeply and the sides were covered in dense growth. We looked for game trails passing through them, but even so, moose can go places where a horse and rider cannot. We had at least three occasions in which we narrowly avoided injury as horses went down crossing gullies.

The view from our hunting area looking west, into the Yukon Territory, Canada

In one such instance, Derek’s big Tennessee Walker stumbled coming up out of a deep cut and went over backwards. Derek was able to unload safely, but the horse continued rolling over backward and ended up in the bottom nearly folded in half, with his feet in the air. Derek and I were able to use the lead rope and get enough weight behind it to pull him out of the hole and back over on his side, to where he could get his feet under him enough to get back up. That was a close one, but there was no permanent damage to man, horse, or equipment. We felt pretty fortunate that there was no damage to Derek’s very expensive hunting rifle or scope on that one.

As you can see from the photos in the gallery below, we arrived in the area just as the seasonal change of colors was beginning. By the time we left, it was over and everything was brown for the winter.

We were in camp 15 days. During the latter part of the second week we discovered the moose rut had begun and we began to see a few moose. Nothing yet like the bull we were after, but game  all the same. We also saw one black bear sow with a cub from a great distance, who roamed a particular hillside for several days before disappearing. We also saw numerous Dall Sheep up on the steep hillsides above us. Their white coats stand out in sharp contrast to the surrounding terrain and they can be seen from a great distance even with the naked eye.

Dall sheep about 1,000 feet above us on the hillside

Since I was the horse-handler and Derek was the hunter (I didn’t even buy a hunting license), I spent a lot of time just glassing the areas and enjoying the tasty berries that covered the hillsides. We found patches of late-hanging blueberries and hillsides of low-bush cranberries. I snacked on them as often as I could. There were also a couple other kinds of berries available, but I didn’t like the taste as much as the cranberries.

Our camp was on an island, several acres in extent. As it was completely surrounded by the river, we felt comfortable allowing the horses to range freely to graze on the local grasses. For the first few days we had no trouble, but then a couple of the horses began crossing the river near camp to graze. We decided to start putting hobbles on a couple of them, but continued to allow the rest to roam freely. That seemed to work. Sometimes they would be gone for hours and then return to camp.

The horses coming back to camp after grazing across the river

One evening, on the 11th day out in camp, two of our horses decided they had enjoyed enough of the outdoors, so they headed back toward the trailer at the trailhead. The lead horse, Ginger, a Missouri Fox Trotter mare, who has been on this trip several times before, led out at a pretty good pace, with her trail buddy, another MFT, following. My Walker, J Golden, who was grazing with them at the time, decided he’d rather stay with us. He whinnied at them a couple times, as they crossed the river headed north, then returned to camp. When I saw him come into camp alone, I suspected what had happened. I hiked over to where they had been grazing and their tracks were plain to see, where they entered the river on the trail back up Beaver Creek toward the trailhead.

I’ll save that story and the rest of the hunt for another post.  Enjoy the photo gallery.

Stay tuned for more.

TH

 

 

 

 

 

Tack and Gear

Cleaning My Dirty Saddle Pads

Several months ago, I mentioned to a buddy that I needed to clean my saddle pads. He off-handedly replied that he just takes his to the car wash.

Well, I thought I’d give that a try.

Brand new Five Star 1″ wool felt pad

When Dad and I started our Mexico-to Canada pack trip in 2015 (it remains to be seen whether I’ll ever finish the trip), I spent some pretty big money on gear, to make sure we didn’t fail on our endeavor due to cheap, ratty gear. So, I bought a pair of Five Star wool felt saddle pads for my saddle stock. They were expensive, but have a very good reputation. I have to say I have never experienced a sore-backed horse, nor a saddle sore under one of these pads.  You might recall that Dad and I had a couple horses develop saddle sores, but they were from the pack saddles using mohair pack pads, not our riding saddles.

I have used those Five Star saddle pads since 2015, but have neglected to keep them as clean as I should. I decided to rectify that yesterday, as they had become pretty stiff and dirty lately, due to the new pasture where my horses are living. I call it pasture, because it is several acres, but there is precious little grass or other vegetation and the horses absolutely love rolling in the deep dust after a nice ride under saddle.

Spray washing with the car wash wand

So, I took my saddle pads down to the local car wash, where I put the wand to them. I used the soap setting at high pressure until the soap stopped looking muddy, then turned the selector to the rinse setting.

Wet pads, after cleaning

It was gratifying to watch the filthy soapy water running off my saddle pads. The car wash wand seemed to do a good job of deep cleaning the pads. They still have the discoloration from use and some imbedded horse hair, but the dirt and grime is gone. The wash cost me $7.15.

Back at the house, I hung the pads over the siderail of a trailer to dry in the sunshine, but by later that afternoon, it was looking like it was going to rain. I moved the wet pads to the garage and hung them on a rack, where they drip-dried over night.

I just went out to feel them this afternoon and they are almost dry (this is Utah, where ambient humidity is in the 20-30% range most of the time).  I am confident they’ll be completely dry before any mildew can form, which would make them start smelling sour. They are again soft and flexible, like they should be, and feeling pretty much like they felt when new. I’m quite pleased with the results.

I also cleaned a mohair girth at the same time, using the same process. It came out very nicely as well. This was an easy alternative to hand-washing my girth in a bucket of soapy water.

I think I will make this a regular part of my gear maintenance from here on out. However, next time I won’t wait three years between cleanings!

My Five Star wool felt saddle pads after cleaning

 

Horse Health, Tack and Gear, Western Horsemanship

Let’s talk about bits…

I recently saw a photograph on facebook that showed a horse with a damaged tongue. The associated post indicated the photo was taken by a vet, who said the tongue damage was from abuse from a snaffle bit. The vet said he/she sees this kind of tongue damage regularly.

Tongue damaged by a snaffle? I doubt it.

Quite frankly, I believe neither that the horse’s tongue was damaged by a bit nor that the person who wrote the post was a vet (I hate to be the one to tell you, but not everything you see on facebook is true). The ensuing discussion on the post inspired me to put down a few words about western bridle bits. I will restrict my comments to the world of western riding, as I have very little knowledge (regrettably) about English riding.

There are, in general, two major categories of bridle bits for western riding: The jointed or hinged mouthpiece bit and the solid mouthpiece bit (the mouthpiece being the part that goes inside the horse’s mouth). There are numerous variations within these two categories and several minor offshoots as well.

Then there are bits with shanks and bits without. The shanks, when coupled with a chinstrap (also called a curb strap or curb chain), provide leverage on the mouthpiece, which is how the shanked bit operates. These are often called “leverage” bits and are correctly referred to as curb bits.

Some curb bits are made with swivel joints where the shank attaches to the mouthpiece. Frankly, I’m not sure there is any real value to this, but it is the current fashion over fixed shanks welded to the mouthpiece.

A bit without shanks is called a snaffle bit. Most snaffle bits are jointed or hinged in the middle of the mouthpiece. A hinged bit with shanks about two inches long is called a Tom Thumb bit.  These are often referred to as snaffles, but that is a misnomer, as it has shanks and operates by leverage. It is a curb bit. Snaffles do not operate by leverage.

Tom Thumb bit is a jointed curb bit

Because a snaffle does not operate by leverage and because most are hinged in the middle, they are generally regarded, although incorrectly, as gentle bits.

O-ring egg-butt snaffle bit

Snaffle bits are often used by horse trainers on fresh horses in the  breaking process. Many trainers, myself included, will use a snaffle bit only long enough for the horse to learn the primary basic commands (such as stop, go, left, right, back) and will then transition the horse to a braided rawhide bosal.

Braided rawhide bosal with horsehair mecate

Most of the horse’s training will be done in the bosal, which operates by pressure and bumping on the horse’s nose and under the bars of the lower jaw, until the horse understands well its commands and becomes compliant and obedient. In this way a horse can be trained without the risk of injuring or desensitizing the tender mouth. The horse will then be transitioned to a solid mouthpiece curb bit, that is properly designed and suitable for the use of the horse, after it is well trained. The stiff braided rawhide bosal is not a gentle training tool and a horse can develop calcium deposits on its nose and on the bottom of the jaw if the bosal is overused or improperly used. There are softer bosals that are of little use for reining training, but are often used as “bitless” bridles.

That said, I have discontinued using a bosal on my Missouri Fox Trotters once I start training them in their gaits. The bosal causes sores on their nose, due to the MFT’s head motion in its Fox Trot. I tend to transition them to the solid mouthpiece curb bit earlier than I used to do with Quarter Horses. My Fox Trotters are so easy to train and so willing, that I have experienced no ill effects from doing so.

Now that we’ve discussed some basics about bits, let’s take a closer look at how they operate.

First, we’ll talk about the snaffle.

There are a wide variety of snaffle bit designs, each with it’s purpose. Snaffles attach to the reins and bridle by a ring on each end of the mouthpiece. This ring may be round ( O-ring) or a D-ring.  The snaffle is not intended to be used with a chinstrap, but I have seen it done. Since the snaffle has no shanks, use of a chinstrap adds no leverage and the only function of the chinstrap is to keep the bit from pulling the ring into the horse’s the mouth if the horse is not responsive to a side pull or if the bit is improperly used. Some people use large rubber washers on the sides of the snaffle bit for this same purpose, as well as to keep the bit from pinching the sides of the horse’s mouth.

D-ring snaffle with copper rollers

There are egg-butt snaffles, that are round and larger diameter where they contact the bars of the jaws and narrower at the hinge in the center.  There are narrow egg-butt snaffles, as well as twisted wire snaffles that are quite aggressive and generally used for correction training and refresher training on non-compliant horses. There are “French-Link” snaffles that have two or more joints or hinges in them. Ironically, the gentlest of the snaffle bits are chain snaffles that are simply pieces of flat-link chain joined by the rings at the ends. There are snaffles that have solid mouthpieces as well.

Again, a snaffle has no shanks. If it has shanks it is not a snaffle.

Twisted wire ring snaffle – very aggressive – for correction training

I want to reiterate here that among most horse people, a snaffle bit is generally considered to be a gentle bit. One of the primary purposes of this article is to educate the reader about the true nature of how a snaffle functions and why it is a good and appropriate training bit for fresh horses in the breaking process, but, in fact is not a gentle bit and should not be used on a horse that is not completely compliant, except in its initial training.

A snaffle bit operates by three mechanical pressures that cause pain in the horse’s mouth. First, as the reins are pulled or as the horse resists the bit, the bit hinges in the middle, causing pressure on the bars of the lower jaws, just ahead of the molars. At the same time, the point of the hinge pokes into the roof of the horse’s mouth, again causing pain. Thirdly, the hinged snaffle has what is often called a “nut-cracker” effect on the horse’s tongue, causing pressure and discomfort.

Nut-cracker effect: pinches tongue, pressure on lower jaw bars, pokes into roof of the mouth

While the purpose of this post is to educate my readers to the fact that the hinged snaffle bit is not a gentle bit, I have never seen a horse’s tongue damaged by a snaffle, as indicated in the mentioned facebook article and I believe that photo is taken out of context and that the post is a fraud. I have, however, seen a horse’s tongue damaged in the way that photo depicts from being badly cut (not by a snaffle or any other bit) and surgically repaired, which is what I suspect happened to the horse in the photo.  It is virtually impossible for a snaffle bit to cause the damage indicated in the photo.

Having said that, I reiterate that a snaffle is not a gentle bit. Due to the pain and discomfort caused by a hinged snaffle bit, horses that continue in a snaffle past their initial training, particularly in the hands of an inexperienced rider, often learn to raise and shake the head and open wide the mouth to escape pressure from the bit. Raising the head positions the snaffle bit so that it pulls only against the soft edges of the lips at the sides of the mouth. Opening the mouth and raising the head relieves the pressure on the jaws and the roof of the mouth and most of the pressure on the tongue, thereby rendering the snaffle bit almost entirely ineffective. The rider then responds to this misbehavior by pulling harder on the reins in order to retain control, which exacerbates the situation.

I am convinced that this misbehavior, or “fighting the bit,” is much of the driving impetus behind the “bitless” movement. Many people who change to bitless bridles and promote them as being safer and gentler than any bit, are those who, prior to switching to bitless, used snaffle bits on their horses for general use, believing the snaffle to be the gentlest of bits.  The misbehavior of the horse, then, leads them to believe that the horse will misbehave with any bit. The refrain I often hear in promotion of bitless bridles, “How would you like a piece of steel in your mouth?” is utterly without merit and ridiculous.  Most horses, once relieved of the discomfort of a snaffle bit, will change their behavior markedly after a short while, regardless of whether the transition is to a bitless bridle or to a properly designed and adjusted solid curb bit.

There is a very good reason why snaffle bits are commonly used in the initial breaking and training phase of a horse’s training. They are aggressive and painful bits. The hinged snaffle bit, in trained hands, quickly teaches an untrained horse the basic control commands, so that a horse may be broken to the saddle and trained safely.  It is pain compliance – No doubt about it. Once those basic commands are taught and learned, the horse should be transitioned to something else.

If a horse is compliant and the rider has gentle hands, a hinged snaffle may not cause a horse any more discomfort than any other kind of bit or bridle. However, most riders are not always gentle with their hands and most horses are not always compliant.

Now to talk about solid mouthpiece curb bits a little bit (no pun intended).

Solid mouthpiece curb bits have shanks that are intended to operate in conjunction with a chinstrap or curb strap, which gives the bit leverage, causing pressure on the bars of the lower jaw.  This also rotates the mouthpiece, causing pressure, via the design of the mouthpiece, either on the tongue or on the roof of the mouth (or both), although not with the pointed poking or pinching of the hinged snaffle. The shanks provide advance warning to the horse that pressure is about to be applied, allowing the horse to respond to a light cue, before firm pressure is applied.

The headstall attaches to the upper ring of the shank.  Some bits have a middle loop on the shanks, located at the same point in the shanks where mouthpiece attaches.  This loop is there for the purpose of attaching a second set of reins to the loop (which I have never seen done in western riding) or to use the bit as a snaffle (no chinstrap and no leverage), should the rider choose to do that. However, to use the bit as a curb bit, the chinstrap attaches to the same loop, at the top of the shanks, as the headstall (see the photos below). I have seen chinstraps improperly attached to the snaffle loop, which causes the bit to function improperly. The reins attach to the lower ring at the bottom of the shanks.

The tighter a chinstrap is adjusted, the quicker the horse feels input from the reins. The adjustment of the chinstrap also adjusts the position of the mouthpiece in the horse’s mouth as the chinstrap engages. I tend to keep my chinstraps fairly loose, as most of my riding is trail riding and I do not want my horse to feel input from movement of the reins except when I intend to give input.  The length of the shanks also affects how quickly the horse senses input from the reins, as well as the amount of force that can be applied to the mouthpiece. If you have a show horse and need the horse to feel input from even the most subtle cues from the reins, you might try a snugger chinstrap and/or longer shanks (many show classes limit the length of the shanks).  A properly adjusted headstall and chinstrap make a lot of difference in how the horse responds to a particular bit.

Most solid mouthpiece curb bits also have a port (the bend in the middle of many bit mouthpieces), which applies pressure on the roof of the mouth or on the tongue, depending on the design of the bit. Some solid mouthpiece curb bits look like Spanish Inquisition torture devices, but are, in fact, quite gentle in the hands of a trained rider on a trained reining horse.

Spoon bit for a reiner

These are often called “spoon bits” and have larger, elaborate ports, which allow the well-trained horse to sense very subtle cues via the port. Cues from the rider that may be imperceptible to a judge on the ground may be felt easily by the horse. These bits are not intended for horses not trained to them. Due to the look of them, many people unfamiliar with their use believe they are  cruel “correction” bits. They are not.

Medium port grazing bit

The port and shanks of a solid mouthpiece curb bit are designed with the use of the horse in mind. For example, the snaffle bit is generally intended for training or correction.  The bit commonly called a “grazing bit” was designed with a solid mouthpiece, a low or medium port, and fairly short shanks that are bent back toward the rider. These were designed with the rancher in mind, so that his horse might comfortably graze with the bit in its mouth, without the shanks getting in the way or causing discomfort.

Bits designed for gaited horses tend to have longer shanks and broad ports that are designed to go over the tongue with little or no pressure when the horse holds its head properly in its gait. The shanks are generally longer than those of a grazing bit and angled differently, providing more subtle cues to the horse’s mouth while in gait. A Western Pleasure bit (often a simple grazing bit) is designed to relieve pressure from the port on the tongue and roof of the mouth when the horse holds its head low and vertical, placing the port in a neutral position with a loose rein. A spoon bit on a reiner puts little or no pressure on the horse’s mouth while the horse is doing its work, but allows the subtlest of cues to be transmitted to and felt by the horse. Those are such technical bits that even the weight of the reins is important.

Robart Pinchless Gaited bit

I have found I like a bit made by Robart and marketed by Amazon for my Fox Trotter and my Tennessee Walker. It has a wide, rounded mouthpiece that has a steel swivel (not a hinge) in the middle, allowing single-rein control as well as normal neck-reining. It also has copper wire inlaid into the mouthpiece, which helps keep the horse’s mouth moist. Note also, the center loop, for use with a second set of reins or to set the bit up for use as a snaffle.

Imus bit, similar in design to the Robart bit

 A similar bit, marketed by several sellers, such as Imus, uses a copper swivel, however some people have told me the copper swivel wears out over time and breaks.

I have found this design, properly adjusted, to be quite comfortable to my gaited horses. Again, bits for gaited horses generally have longer shanks and differently configured mouthpieces than those made for Quarter Horses. Gaited horses generally hold their heads higher and at a slightly different angle than Quarter Horses while in gait, thereby making a regular ported curb bit somewhat uncomfortable to them. A Quarter Horse is trained to carry its head low and vertical, which places the ported mouthpiece in a neutral position, bearing no pressure on the roof of the mouth or tongue. The medium or high ported bit reinforces this head-hold training, while a bit for a gaited horse might prove uncomfortable or ineffective for the Quarter Horse.

It is true, that any of the above bits may be used cruelly by the rider and that non-compliance of the horse may cause discomfort or even pain to the horse. However, that is less likely to be the case with a properly adjusted solid curb bit than with a snaffle bit. Additionally, the length of the shanks on a curb bit provide a little advance warning to the horse that pressure is about to be applied, whereas the snaffle provides only direct pressure on the bit. This is why horses may learn to respond more precisely to a curb bit than to a snaffle.

In case you are wondering, I am not a proponent of bitless bridles. I have nothing against them and I have seen some horses function better in a bitless side-pull bridle than with a bit. However, I believe that to be the result of faulty training or handling earlier in the horse’s life or possibly a health or injury issue respecting the mouth.  My horses handle well with a solid curb bit and I have experienced nothing that makes me think a bitless bridle would better suit my needs or theirs. I make no recommendation one way or the other. I prefer a bit.

So, the moral of this story is this: If you regularly ride your horse in a hinged snaffle bit and find your horse developing the habit of opening its mouth, raising and shaking its head, or general disobedience relative to the bit, try moving to a properly designed and adjusted solid curb bit and see if that behavior doesn’t change.

You’ll be surprised at the results.

Did I mention that a hinged snaffle is not a gentle bit?

TH

P.S.

Since I first posted this article, I have learned that the damage to the horse’s tongue, depicted in the featured image above, was probably caused by a rubber band tongue tie, which is used in some disciplines, such as racing, to keep the horse from getting it’s tongue over the bit. Occasionally, such a tongue tie is improperly installed for one reason or another, and forgotten, causing damage as seen in the photo. I will restate here that such tongue damage is impossible with a snaffle bit.

Saddlery, Tack and Gear

Finished my repairs on another old saddle…

I finished the repairs on another old saddle last week. Thought I’d make a short post about it.

This is an old saddle I bought just prior to my big horse pack trip in 2015. I was looking for a good saddle for the trip and happened to find an ad in KSL Classifieds for a couple saddles in Price, Utah. After a little dickering I picked up two saddles and some extras for $380. I wrote a post about the purchase, which you can read here.

The better saddle of the two is the one I have been riding ever since, but the other was in pretty poor shape. It was an old ranch saddle, probably made around the 1940-60 time frame.  It had a good rawhide-covered wood tree and was a well made saddle, although not what I would consider top-grade. It was a good, solid work saddle in need of repair.

The seller apologized for it’s condition, confessing he had lent it to his son, who left it in his garage and let his dog chew on it.  He had done some repairs to the saddle himself, however, so the fleece was fairly new, but the saddle strings were mismatched and several conchos and other attachments hadn’t been stained or oiled. In other words, it needed a lot of work.

(Click on the photos to see the gallery full-size)

It sat in my workshop, stacked on top of the bones of several other saddles in need of repair, until last month, when I finally got around to taking a good look at it.

It was evident I needed to replace the seat jockey, although I toyed with the idea of just trimming off the ugly and selling it. I finally decided this was a good learning opportunity for me, since I aspire to eventually be a decent saddle maker.

I started by disassembling the saddle and removing the cantle binding. Then I pulled the seat jockey off the saddle. It revealed a seat on the tree that had been inadequately prepared before the seat was applied. While this is evidently a custom-made saddle (it is definitely not a factory-made production saddle) there is no maker’s mark, serial number, or any other identification of the maker or saddlery. These kinds of saddles often come from small shops where the saddler makes one-off types of saddles intended for sale. In order for the saddler to make a living at it, he often cuts corners and skimps on things that don’t show in the final product, but can make the saddle less comfortable and durable. That was the case with this saddle.

I found the seat to be composed of a tin strainer tacked to the seat with a thin layer of leather covering the front half of the strainer, and the seat jockey applied directly over the tin and rawhide on the seat. In my rebuild, I followed a better practice of covering the seat strainer and seat with a layer of heavy leather, which is then skived to make a smooth seat. That is then covered by the seat jockey, creating a much smoother, more comfortable, and more durable seat.

I also made a new front right jockey, as the original one had the corner eaten off by the infamous dog in the garage. In order to make this piece look as original as possible, I had to search out and acquire the correct stamping tools for the tooling. Search as I might, I was unable to find one of the stamping tools required, so I made one out of a 3/8″ by 6″ bolt. I thought it imitated the original stamp pretty well. One would have to look pretty closely to see the difference.

I cut out the raw seat from a piece of Herman Oak 13/15 oz leather I had bought for the purpose. I wet it and let it case overnight, then stretched it over the saddle, using my saddle-making stand, cranking the seat forming belt down tight. I used the old seat to help me determine where the ear cuts should be at the sides of the cantle, where it meets the tree. Once formed and marked, I pulled the seat jockey back off, cut the ears, and tooled it with the stamps I had made and bought, imitating pretty closely the original patterns.

That done, I was now ready for the part I find the most tedious of the whole affair: the cantle binding.

I cemented the formed and tooled seat jockey to the tree with Barge contact cement (Barge is the brand normally used by saddlers, as it was originally formulated for leather), making sure everything was properly aligned and straight. I trimmed the excess leather from the back of the cantle, leaving 1/2″ to form a good, rounded cantle. I made a cantle binding out of a piece of about 10 oz leather, skived thinner on the back side (the part that is on the back side of the cantle) to make it easier to form to the contours of the cantle. I edged and put a stitching groove on the front side of the binding, then wet it and let it case overnight. I then formed it to the cantle and tacked it in place. I let it get almost dry, before cementing it with Barge contact cement to the cantle.

Now the hard part. I marked the stitching holes, front and back, with an overstitch wheel with a 6-stitch-per-inch wheel on it, so I would know where to insert my stitching awl and where it should come out of the leather on the back. Sadly, my expensive Craftool Pro awl wasn’t up to the task and I broke three awl blades in the first six stitches (those blades are $16 each). Pushing an awl through an inch of good leather is tough! The blade has to be strong and sharp. The Craftool Pro blades were simply not up to the task.

Happily, my local Tandy store takes customer service seriously and they refunded my money for two awl blades and the haft (Craftool Pro hafts are made to only fit the Craftool Pro awl blades) and allowed me to put that toward their lower-priced awl haft, which accepts a variety of blades, and to buy a set of their lower-priced awl blades, which are not as well made, but are much stronger.  That leaves me with a credit at their store, which I will have no problem using up in the near future. Thank you Tandy, Orem, Utah.

Anyway, back to the cantle binding. I took my new awl and blades (these blades run about $5 apiece) and sharpened them on my water stones, then polished them on my strop. I broke one more blade through the last stitch of the cantle binding, but it wasn’t nearly as painful.

One of the marks of an excellent saddle maker is the stitching on the back of the cantle binding. An excellent saddler will show nicely spaced and aligned stitches on the back, while a less expert saddler’s stitches will be misaligned, and poorly spaced. I am here to tell you that is a skill that is developed by strict practice and many, many stitches. Mine is admittedly pretty mediocre, but not too bad for my second cantle binding. Many saddlers nowadays avoid the entire issue by either using tacks rather than stitches, or by using hidden stitches, on the back of the cantle. One technique is to split the leather on the back of the cantle binding and stitch under the flap, then glue the flap down to hide the stitches.  I think I may try that next time, however, I have to say I truly admire a saddler who leaves exposed stitches on the back of the cantle that are perfectly spaced and aligned. It is truly one of the telltale marks of an excellent saddle maker.

 

I was pleased with the finished cantle binding.

The next step was to stain the new leather to try to make it match as closely as possible the original leather. I decided on dark brown stain. I prefer Feibings Pro Dye and have had good luck with it in matching original leather finishes. The Pro Dye is an oil-based dye, which I find penetrates and finishes more evenly than the alcohol-based dyes.

First, since my shop was cold with snow on the ground outside, I placed my gallon container of Fiebings 100% Pure Neatsfoot Oil in water in an old crockpot cooker I have in my shop, and heated it. Warm oil penetrates leather better than cold or room-temperature oil. Once it was warm, I applied a heavy coat of oil to the entire saddle, including under the skirts and the backsides of all the parts, both old and new, as well as the saddle strings. Once that had soaked in, I wiped off all the excess oil, then applied the stain with a piece of fleeced sheepskin. I applied stain to the entire saddle, considering that the original color of the saddle was faded and uneven, as evident in the above photos, and that the stain would help hide marks on the pommel from the dog’s gnawing on the leather. It worked pretty well. The original leather was darkened to a nice dark brown. However, the new leather lightened up a bit as it dried and took on a mahogany hue with dark edges – pretty, but exposing obvious restoration. Personally, I don’t like my repairs to be obvious. I like them to return the saddle to as much of an original look as possible, while returning the saddle to serviceability.

I followed the dark brown stain with a coat of Fiebings Pro Dye in Chocolate. That did the trick. The seat jockey, saddle strings, new conchos, latigo carrier, and new right front jockey, now blend in well and it takes a closer look to determine that they are, in fact, restoration/repair pieces, rather than original. I like that.

The final step in the repair was to replace the rigging straps that connect the front rigging ring to the rear rigging ring, and to reassemble the entire saddle. I still need to make a pair of stirrup keepers, but other than that small detail, the saddle is ready for service. I’m happy with the outcome. My skills are definitely improving as a saddler.

Sadly, after all that work, the saddle is just a tad small for me. It measures a 15″ seat, but rides like a 14″ seat, due to the angle of the pommel swells and the extra layer of leather I installed to improve the seat.

So, this saddle is ready for another 75 years or so of faithful service.

 

Good Stories, Saddlery, Tack and Gear

Finally finshed the repairs to the Hamley!

Those of you who have followed me for a while will remember that way back in about October 2012, during a training session, my mare, Penny, blew a gasket and let off a bunch of steam. In doing so, she went down and as I made my exit, my spur caught the seat jockey of my Hamley ranch saddle and ripped it. The spur also left a long scratch across the seat. Then, Penny wallowed around on the ground a bit, trying to regain her feet,  scratching the pommel pretty good. When she got her legs back under her, she jumped up right into a large oak tree, punching a stick about the size of my index finger right through the cantle binding. Luckily, both Penny and myself were ok, but the saddle took a beating.

Just a few days later, I went to mount Penny, who was wearing the Hamley, and the on-side stirrup strap broke. As I inspected things, I noticed that the rear rigging was about to break loose as well. It was time to put the Hamley on “injured reserve” and start looking at repairs.

(Click on the photos to see them full-size)

Now, it’s not like I ruined this saddle. If you are familiar with western saddlery, the name Hamley should ring a bell. Hamley, Pendleton Oregon, has been making quality saddles since 1883. They are one of the few saddlers still in business from the days before the horseless carriage came into vogue. In fact, I sent the serial number of the saddle to Hamley and received a Certificate of Authenticity, confirming that the saddle was made for my wife’s uncle, Earl G. Richins, and that he paid $154.50 for it in 1947. Cool!

So, this saddle belonged to my wife’s uncle until he passed away in 1974. Then we think it passed on to his sister’s husband, who rode it until he was in his 90s, when the ranch he rode for apologetically told him they couldn’t use him anymore, because they were afraid he’d get hurt. Well, he also passed away and the saddle eventually passed on to me, being the last of the family with horses.

With that little history, it won’t surprise you that the saddle had been through several repairs during its lifetime. One stirrup leather had been replaced by scabbing in a section of new leather in order to retain the original tooling on the outside. The other stirrup leather had been changed altogether…the one that broke…and the tooling did not match the original. Also, the skirts had been re-fleeced at least once and the last time it was done was a poor job. The skirts were curled around the edges and the fleece was wearing out. The rope strap had been broken and replaced long ago, as had the original saddle strings. In other words, the poor old saddle was in need of major repairs…again.

Now, I have aspired to become a saddler for many years, although I had never actually done anything more than a few minor repairs on my own saddles and one major rebuild of the pony saddle I learned to ride on as a kid. However, in doing my research I found that having Hamley rebuild this saddle was way beyond my reach financially. Since the saddle was in such poor shape to begin with, and since so many repairs, of varying quality, had already been done to it, I decided that the value of the saddle couldn’t be degraded much more if I did the repairs myself. So, the decision was made. I would use the Hamley to improve my knowledge, skills, and experience as a saddler.

Over the years since 2012, I have acquired the basic tools that all saddlers seem to have. I have also acquired the basic skills that saddlery requires. Several months ago I disassembled the Hamley and removed the damaged parts. However, the rest of my life made me put the Hamley on the back burner. Then, during about November last year (2017), my wife received a telephone call from her cousin, the daughter of Earl G. Richins. She was asking whether we knew the whereabouts of some of Earl’s belongings. She was only about 13 years old when Earl died and, due to some unusual circumstances, some of his belongings had passed on to his siblings, rather than to his young children. That included my Hamley saddle.

My wife told her about the saddle, the needed repairs, and asked whether she would prefer I reassemble it and leave it as original as possible, or whether I should do the repairs needed to make it a serviceable saddle again. She never really answered the question, but said she would like to have the saddle. I decided the right thing to do was to go ahead with the repairs and give her the saddle in working condition. After all, it was her father’s saddle and she was the rightful owner.

Last week I finished the last of the repairs and reassembled the saddle. This afternoon I took it on a shake-down ride, to make sure my repairs meet muster and are comfortable to ride.

Here is a list of the repairs I made:

  • Replaced the torn cantle binding
    • Oiled and stained the cantle binding to match the color and patina of the original leather
  • Replaced the old rear rigging leathers
  • Replaced both stirrup leathers
    • Tooled the stirrup leathers to reflect the design of the original tooling on the saddle
    • Stained the stirrup leathers to match the color and patina of the original leather of the saddle
    • Cleaned and stained the sweat leathers (which had been replaced in an earlier repair) to match the original color and patina of the saddle
    • Replaced the Blevins Buckles with new, better ones.
  • Replaced the old cinch latigo with a new one
  • Replaced the rope strap
  • Made new stirrup keepers
    • Tooled the stirrup keepers with a “R” for Richins.
  • Stained the scratches and gouges on the seat and pommel to hide them
  • Refleeced the original skirts (hand-stitched)
    • Added backing to the skirts to stiffen them and keep them from curling
    • Replaced the saddle strings with 1/2″ heavy latigo strings
  • Patched and stitched the rip in the seat jockey.
  • Oiled entire saddle and gave it a nice finish.

I have to say, I’m very pleased with the way the saddle turned out.

The one repair I’m not proud of is the repair to the tear in the seat jockey. I used waxed poly thread and it would not take stain, so the thread stands out white against the dark leather of the saddle, making the repair very obvious. It’s serviceable, but way too obvious. That was a lesson learned and a mistake I will not make again.

So, next week I will give my wife’s cousin a call and make arrangements to return this saddle, which is hers by right of inheritance, to its rightful owner.

I think Earl Richins would approve.

Great Western Trail, Tack and Gear, Western Trails

It’s been a while since I last posted…

Seems I have been so busy with life that I seem to be forgetting to live.

Hehehe. That sounds really good and rolls off the tongue nicely, but it really isn’t the truth. The truth is that I have, in fact, been busy, but not so busy that I couldn’t take the time to hammer out a few posts. I have been lazy and remiss. That is the fact. My mind has simply been on other things.

So, I’ll catch everybody up on what has been going on and what I have planned for the not-too-distant future.

Chief, brand new, not even an hour old.

First off, I’m sure my readers are aware that my mare Lizzy had her colt on September 14. He’s now two months old and growing fast. He’s a handsome fellow and will be a credit to his sire and dam. He was born a sorrel and white tobiano, but has since changed colors drastically, to black and white. He is still showing some sorrel highlights and there is some sorrel still in his mane and tail, but I’m pretty confident he’ll end up black and white. His registered name will be Touch the Clouds, named after a Sioux war chief from the late 1800s, known for his great height (he was about 6’5″ and 260 pounds by one account) and strength. His barn name is Chief. I have the papers in process, but had to call the Missouri Fox Trotter Horse Breeders Association and have them hold off when he started changing colors. His photos and description would have been wrong! I sent in a DNA kit as well, so he’ll be “gold-papered.”

Chief at one month, changing colors

Over the past several months I have been working to earn money to pay for some improvements on my place in Eagar, Arizona. I had actually planned to spend the money on refurbishing my horse trailer and finishing out the camper compartment this year, but after spending some time in Eagar with my parents and spending some time walking over and dreaming about my 20 acre parcel there, I decided my priority should be getting that place to where it can be productive and actually pay for itself.

So, a couple months ago I bought a load of 4-1/2″ pipe, so I could  rebuild some fences, start a pipe fence on one side of the place, and build some corrals and a pole barn. Dad and I got started on it a few weeks ago.

In the process, I came across a tractor in Eagar that had been sitting in a yard for a long time. I made the owner an offer, which she accepted, and I took it home.  Drove it home, actually…well, to my place there in Eagar. So I am now the proud owner of a 1962 John Deere 3010 Diesel tractor and several implements, all in need of some tender loving care to make them work again. I don’t know what it is about old stuff, but I thrill over making broken stuff work again.

My JD 3010 Diesel with post hole digger

The tractor is now running and working, after adding about $2,500 in parts to the initial cost of $1,500 (and $500 for the implements). I’m told I’m still under the value of the tractor, so I’m happy.

Last month I bought a new heavy-duty three-point post hole drill and a couple augers, which ran about $1200. Dad and I punched a bunch of holes with it and set some fence corners and line posts as well as all the upright posts for a pole barn and corrals. I also spent about $1,500 for lumber for the barn and shed roofs. Now I need to save up some money for the metal roofing and siding and some pipe for the pipe corrals and fences.

The corrals will be 16′ wide and 42′ long with a 32′ X 16′ hay barn at the east end and a shed roof covering the south end of the corrals. I like the plan and will likely expand it to add more corrals as the need arises.

Setting posts for corrals

As I increase my little herd, currently three horses and a colt, most of them will be kept on the place in Eagar most of the year. Several close relatives also keep their horses there. I hope to end up with several more horses and a couple mules eventually.

The plan is to split the 20 acres into four 5-acre pastures, with the southernmost being used for barns, corrals, arena, training area, and trailer parking. The other 15 acres will be pasture, which I hope to be able to irrigate from a well. There is a dry irrigation pond at the northwest corner of the place that used to have tail waters from two irrigation ditches running into it. A number of years ago the ditch company put those ditches in pipe and the former owner of my place sold off the irrigation shares, so the pond is dry. My intention is to hire somebody to expand and deepen the pond and level out the banks, so that it actually resembles a pond about an acre or so in extent. I hope to have a well drilled near it and install a windmill on it to fill the pond and maintain a constant flow. I will then irrigate the whole acreage from the pond.

My place, looking northward

My place has a well down at the southwest corner that has been tested at 65 gallons per minute. I’m in the process now of getting it back into working order – new pump and controller, well head, etc. However, 65 GPM is a bit low to effectively irrigate the whole 20 acres. If I can fill that pond from a separate well with a windmill on it, like plan to, I can irrigate directly from the pond at the flow rate I need to maintain the proper pressure and flow rate to the sprinklers.

As I was working all this out in my head (since I don’t actually have the money to do it right now) it occurred to me that my place might make a good place for folks coming to the White Mountains with their horses to stop over. I participate in a number of forums and facebook pages about horses and I have noted that every day there are folks seeking “horse camps” where they can park their living-quarters trailer overnight as they pass through the area, or for several days while they ride local trails. I posted a query to one of those groups to try to gauge the interest and see whether it would be a good idea for me to try to place several short-stay RV spaces on my place for horse-campers. I was surprised by the response. It appears there is plenty of demand for such a place, even in little old Eagar, Arizona! There just aren’t enough places that cater to horse folks.

I also received more than one query in the responses about long-term horse boarding on the place. Maybe I’ve found a way to make the place support itself after all.

So, my plan is to approach the Town of Eagar and find out whether they will allow me a permit to install maybe 10 short-stay RV slots on the place, along with a bathroom and shower, with full hookups and a dump station. If the town allows it, I will start with five spaces and go from there. l’m not sure they will allow it. If not, I’ll just look at boarding horses. We’ll see how it goes.

And now for the grand finale – for this post, at least. I have set the dates (tentatively) for the next leg of my Mexico-to-Canada trek. Dad and I have discussed ways to make our pack trip a bit easier for our better-halves to deal with. We decided that if we cut it up into legs of 7-10 days, rather than a month at a time, we might just be able to finish the ride before we’re both too old to ride.

So, since we had to stop in 2016 at Flagstaff, Arizona, having made a grand total of 555 miles since we started (at least that’s what the GPS said), we plan to start right where we stopped and go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Yes, we will be crossing the Grand Canyon on this leg…finally! As close as I can figure, the distance to the South Rim is about 108 miles. The distance rim-to-rim is about 22 miles or a bit more, so we’re looking at a grand total of about 130 miles. Toss in two rest days and maybe another day at the Grand Canyon as a fudge-factor, and I think this will be a 10 or 11-day trip.

So, I will be applying for a back-country camp permit for the Grand Canyon for May 1 and 2, 2018. Which means we’ll be departing Flagstaff on April 23, 2018. If we have a mild winter, that time frame should have good grass growing along our route to keep the horses in weight without us having to haul all our feed and should have the water sources along the route full. At the same time, it should get us through the Grand Canyon before the mad summer rush begins.

We will end this third leg of our trip at the North Rim, where we’ll be picked up to return us and our horses home. That should have us home by the weekend of May 5.

A couple of my riding friends have expressed a wish to make the trip with us, so this should be fair warning to them! I’ll get in touch with you shortly, so we can all plan toward it.

Me and Chief

 

Tack and Gear, Training

Another Step Forward with J Golden…

I’ve had my new horse, J, out a couple times over the past week, for both pleasure and training.

Last week, my wife and I took Lizzy and J out to Santaquin, Utah for a short ride. Due to inclement weather, the ride turned out shorter than expected, but it was still a nice ride. Both Lizzy and J performed to expectations and the ride put some more miles on J, which is what he really needs right now.

The area we went to is also frequented by shooters for a target range. There were several families out enjoying their firearms when we arrived, so J and Lizzy got a little exposure to the sounds of gunfire while we saddled up. Shortly after we arrived, though, the wind came up and it rained for a short spell, driving all the shooters back to the shelter of their homes. Once the rain let up, Linda and I headed up the trail.

During that ride, J showed me that he has that smooth running walk the Tennessee Walker is known for, but I had a hard time keeping him in it on the rough terrain we were riding in. We were going either up or down all the time, which is not optimum for working on gaits. What he needed was some mileage on a long straight, level trail, where we could fine-tune his gait and teach him what we were looking for.

So, this morning I had some time.  I headed out to do a little work with J.

Today’s training goal was to transition J from the D-ring snaffle bit to a bosal hackamore. I like to do most of my horse training in a bosal, because I feel like I am able to teach them to be more sensitive to bridle and rein cues without working on their mouth. Once I get a horse to the point at which I am comfortable with their neck reining and responsiveness to bridle cues with the bosal, I transition them to a curb bit. I may ride the horse in a bosal for a year before going to the solid bit.

A couple days ago, I tied my 5/8″ rawhide braided bosal over a wooden form, to set its shape. This morning I tied my new 5/8″ horse hair mecate to it and adjusted it to my liking. When I put it on J’s head this morning, he couldn’t quite figure it out for a few minutes, but adjusted to it quickly.

I spent about twenty minutes riding J around the pasture, getting him accustomed to the bosal and teaching him basic signals, which he quickly interpolated from his earlier training in the snaffle bit. I worked on flexing his neck both directions, pressure-release method, to teach him how to relieve the pressure on his nose by giving to the pressure. He already stops to my verbal and seat cue, so the ever important “whoa” command was a piece of cake.

We had to work on his directional signals a bit, though. After a few figure-eights with a few sharp bumps on the nose, he began to understand that he needed to lead with his head, rather than turning while looking off in the other direction. I feel this is more effectively taught with a bosal than with a snaffle bit, since the snaffle tries to pull through the mouth when plow-reined. The bosal is used to bump the horse on the nose, teaching him to look away from the pressure and toward the direction of intended travel. Very quickly the horse begins to respond to light pressure on the nose, rather than waiting for the bump.

On J, I decided to try something I have read about, but hadn’t yet tried. I bought a 5/8″ 6-strand horse hair (mane hair) 24′ mecate to use with my rawhide bosal (Click here to link to similar mecates on Amazon.com). I have read the prickly feel of the horse hair mecate is more effective than a smooth rope for training the horse to neck rein. As the trainer plow reins with one side, he lays the opposite rein against the horse’s neck. It feels the prickly mecate on its neck and more easily associates that touch with the turn in the other direction.  The transition from the bosal/mecate to a bit and smooth leather reins is then a simple matter.

Once the horse handles with light cues on the reins under all conditions, and I no longer need to “bump” the bosal, I feel like the horse is ready to transition to the curb bit. Again, I do not train for shows and am not a reining expert. I ride trails and do pack trips. I train for all-around good, reliable trail horses.

After a few minutes of getting-acquainted-with-the-bosal time, I decided J was ready for a ride outside our arena and pasture. I was looking forward to getting him outside and onto some long, straight roads to see what we could do with his gait.

I was pleased to find that J was easy to handle riding away from his herd and our home base. He did so with no argument and kept his mind on what was ahead of him. He decided that he preferred to step-out in his natural gait, which I have been told is a “stepping-pace,” so I let him have his head. The stepping-pace is not an unpleasant gait, however, with more speed it evolves into a full pace, which is very uncomfortable for a rider. I have been hoping I might be able to work with him and find that smooth running walk in him the Tennessee Walker is famous for. Regardless, the reason I bought him was to get a horse whose walk could keep up with Lizzy’s on the trail. J definitely has that box checked.

As we got onto a long paved road with little traffic, I used the reins and spurs to be able to get J coaxed into a good running walk. It was a little slow, but it was definitely a running walk. When he wanted to go faster, he slipped into the pace, so I kept his head in, flexed at the poll, to check his speed. When I did this he slowed and got back into the running walk. I let him hold that for a bit, then slowed to a flat walk for a while. We kept speeding up and slowing down without allowing him to get into his pace. Before long, he was speeding up his running walk. I found that a light touch with the spurs, while keeping him flexed at the poll, collected him just enough to produce a good running walk with good comfortable speed. I was feeling pretty good about things.

We rode around some low hills for a while, working on things like crossing logs and looking for witches and spooks. I also worked on J’s canter. He simply does not know how to do it with weight on his back. I finally got him to canter up a hill, but he didn’t like it. He prefers to gait. I’m ok with that, since I will be using him for trail riding and pack trips, however, I have always felt a well-rounded horse should perform well at a canter.  We’ll continue to work on that.

After a little over an hour, we headed back toward home. I was quite pleased when J settled into a nice running walk and, since we were headed toward home, even picked up his speed a bit. I was able to keep him dialed-in to his running walk, rather than slipping into his pace, by light cues on the reins and a touch or two with the spurs. I estimate we were moving along very smoothly at about 8-10 mph.

That will match up very well with Lizzy’s Fox Trot.

Back at the pasture, J had a very nice light sweat on him. We finished up with a good brushing and hoof cleaning, before I turned him back out with his pasture buddies. After a good roll in the dust, he was off with his friends.

I like this fellow more every time I ride him.

P.S.

I felt Lizzy’s baby move today! Looking forward to a beautiful spotted Fox Trotter foal sometime about late September.