WyoHuntr
FNG
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2020
- Messages
- 86
Got a good chuckle reading this. I went down this road myself and it brought up some similar memories. You started off right by asking backcountry hunters. It requires a subset of skills that most horse folk do not possess. I started with a boatload of garbage advice from cowboy/gals that had apparently never been off a well-maintained trail, (definitely never packed meat & horns through timber). Balls>brains and a bit of hard-headed determination can take you far. You definitely took the tough road by using a 5yo with no mountain experience. (I've gone that route twice, and now I just mentally allow that some bullshit will inevitably pop up at some point because everything is new). Extreme conditions can bring out the inner idiot even in good horses.
*for the horse stepping off when mounting problem*: what worked for me is immediately backing them up to where they were supposed to hold. My trainer/farrier friend gave me that one. It annoyed my horse into submission with surprising speed.
A few things I've found on my journey:
- on my tack every rein or rope has a snap. Train wrecks and tangles can be hell when you can't undo at the halter. Plus, having a sharp knife in hand is super sketchy during a rodeo!
- if I put the horses in a train, I use a breakaway. Generally a beat up piece of bailing twine. Invaluable if one slips off a trail or wraps around a tree.
- electric fence setup is a good way to get horses fed while you sleep. As opposed to wasting hunting time grazing horses.
- ultralight backpacking gear makes a one man show much easier. Harcore horse guys tend to need an entire horse or two to haul in needlessly heavy camp crap.
- I run a britchen on everything. I figure I'm using saddle panyards, so it might as well have pack saddle traits. (I also use a double y cinch since my main horse is round as a 50 gallon drum).
- I've had better luck buying disposition/personality, than buying a horse for it's previous experience. Packing and composure around blood aren't tough to teach. (And if they don't stay composed, they don't stay! Too dicey when rolling solo)
Some make it out like you need to be an expert to even attempt taking a horse in the backcountry. Once you know how to generally keep a horse alive, I say go wing it! Even the best outfitters and packers have incidents, wrecks, and horse injuries. It goes with the territory. Figuring it out as you go can be pretty rewarding. To you and all the aspiring horse hunters, Good luck with your adventures!
*for the horse stepping off when mounting problem*: what worked for me is immediately backing them up to where they were supposed to hold. My trainer/farrier friend gave me that one. It annoyed my horse into submission with surprising speed.
A few things I've found on my journey:
- on my tack every rein or rope has a snap. Train wrecks and tangles can be hell when you can't undo at the halter. Plus, having a sharp knife in hand is super sketchy during a rodeo!
- if I put the horses in a train, I use a breakaway. Generally a beat up piece of bailing twine. Invaluable if one slips off a trail or wraps around a tree.
- electric fence setup is a good way to get horses fed while you sleep. As opposed to wasting hunting time grazing horses.
- ultralight backpacking gear makes a one man show much easier. Harcore horse guys tend to need an entire horse or two to haul in needlessly heavy camp crap.
- I run a britchen on everything. I figure I'm using saddle panyards, so it might as well have pack saddle traits. (I also use a double y cinch since my main horse is round as a 50 gallon drum).
- I've had better luck buying disposition/personality, than buying a horse for it's previous experience. Packing and composure around blood aren't tough to teach. (And if they don't stay composed, they don't stay! Too dicey when rolling solo)
Some make it out like you need to be an expert to even attempt taking a horse in the backcountry. Once you know how to generally keep a horse alive, I say go wing it! Even the best outfitters and packers have incidents, wrecks, and horse injuries. It goes with the territory. Figuring it out as you go can be pretty rewarding. To you and all the aspiring horse hunters, Good luck with your adventures!
