Packing Water for Horses

[G-Hought]

Have any of you packed water in for your horses for a later hunt? How would you do it? My initial thought was 5 gallon buckets but I worry those would push on their ribs too much in a pannier. 1 gal jugs maybe? Some sort of soft bladder??
Thanks

 

[PredatorSlayer]

If I have to pack in water for horses, I dont think I am taking horses

 

[5MilesBack]

I'd make sure I was hunting an area with water if I was bringing horses. When we used horses, we never had any issues finding water on late season hunts.

 

[G-Hought]

There is a spot I’ve been wanting to try, the problem is I can’t find water within 4 miles. It is not a super strenuous ride but not something I want to do every morning and night. My thought was for my conditioning ride this weekend I pack in some water. Then when the hunt comes around I could stay in there for 1-1.5 days before having to ride back out. Once I get back in there I wouldn’t be riding my horses at all till the ride back out.

 

[bmart2622]

Thats a ton of water to pack in

 

[theleo91386]

Too much of a hassle. I'd rather camp next to the water and ride an hour in the dark in both ways than pack water.

 

[mntnguide]

An hour ride in the dark and being camped by water, is 100% better than thinking you can pack enough water for the horses. If you have a horse colic you are really gonna regret not waking up a little earlier. My horses health matters first and foremost on a hunt, and if you don't have water for them close by, you shouldn't be camping there.

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[G-Hought]

I 100% agree with all the horse safety comments. Most the time after a 2-3 hour ride my horses still won’t drink water when led to it. To ride in one day, pack 10 gallons or so for 2 horses, and ride back out the next day does not seem like a stretch to me. I just wasn’t sure of the best way to load that 10 gallons on a horse (in a separate trip than the overnight trip).

 

[Geewhiz]

Why are you so interested in hunting an area with no water?

 

[Hodgessj]

I’ve packed water on a horse from a spring to camp in those collapsible 1 or 2.5 gallon jugs in a pannier. Worked pretty well.

 

[rayporter]

i have hauled water in the truck using 50 qt coolers. a 50 qt will hold 12.5 gal and will weigh 103 lbs.
you can get panniers to haul the coolers but i would not want to do it.

 

[EdP]

Doesn't make any sense to me. If there is no water for horses there is no water for wildlife, so why camp there?

 

[nickstone]

Check this style of collapsible cubes. There are several manufactures that make different sizes. They work better than any bucket or hard sided deal because can push them down so the water isn't sloshing around the whole time you're moving. I used them to haul water last summer for volunteers that were doing tree replanting in burn scars with my llamas.

https://www.amazon.com/WaterStorageCube-Collapsible-Container-Hurricane-Emergency/dp/B07FVJLYZ4/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=collapsible+water+jug&qid=1672713725&sr=8-5

 

[missjordan]

I 100% agree with all the horse safety comments. Most the time after a 2-3 hour ride my horses still won’t drink water when led to it. To ride in one day, pack 10 gallons or so for 2 horses, and ride back out the next day does not seem like a stretch to me. I just wasn’t sure of the best way to load that 10 gallons on a horse (in a separate trip than the overnight trip).

Maybe you already know this but if you bring a bucket or something with you to keep at camp you can flavor your horses water with apple cider vinegar, or powdered Gatorade to mask the taste. Just get them used to it beforehand at home.


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[Bull_n_heat]

I've packed water on a horse with those collapsible jugs as well. It worked pretty well. Pretty nice to have spare drinking/cooking water at camp too.

To answer one of the questions above... I was hunting a ridgeline where there wasn't much water, but I wanted to be camped somewhere that had both feed and some cover (so the critters couldn't see me). It was about 500' down to water, so just every other day we took the horse down the hill and refilled the jug.

 

[Tobe_B]

We used the old metal milk crates and used 5 gallon closable containers similar to those thin gas cans that mount on vehicles. We didn’t use it for the horses but for our hunters and brought the horses out. Don’t see why it wouldn’t work to water stock too.


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[Pony Soldier]

I have packed 2 - 5 gal water jugs per side mannied up using deckers. For a reasonable pack that isn't a tough trip especially for 2-3 miles. The record that heard of was a double monarck cook stove tied between to mules from enterprise oregon to the snake river. 35 miles. A damn tough trip 200 yds at a time.

Get a geologic map of the your area. Most springs occur along geologic faults or unit contacts. If you find a seep, you can develop it into a spring and change the entire travel plan of the animals.

I never camp next to a water source. I keep a couple of 5 gal containers in camp to live off of. I take the horses to water twice a day. A couple of hundred yards to a half a mile is close enough. The more springs you develop the more elk you will have if there is grass.

 

[bisblue]

I've had a packer haul water for my trail crew in the desert. They built an aluminum frame, like a 90° shape, to hold two blue water jugs on each side with a strap across them. Most survived the trip in.

I use collapsible jugs in panniers with my llamas, but they're from the same family as camels and often won't drink for a few days on pack trips.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Soft bladder works but would require a lot. Melt water over fire and with snow but remember horses require quit a bit. If grasses they get some there room

Square 5 gallon buckets with kids work break and llama guys use them in panniers work great

Otherwise plan on a ride to water if you can find stream or water hole.


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[Macro]

We let our horses drink from any moving body of water. Not ponds or puddles unless we know they are fresh. Other animals in s stream or creek are not an issue as the water is constantly moving. Obviously we avoid even going into a body of water that looks stagnant or algea ridden. We trail ride a lot and encourage our horses to drink while on the trail VS the water we bring from home.