Horses


Rider

Rider

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Joined
Dec 12, 2011
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Highlands, PA
Looked through the history of the forums to see if I could find anything but couldn't and was just curious how many people have horses and/or use them in with bushcrafting? The two go together rather nicely ^.~
Haven't taken my little girl(My horse...She technically isn't named, so she just gets, "Little Girl") out on an overnight trip, but she's been on more expeditions in the past 4 years of her life than I care to imagine. :31: Of course, she loves it as much as I do...It's all made a lot easier by the fact that I ride bareback and with only a hackamore, so I don't have to worry about her tack much unless I want to strap gear to her....Which, for you gear-junkies, is a huge benefit of having a horse FOR bushcrafting :4:
So, tell me what ya got! I work with horses dawn to dusk everyday, so they've became a lifestyle for me... Mine's named Little Girl, 14.2 hands(roughly), 900lbs, Mostly Quarterhorse with a bit of Standardbred, Flaxen Chestnut color...Obviously a mare ^.~
 
We have a stud farm with a total of 18 head. They are used for everything from roping, working cattle, and pulling wagons in reenactments. :D
 
I had horses for a number of years when I lived in Colorado, I used them on the trap line and hunting I could shoot off my mares back and she loved hunting. For her the most fun was chasing deer and elk but she hated antelope because she couldn't catch them. I would love to have horses again and I might this summer.

My horses were mostly mustangs, they were fast, smart and tough I could go places with them that others couldn't. In fact one time I packed out 4 elk that an outfitter with mules couldn't get his mules into the area because it was so rough.

Miss Silly (my horse) wasn't much of a cow pony she thought the cows should run where ever they went. She also liked to ride in my truck if the tail gate was down she would jump in and wouldn't get out until I took her for a ride.
 
Horses can be great bush companions. But, they can add a fair amount of work and upkeep to a bush situation as in feed and water and in some areas you have to consider the fact that you may have to protect them from predators. But yeah, I grew up with horses and they can be a lot of fun in the bush.
 
I made many a pack trip in the mountains with horses and mules; camping, hunting, and fishing. Unfortunately I can't make the long rides anymore, and I sure do miss it. I still have a horse, but I only use her for short rides now. Here's a photo of Pete, a mule I rode for many years.

Pete%20at%20Kingqus%20Castle.jpg
 
I have a horse and I'm a full time farrier but my most used "bushcrafting" haunt isn't well suited to a horse. It's rough thick wooded, hilly country with gnarly creek beds choked with dead-falls in the bottoms. To top it off there's not always water and not much for a horse to eat. That means carrying in enough feed and water for the horse. A few miles away there is a horse camp with water and room to park trailers in a section of national forest that's covered with "trails" but I don't go where there are trails.

My wife has been trying to talk me into letting her bring some of our goats. The goats could definitely handle the terrain, don't need much water and would enjoy eating what's there.

If she can get a couple trained up as pack animals, I might get talked into this one. I'm thinking the goats could get an ice chest full of beer back in there. About the only thing I miss about car camping is the cold beer.
 
I have 3 American Mustangs, (technically, 2 are mine, one is the wifes)a Paint and 2 minis. The Stangs are alot of work, but they're smart and tough. They forage better than any person I know. They are also a little sassy, but I dont mind.They were wild horses. they're 'sposed to be a little spirited.
 
I posted about my new redhead girlfriend in the spring. She's huge and her name is Arwyn. She's a mutt horse so I have no idea what to call her beyond a saddle horse. She's strong willed and grinds her teeth when I make her go where she doesn't want to but I will take her out for day trips. Haven't done any overnight but have considered it.
 
We currently have a 27 yr old gelding. Technically my daughters horse, he's is slightly lame in one of his back feet. She can take him for short walks with a hackamore and bareback. They are great to travel with through the desert

Bob
 
I deer and hog hunt from horseback in the Steinhatchee Swamp area at the northeast corner of the Gulf of Mexico. We ride working cow ponies. (Not sure if you folks are aware that Florida is a major cattle producing state... second only to Texas.) These are some semi-wild critters that make their living "cow hunting" (digging free range cattle out of the nastiest swamps in the country.) Deer hunting is like a vacation for them.

I did not grow up around horses, so I'm learning a lot. I asked my buddy why he didn't bring his beautiful Arabians hunting. He replied, "My horses wouldn't go through that stuff if you paid 'em!" LOL!

JH
 
Somewhere in the trip reports section is a brief blub I did about a living history trip my friends and I did about 3 years ago. It wasn’t bushcrafting as it’s called here it was just trying to do things like they would have done in the late 1800s.
 
I always have at least two saddle horses around the place. Usually Quarter horses but Ive had some drafts as well. Once in a while I get the idea to plow my gardens with them or some mowing. Its always a humbling experience.
 
I have a a question I have wondered about for quite some time.
I enjoy watching shows about mountain men, ect, In the rockies, and they almost always had horses and mules, even though there was large amounts of snow everywhere. How did these people keep their animals alive without any visible means of grass, grain, ect. I would think it would have been hard for them to pack in enough feed to last for the winters.
 
JAY said:
I have a a question I have wondered about for quite some time.
I enjoy watching shows about mountain men, ect, In the rockies, and they almost always had horses and mules, even though there was large amounts of snow everywhere. How did these people keep their animals alive without any visible means of grass, grain, ect. I would think it would have been hard for them to pack in enough feed to last for the winters.
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That’s a good question and I don’t have an answer. I know the only movie I can think of off the top of my head that even mentions the animals not getting enough food is the one called “Pursuit of Honor”. I know I plan for 4 tons of feed a year per horse, that’s a little extra. You can figure a horse needs about 20 pounds of day of quality alfalfa or hay.
 
JAY said:
I have a a question I have wondered about for quite some time.
I enjoy watching shows about mountain men, ect, In the rockies, and they almost always had horses and mules, even though there was large amounts of snow everywhere. How did these people keep their animals alive without any visible means of grass, grain, ect. I would think it would have been hard for them to pack in enough feed to last for the winters.
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BARK, particularly cottonwood was used for feed in he winter by most of the tribes on the edge of the mountains during the winter. As far as outfits of white men, a lot of time was spent cutting and hauling hay with hand tools and wagons before winter set in unless they only had a couple of horses and lived Indian style with them.
 
This is something I have always wanted to do. the wife was a competitive rider, but she rides english. I prefer teh Aussie saddle. We don't have any of our own horses yet, but it's in the plan. We both worked at a horse rescue in Maine just mucking stalls and riding the horses for exercise. I also worked at a local renessaince festival working with the percherons and clydesdales they used for jousting and swordfighting from horseback.
 
Donkey are a vastly superior choice.

Smarter, tougher, the list goes on and on and on...
 
Grew up on a horse farm riding jumpers, but we also did a lot of overnight trips on horseback, including hunting and fishing trips. We mainly had German or Swedish warm bloods, but also had a some quarter horses for working the cattle.

As far as eating horse meat, not to tasty IMO.
 
rabbithutch said:
Don't confuse movies with reality. Movies are full of footage that delights the eye but would be foolish or impossible to attempt without staging and all the effort that supports filming. Films (movies and TV) generally take great liberty with truth. I have seen countless portrayals that could only happen if staged for a movie. Most TV documentaries that I've seen lately use footage from one event that actually happened at a different time and place.
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I get a kick out of old western movies. They ride the horses all day and tie them in camp all night. When do those ponies get a chance to eat?
 
I've had many over the years but only have 3 right now. I also shoe horses ( but not full time) and I train a couple horses a year for folks. I have camped with horses my whole life, in fact that's what my wife and I did for our honeymoon. I've still never eat any horse meat and I hope to never have to.

It's a lot of fun if you know what you're doing and are properly prepared. However, I have to say, riding bareback for any real distance is a disservice to your horse. The reason saddles were invented is mainly to distribute the rider's weight more evenly. That makes the horse able to go further and be more comfortable.

OLD DOG - have you tried riding a gaited horse? I know a lot of folks who started riding gaited horses because their bodies couldn't take the beating that a trotting horse gave them.

David
 
Friartuck said:
The Bizarre Foods guy says that Horse meat is sweeter than beef. I also heard recently that Obama ha lifted the restrictions on selling horses for slaughter so maybe horse burger might be on the menu soon, God knows that people are wanting to get rid of them at least in Michigan. Some are just given away.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...restore-us-horse-slaughter-industry/?page=all
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Unfortunately, people are dropping off horse around here almost as much as dogs. Maybe they will have a better chance of survival not being with someone who cares that little about them
 
StoneHopper said:
Unfortunately, people are dropping off horse around here almost as much as dogs. Maybe they will have a better chance of survival not being with someone who cares that little about them
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Not likely, domesticated horses don’t do well on their own.

The bleeding hearts will never admit that the horse slaughtering ban caused more suffering and staving among horses than going to the slaughter house ever did.


I also think that the most people that are dumping horses probably do care about them, but the choice is probably watch the horse starve in a pen or hope that they can survive on their own.
 
While I've never had a horse, I'd love to see any pics you may wish to share of your horses or mules, especially on the trail or in camp.

Thanks!
 
JAY said:
I have a a question I have wondered about for quite some time.
I enjoy watching shows about mountain men, ect, In the rockies, and they almost always had horses and mules, even though there was large amounts of snow everywhere. How did these people keep their animals alive without any visible means of grass, grain, ect. I would think it would have been hard for them to pack in enough feed to last for the winters.
Click to expand...


I've wondered the same thing I've read journals from pioneers headed west some of them go into such detail that it really sinks in the planning and hardships they went through. They go into great detail about their wagons and supplies, but rarely mention the horses needs. They talk about quite mundane details of their day, like what they ate or "I saw a squirrel" . Still though nothing like "ole Paint ate three bags of grain today"

Horses don't like me every time I get close enough they try to bite me.
 
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