7 Tips For Camping And Trail Riding With Horses

Are you a born equestrian? Do you enjoy trail rides with your four-hooved companion and friends on a warm summer day? If your answer to these questions is yes, this comprehensive guide is designed for you! This blog post will mainly focus on valuable tips you should follow to make the most of your riding experience. 

So, before packing your bags and starting your trail riding journey, you should read this guide. Trust us; it is going to be incredibly helpful for you. Now, let’s begin with our discussion without wasting any further time:

Key Tips To Follow

Trail Riding is a fantastic way to strengthen your bond with your horse. And summer is indeed the best season to go out on trail rides. You do not have to worry about a storm or the rain when you go out on summer days. 

So, your main goal should be to hit the trails before the summer ends. But, in that case, you should follow some of the critical tips that will not only ensure your safety but also helps you to have a fun trail ride. Let’s begin talking about these tips:

1. Always Have At Least One Friend To Ride With

It would not be hard for you to admit that riding in the wild could bring dangers to both the riders and horses. Your horse might run away after spooking at any random animal or a small puddle. 

It can again buck you off, which might ultimately have dangerous outcomes. Some riders get lost in this situation and cannot be found for many days. Riding with a horse enthusiast buddy is always a good idea to avoid such issues. It is a great way to not only save your life but save their life as well in an unprepared and terrible situation. 

2. Make Sure That Your Horse Behaves Well In A Group

Riding a trail alone is not at all a good idea. Instead, it would help if you rode with a group. So, you should ensure your horse is comfortable with being in a group of other horses. You should check on their behavior to avoid any issues. 

One of the crucial things to note is that some horses prefer staying back and following the others, whereas others like to lead by going to the front of the herd. Thus, it is always an excellent approach to make efforts to understand how your horse behaves in a group. 

Try riding with your friends in a safer arena to understand this. It will help you to get an idea about your horse’s behavior. You can finally start your trail riding journey once you are sure your horse can get along well with the other members. 

3. Get Well Versed In Trail Etiquette

Another essential element to ensuring a safe trail ride is to learn trail etiquette. Remember that you may not be the only one utilizing the trail. Bike riders and hikers also use the same trail as you. And as many of them do not know about horses, you must keep a close eye on them. 

By doing so, you would be able to avoid dangers and ensure your horse’s comfort successfully. There are chances for your horse to get aggressive, and they may start bucking whenever any bikers come behind you. 

Due to this reason, when you see anyone coming behind you, you can pull your horse off the trail. Also, consider turning it on your right or left to ensure that it can see what is coming from the back. Finally, allow them to pass and continue your horse trail riding peacefully. 

4. Check The Fitness Of Your Horse

Horse trail riding requires a lot of stamina and strength. Your horse must have enough endurance to walk a long distance successfully, be it hot or cold weather. Your horse should have the power to pass rivers, climb up to the hills and jump the hurdles you are expected to come across on the trail. 

If you find that your horse is not adequately fit to take up all these challenges, it is not a good idea to take it on trails. Failing to ensure this can get you into more serious problems. So, checking your horse’s fitness before starting your journey is always a great decision. 

5. Know The Territory Well And Check For The Weather

When starting your horse camping or trail riding journey, you should first gather some crucial details about the place. You need to know whether there are significant hurdles, dense forests, rivers, cliffs, etc. Collecting all this information will help you to know about the place well. 

And so, you can set your route as per the territory. Another vital thing is to check the weather beforehand as it will help you prepare for any possible incident. Postponing the ride is a good idea if you see any probability of a rainstorm. 

But, in case of slight rain, you can take a poncho and saddle cover. Again, the extra heat can cause fatigue and sunburn in your horse and you if the weather is hot. So, it would help if you always consider the weather and choose your time wisely. 

6. Never Tailgate

Horses always like to have personal space. So, you should allow them enough room. Also, it is never advised to tailgate as it can lead to big accidents.

7. Wear A Helmet

It is highly recommended to wear a helmet while you are riding a horse. By ensuring this, you could avoid injuring yourself in any potential accidents. As the grounds can be rocky on the trails, you must follow this tip if you want to protect your skull. 

On A Final Note

Now that you know about these best tips that one should necessarily follow while going for horse trail riding, we are sure you will start implementing these. Not only will these tips help you to stay safe, but also they will take your trail riding experience to the next level. 

Are you bored of going on the same trail path again and again? If yes, it is when you should begin your journey on a new trail path. 

If you are finding any issues in discovering these new paths, then all you need is to visit the official website of Top Horse Trails. It is a comprehensive directory for equestrians looking forward to finding horse camps and riding trails near their location. Contact them today to learn more.