Do you enjoy trail riding? Do you enjoy the outdoors? Do you enjoy camping? Then why not combine all three and experience horse camping? With horse camping you will cover more trails, see more sites, enjoy more of the outdoors all on the back of your horse.
There are many horse camps available to the public in every state. Some are privately owned and operated and others are set up and maintained by the public parks departments. They are set up to accommodate trucks, trailers and horses so the campsites are spaced farther apart than in people camps.
Most horse camps provide hitching posts or highline post along with water and a place to dispose of manure. I find the campers are all fellow horse people, easy to get to know and lots of opportunity to make new friends. Camps are usually less crowded, trails are great and the scenery is superb.
If you have never been horse camping I am sure you have lots of questions. You are probably wondering what to pack and what to do with your horse while camping. There are different options to choose from as far as how to contain your horse. Also, you don't want to forget something, which could ruin your trip completely.
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Anyone else have a favorite campsite to report in their state? Be sure to check out trail resources for your state with the links in the left sidebar of this post. Happy trails. - by uggs outlet, 08-02-2010, 12:21 AM
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I have been training my friend and neighbor, Haley to ride. I started when she was 10 and she is 12 now. Each riding season we set some goals as to what we want to accomplish for the season. This season our goals were for her to be able to ride every gait of the horse comfortably and well, that we would get out on the trail and that we would go horse camping. She has become a great rider and is able to ride a canter, trot and walk. She has gotten out on the trail and loves to go places with her horse. She has become very confident and is usually eager to get out on the trail. So last week-end we went horse camping, just her and I and our two horses. We had a blast and went for a long ride on Saturday. We switched horses and in a conversation she said she has run her horse before. I said to her that her horse has a very, very sensitive gas pedal and she can really fly. I told her she had never ran before. So, I demonstrated to her the gas pedal and we took off like a bullet. She was surprised and we switched horses so that she was on her regular mount. After seeing how fast this horse could go, she tried it out. Now I have created a speed demon! The rest of the ride went a lot faster and when we would get to a straight flat section, off she would go with me taking up the rear. She learned so much from the trip, how to tie properly, how to high line, how to build a fire and much more. It is so fun to see her advance in her abilities and confidence, it does my heart good. On the way home she said she cannot imagine going camping ever again without a horse. My feelings exactly! Keep up the good work Haley. Not sure what our riding goals will be for next season but I'm sure we will come up with some.
I just made a quick trip for the weekend (2 day trip) to White Mound County Park near Spring Green Wisconsin. I found the campsite to be quite nice with many having trees. Most had both highline and hitching post provided, with the first safe hitching posts I have seen. There is a nice reservoir for non-motorized boating, fishing and walking trails (for the non riders). The trails were quite steep in spots and very picturesque. There is only eight miles of horse trails but an enjoyable and sometimes challenging eight miles. Fees for camping were quite reasonable and campsites were not highly used. If you’re lucky you can have the entire camp to yourself. If you live near Spring Green Wisconsin and just want a quick easy trip this is a nice family location and a good alternative to Governor Dodge State Park. - by Horse Girl at Sugar River Saddlery, 26-08-2009, 10:15 AM
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My daughter did this alot with her barn in Utah. The memories for her will alway be BIG in her life time experiences. However, the rest of the family are not horse people and they would probably feel like they were being punished. Good Luck and I would highly recomend this type of trip for all horse lovers.
WOW! I have never heard of horse camping! It sounds like a lot of good times to me! Thanks for the link and the Tweetship!
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I am a transplant to Wisconsin from the state of Washington and search for campsites that have more hills, rivers and bridges to train and challenge my horse. If your horse is reluctant or unfamiliar with any of these things, by the end of the trip he will be well accustom to these obstacles by the end of the trip. Since it is not easy to find this terrain in Wisconsin I usually travel toward the Western side of the state. And since I usually go for just a weekend I try to not travel too far. One spot I enjoy is just out of Prairie Du Chien, only about a mile called La Rivera (a pretty swanky name for a horse camp). It is privately owned and only ask for a donation to camp. Trails are nice with many miles of trails available. If you want to go out to dinner it's just a mile away.
For even more of a challenge, cross the Mississippi out of Prairie Du Chien into Iowa to a camp called "Yellow River". This camp has a lot of bridges and water crossings with big hills and beauty. Trails are well maintained but not well marked and if not careful one can get quite lost (from a voice of experience!). Even so, I have been back a number of times and really enjoy this camp.
Anyone else have a favorite campsite to report in their state? Be sure to check out trail resources for your state with the links in the left sidebar of this post. Happy trails.
What a great post! There is a horsemen's campground just two miles from our farm. Jubilee College State Park in Illinois. Fantastic trails; hilly (at least for central IL), a variety of difficulties, and around 50 miles of trails. We have friends that camp almost every weekend. Since we are so close, we usually trailer over and back home, but we keep talking about staying the weekend. Still easy to run home if someone needs something and to feed. - by Kristi Link, 01-04-2009, 3:19 AM
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Wow, that is a great way to train your horse to stay in an area with just a string and you had no idea that one day it would pay off when you really needed your horse to stand still so you can hoist yourself up. You a truly a horse obsessed person. I have always said that if ever I can't walk that I would have to get a hoist to get myself in the saddle, not knowing their are people out there that are really doing just that! My hat goes off to you girl, I am impressed. I wish you many happy trails.
i have never been camping with my horse, unless you count the many times we rode out into the back 20 acres of my farm and spent the night around a camp fire. i have taught all my horses to stand in a area that i put colored string on. for example, there was 5 trees that formed a big circle, i put one line of string around it and my horses think it is a eletric fence. They stay confortable and safe. I start this training back in the early 80 when i was showing my arabs. i have never had a horse break out because I spend a lot of time doing it here in my yard and then making different noises and shouting or running the tractors, after a time, a horse won't spook.it really helped now that I am in a wheelchair, i have a hoist that picks me up out of my chair and on to the saddle. I put a line of string around that area where i am using the hoist and the horse stays there while the hoist is running. it works great because I can get on my horse witout help. - by jade s, 14-01-2009, 3:10 PM
