Planning for the 2006
Riding Season
By:
Darlene M. Cox
It may be
blustery and cold outside with ice rings sitting atop
water buckets, but it’s none too early to begin the
planning phase for your 2006 riding season. Do you plan
on staying with the ‘tried and true’ trails that you
have come to know and love, or is this the year you will
venture out and visit other campgrounds and trails you
have heard about? If you’re like me, you plan to
spend as many possible hours in the saddle that you can
muster. Over the years I have found it helpful to
research and plan ahead for the upcoming riding season’s
destinations, particularly when a visit to a new venue
is involved.
Your first
step in researching new camping/riding venues is easy,
and the vehicle you need is right under your fingertips
– your computer. One of the most informative websites
that I’ve run across is http://www.horseandmuletrails.com
. This website contains information about horse
campgrounds, trails, and overnight hosts throughout the
United States. You can access the websites of individual
campgrounds and read testimonials from those who have
visited and ridden them. Contact information is
available if you would wish to speak with camp/trail
operators. Whenever I plan to visit a new horse camp, I
always call and speak with someone at the business just
so I can personally get a feel to how the camp is
operated and to find out information about the trails.
Important questions I ask are: What kind of testing
confirmation do you require (i.e., Coggins, health
certification, etc?) What are your camping fees? Are
there trail use fees? How many campsites do you have?
What are your reservation requirements? Do you have
stalls, hitching rails, or picket lines for the horses?
Do you allow dogs? Do you have electric and/or primitive
sites? Is there potable water on site or nearby? Do you
have shower facilities? Will my horse be on or near my
site? Do you provide stall bedding or wheelbarrows,
rakes, and shovels for manure removal? Are your
stalls in good repair? Do you have an on-site farrier?
Is there an on-call vet available? What is the level of
difficulty of your trails? What kind of terrain
encompasses them? How many trail miles are available
from how many trailheads? Are the trailheads accessible
from your camp? Are the trails well-marked? Do you have
a printed trail-map available? What types of other trail
users may be on the trails (hikers, bikers,
four-wheelers, etc.) Are there any particular
geographical dangers along your trails (i.e., unmarked
cave openings, quicksand, wild animals, etc?)
I will also
speak with someone who has actually visited and ridden
the trails I’m interested in, just to get a feel for
what they experienced during their time there. I try to
balance out the positive and negative statements of
their recounting with how they might fit what I like
when I camp and ride. For instance, if they relay that
the trails are more rugged than what I’d like to ride,
I’ll mark this particular place off of my list. If they
relay that the campsites are comfortable for man and
horse alike with spacious, flat, shaded areas, I’ll
consider that a positive attraction.
Part of the
important research in planning a trip to a new riding
venue, particularly for those located out of state, is
to find out what pre-requisites that particular state
may have for transporting out-of-state equines. By
utilizing the following website, http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/sregs/
, you can determine what is required for each state you
are traveling through or visiting in. Keep in mind that
if you plan to take the gamble and not have the proper
testing certifications/documentations, you run the risk
of not being allowed entry into that state (whereby you
are told to turn around and leave); being fined for not
having the appropriate documentation; having the state
veterinarian summoned to test your horse(s) on site
(very expensive and time consuming); or having your
horse(s) quarantined (again, very expensive and time
consuming). In my opinion, it is better to play it safe
and have all required health documents in order prior to
the trip. Speak with your veterinarian about your
planned trip and he/she can conduct the required tests
and provide you with the necessary documentation. They
will also be able to send the documentation in advance
to those states that require it.
If you are
planning an out-of-state trip, it is very important that
you research and have available veterinarian contact
information for the areas through which you will be
traveling or visiting. Again, I utilize my computer for
this and will print out the information that I find and
keep it in my truck for easy emergency access. My
general rule of thumb is to locate a horse veterinarian
within 50 mile vectors. I know this may seem like a
daunting task; however, I feel it is better to have this
information available at hand than to be trying to
locate one in an emergency.
Equally
important, you should also research and locate ‘people’
hospitals using the same criteria and action. I have had
two experiences where someone within my riding group
needed to find a local hospital. It was a terrible and
scary ordeal the first time because none of us knew
where the hospital was located. The second time we were
better prepared, and we were able to get our injured
friend to the hospital quickly.
If your trip
is going to be one that encompasses hundreds of miles of
travel, it is imperative that you find locations that
will allow you to overnight your horse(s) to give them a
break in travel. Again, you can utilize
http://www.horseandmuletrails.com to locate
people/businesses that can accommodate you in the areas
you are. I do recommend that you phone them to
personally get a feel for them and their
operations.
Also, talk
to your vet about his/her recommendations for
transporting your horse(s) over many miles. As a general
rule, whenever I transport my horse over distances
greater than 200 miles, I will taper off the amount of
grain I feed to zero intake two days prior and one day
following travel. I will also have my vet come out and
‘oil’ my horse one day prior to the trip. These
precautions help guard against travel-induced colic.
Contact your vet to see what is recommended for your
trip.
I will also
research driving routes to my chosen destination by
utilizing one or more of the many online map sites like
http://www.mapquest.com
, http://www.yahoo.com
, or http://www.randmcnally.com
) If you are a member of AAA or some other travel
organization, you can have them develop a couple of
different travel plans for you. I do this just in case
there are unexpected travel delays due to accidents or
road construction (I’m always thinking about limiting
the amount of time my horse is in the trailer). Keep
these maps in the glove box as well for easy access when
needed.
As you can
see, a lot of thought and process goes into finding and
making arrangements to visit a new horsecamp. Following
the above suggestions will assist you in making the best
decision and being better prepared for the
trip.
Happy
trails!
