DH and I are doing our first overnight camping/trail riding trip this weekend and I’m super excited. We are staying at a state park with corrals at each camp site, so at least I won’t be stressed about setting up a portable corral or high lining.
I’ve seen the advice to take more hay and more buckets than I think I’ll need and to have some water in case something happened on the trailer ride out there. (campsites have water and electric)
I’m usually a h/j rider and have just recently talked DH into trying the “horse thing”, so I’m really hoping he has fun as well.
I got a great packing list from another COTHer (Heart’s Journey), and I feel like I’m at least reasonably prepared… 
I don’t have saddle bags but was planning on wearing a small back pack while riding- anyone else do this?
Any other advice for a newbie to camping?
Have fun and if you forget something, don’t worry. Having fun is the most important
Don’t forget TP and baby wipes!! Those two things can be life savers!
Have a BLAST. When riding, keep your phones on your person, not your horse. Have a knife and a hoof pick.
Have a blast!
You can do the backpack or you can tie it behind you on the saddle unless it’s really heavy/lopsided. You will be more comfortable if you can rig it on your saddle in a balanced way but if not, I’ve packed a backpack and as long as it’s comfortable for you, you’re good.
Keep a bucket of treats/grain handy just in case. Keep halters handy also just in case.
Sunflower seeds for humans and horses.
Cookies too.
Have fun-the horses want to have fun so don’t stress and just join them!
Me too! DD and I are camping for the first time this weekend at Fort Valley Ranch in Luray VA. I hope we have amazing weekends!
We’re going on our first camping trip with friends next week for 4 days so I’ll be following this thread. They have sand dunes where we are camping so really looking forward to just having a blast in the dunes.
I’ll share any tips I’ve learned and look forward to reading about your experience!
Wine
corkscrew
toilet paper
bug spray.
everything else is icing 
Thanks everyone
I’ve got all the essentials mentioned so far (except the wine- I’m not sophisticated enough to like the taste of wine- I’ll stick to my hard lemonade!)
[QUOTE=BK6756;7648629]
Thanks everyone
I’ve got all the essentials mentioned so far (except the wine- I’m not sophisticated enough to like the taste of wine- I’ll stick to my hard lemonade!)[/QUOTE]
I always carrying one extra bottle of water
and a protein bar on me. If u get off trail
It can be a lifesaver. There is nothing like being hungry and thirsty to take the fun out of a trail ride. I also carry a small first aid kit, cell phone,
Benadryl and alleve. Have a great trip!
Carry extra water and food for you. When you get saddle bags, you’ll want to have water and some extra food take up permanent residence in there. Beef jerky is good as it lasts forever; granola bars too. You never know what can happen out on the trail, there could be a problem and you may have to spend the night out on the trail. Carry the 10 essentials and know how to use them:
- Navigation (map and compass)
- Sun protection (sunglasses and sunscreen)
- Insulation (extra clothing)
- Illumination (headlamp/flashlight)
- First-aid supplies
- Fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candles)
- Repair kit and tools (Speedy Stitcher)
- Nutrition (extra food)
- Hydration (extra water)
10.Emergency shelter
Most of all, have a good time.
Where are you camping? I live in San Antonio and we have lots of groups that go often. You could Join TETRA, also, there are several groups on FB where we post group camping trips! I hope you enjoyed it! I go every other weekend! PM me if you want some info!
Here is a blog with some camping in texas info:
http://www.sahorsesupply.com/2013/12/camping-with-your-horse-what-to-bring.html
No tips, just want to say I’m super jealous! Hope you have a great time!
-From a fellow rider who does not like the taste of wine but mojitos or V&C or hard lemonade - count me in!
Hey, which park are you camping at? We tried camping at San Angelo over Memorial day, but we got rained out. I am glad we drug the big camper and the horse trailer! We are thinking of trying to go again to just ride trails tomorrow. All of ya’ll that do camp, would you share where you go? sbwinde Can you tell us more about your camping trips?
My tips would be to take lots of hay, make sure you have a shovel to clean your pens, take lots of drinking water for you, and watch for the west Texas thunderstorms! Hope ya’ll had an awesome trip!
We went camping at Nails Creek State Park (Lake Somerville). The equestrian sites are great with nice pens, although the amount of shade is variable from site to site. The heat during the middle of the day was the only negative, but we did most our riding in the early morning and evening hours. We were camping in a tent, so I was a little jealous of the air conditioned RVs when it 95 degrees during the afternoons.
Both horses did great considering all the new “scary” things we encountered. Animals darting out from the woods- no problem
Large rock- eeerrrmegawd!!!
It did rain briefly one day, but it was kinda nice that it cooled everything down substantially. The only horse related item I didn’t have that I would bring next time would be larger water buckets. Because of the heat, we were refilling their buckets numerous times per day.
So glad it went well!
