Would like to get some opinions from people who frequently camp and/or compete with their horse(s) away from home.
Do you use a HiTie setup? Do you put up corrals? Electric fencing? Or do you simply tie to the trailer? Please share your experience. Thanks!
I tie to the trailer until I go to bed then I put my small horses in my stock trailer. They have room to move around and even lie down if they desire.
I want to work toward using a high line type of tie though as I think that would be more comfortable for them.
I recently did an overnight with two horses who do not get along. I had to separate them so only one went on the ārealā highline. The other I had to highline between the trailer and the trees. I donāt recommend the latter- every time she tugged at the hay bag, or pulled at her lead ropeā¦the LQ shifted just enough to keep us awake. I wonāt do that again- sheās a quiet mare- but it was just enough to wake us up over and overā¦
I prefer highlines between trees, using knot eliminators (the kind that have the swivel built in) so horses canāt walk up and down the line. If I did it more, I would invest in some wide, web horse collars to use instead of itchy halters. Attach a leadrope with a swivel snap on it, done. I tie with bowline knots so they cannot come loose or undone.
What worries me about hot fence in a strange place is the spook and run through it factor- I would worry, reasonable or not- Iād worry.
I like a picket line, but if I canāt find something to anchor the line, Iāll just tie to the trailer.
Iāve used a high-tie thingy before, and liked it too, but donāt have one on my trailer. I tried electric (horse doesnāt respect it) and portable panels are just to cumbersome for me.
I use a tree or high line if I can find suitable trees. If not, hobble or in the trailer. I hate using the trailer because it makes it hard for us to sleep.
I tied to a trailer my first time, and then I got an electric corral. He was fine tied to the trailer, but I wanted him to have more room to move around. I touched his nose to the electric tape once, and now he doesnāt challenge it. Sometimes he checks to see if itās on by nibbling on it, so I make sure to always leave it on 
I teach all mine to highline - however as a rule I use electric and/or panels, depending on which horse Iām on at a ride.
But I like knowing that my horses can be highlined if I feel it necessary to do so. I also train mine ot hobbles as well - its just part of how I start my out of ring horses more so then anything - but if I need to hobble a horse, by damn I can!
We donāt overnight very often (maybe once or twice a year, tops), so we stick with what our horses know and use an electric tape corral. Our guys are pretty mellow though and not prone to spooking, and if they ran through it would likely not go further than the tack room trailer door, where they know the snacks are. 
If we camped out more, I would think weād learn how (both us and the horses) to highline.
I have exclusively used a highline in the past. All my horses have done great with highlines. I did recently get a Hi-Tie, and I love it. Itās nice to not have to struggle to get a highline tight or to find a place with trees to park. My current horse adjusted fine to the Hi-Tie, although he did not lay down overnight like he normally does on the highline. I am sure he will get used to it and start to lay down overnight (it took him a couple times of camping on the highline before he would lay down). The only downside is that I only have one Hi-Tie, so if I take a friend to a ride, they will need to use a highline or put up an electric corral.
High Line:
My preferred method. Iāve high lined between trees, between trailers, between trees and trailersā¦all good. Be sure the trailer is hooked to a truck! That said, a trailer could still move around if a horse jerked on the line hard enough. I had a horse set back and pull my trailer sideways 20 feet and the wheels on the opposite side came off the groundāIāve never tied a horse to an unhitched trailer ever since.
Hereās a link on setting up a high line: http://www.redwoodunit.com/highline.html
As illustrated in the link, I use prussic loops, instead of the āknot eliminatorsā because of the advantages the loop has over the metal k.e. because: (1) I can fine tune the position of my horses by moving the prussic loop along the high line without having to completiely undo the high line, (2) I can use the rope loops for other things if I need to, and (3) the rope loops are easier and lighter to pack.
Be sure to use a swivel somewhere between your horse and the high line, or your horse can circle around and get would up tight enough to suffocate. (Iāve seen it happenā¦horse survived, fortunately. I also saw a horse circle the other way and completely unwind the three strand cotton lead rope into three separate strands.)
Hobbles:
I sure wouldnāt leave my horse hobbled overnight. Iām not fond of long morning walks before I have my coffee.
Electric Fencing:
Many friends of mine use this method and it works really well (until a bear wanders through camp). The advantage is that one can move the fencing around so the horse can graze evenly without damaging the environment.
One leg stake out/picket:
I have a friend who stakes/pickets her horse overnight using a one leg hobble on the front leg with the 20ā rope run through an old garden hose (so the horse canāt get wound up in the rope) attached to the spiral type stake in the ground. I wouldnāt sleep well at night with this method, though. Iām positive my horse would find a way to get hurt.
High Tie on the trailer:
I plan to get one. It wouldāve come in handy a couple of times this last year where I was camping at my truck and there were no trees available to high line to. Iāve seen them used many times without a problem.
Thanks for all your replies so far. As I expected, there are as many preferences as there are horse ownersā¦ which is my dilemma 'cause there are pros and cons to each and I canāt make up my mind. Iāve been tying my horse to the trailer so far (fairly high with longer rope) and itās been no problem. But I want her to be able to move around more, especially after a ride since Iām usually too pooped to get up and walk her frequently as I shouldā¦
However, every time I decide to buy āthe new setup,ā I hear of, or even witness, an incident with same such thing and go back to trailer tyingā¦
The high lines sound good in theory but Iāve been in more open-field kind of ridecamps than ones with trees in just the right places.
The portable corral ones were a favorite until I saw a horse stuck his head under one, lift it up in one fell swoop and get out! Plus they take up lots of room and I travel with a one-horse trailer and SUVā¦
The electric fence setups seem light and practical but I hear about malfunction (user error?) and batteries dying quite frequently and/or horses disrespecting them and getting out.
I guess that leaves me with the HiTie option and I may just go for that. Havenāt heard anything bad about those and liked it when I used it on a friendās trailer. Hopefully itās money well spent. Ah, decisions, decisions 
Thanks for your input!
Iāve done high lines and a portable tape corral (with step-in posts). Even without it being hot, my horses respected it fine.
When weāve gone camping, weāve used lines strung between trees (pretty high, as weāve got drafts) with little loops tied periodically in them for us to tie the horses to. Their leads are tied long enough that they can move around a little and can even lie down if they want to but not so long theyāre likely to get tangled up in it.
We havenāt wanted to use the portable tape corrals becauseā¦weāve got drafts and if one spooked, theyād likely be through the tape before they realized what hit them.
Me personally, Iād be wary of leaving a horse tied to a trailer for very long. I mean, we do it at shows and to tack up for trail rides and stuff but I think Iād be nervous doing it overnight.
I have two Hi-Ties and a portable corral http://www.hyhcorrals.com/Site/Hold_Your_Horses.html
My corral is a piece of crap, it bends easily, takes up tons of room and the velco breaks all the time. My princess diva mare looooves her corral though and pouts if I put her on the Hi-Tie, although for one-day rides I make her deal with the Hi-Tie.
The corral takes up a good part of my first stall and is a pain in the a*& to set up. It is really nice for multidays and for a 5 day I donāt hate to set it up or take it down like I do for a two day.
Portable electric hands down. Iāve tried most methods with the exception of staking. All work fine but I like my horses to be able to lay down and roll as they please.
This ā¦ Including the Prussic loops
I have done the electric portable paddock with no problems for my TB mare.
Here are a couple of pics of her in her camping digs.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simbalism/3565389077/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simbalism/2966657014/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simbalism/2949233708/ And here is a pic of a friendās horse with her Hi Tie http://www.flickr.com/photos/simbalism/3417420020/
I havenāt been camping in a while! But I used to go at least 5 times in the summer. My gelding is easy going, but litterally pulled the hook off the trailer one time, just to get grass 10 foot away! lol
My preference is to have a large electric fence set up (2 strands) with step in posts. I bought the plastic kind at TSC and would step them in where itās convenient- then I run two strands of the electric rope with handles at the end so I can open it. I use a solar powered fence. It would take me MAYBE 20 minutes to set it up, and all done.
I would tie to a high line though when Iād be away from the area or sleeping, just in case.
I use a portable electric corral. It works great for my mare as she is very respectful. However, I use 2" tape and I use 2 full strands of it, and it is always hot unless Iām in there with her. I also use tent stakes to secure the four corner posts which allow me to keep some tension in the tape. Iāve got my tape on a roller, all my stakes together in a canvas golf bag, and I have a system down - I can have the pen up in 5 minutes or less.
My mare would probably be fine if it wasnāt hot (or if it was only one strand), but it has saved us from loose horses in the past (they got shocked and took off in the other direction).
I would not, however, use this method with all horses. Some horses simply do not respect electric fences (I had one and used a metal corral for him) And I would not use one of the flimsy, one strand-barely visible saggy pen method I see at so many endurance rides. May horses are trained in those and do fine in them, but again, itās more about keeping other loose horses OUT that Iām worried about.
The prussic loops are very handy yes, but I do like the swivel-type knot elminators. I like a swivel on both ends of the lead rope, but itās not entirely necessary.
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