We did it! I’ve been dreaming of this day for so long and it finally happened.
One warm day in July, we loaded the horses up with camping gear and rode up to a place called Mule Meadow in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest in Idaho. It’s an alpine meadow located up the Bear Gulch trail. I chose this spot because it was about halfway through a twenty-seven mile loop that I needed to mark for the Top O’ the World Endurance Ride.
We spent one night at Mule Meadow. Then continued on, eventually joining the Continental Divide Trail. The CDT follows a ridge which gives you amazing views into Idaho and Montana.
One particularly steep downhill section gave us some problems. River’s saddle is treeless. There’s nothing solid inside it to brace against her shoulders. The weight of the bags and the angle of the slope caused the saddle to slide up over her withers. The trail was narrow and treacherous so we couldn’t do anything about until we reached the bottom. She handled it really well, just a few grumpy faces, until we could fix everything. I’ve since invested in breeching (harness that braces the weight of the saddle against the hindquarters) so hopefully we won’t have that problem again.
Really enjoying your podcasts! Glad you are getting such satisfaction from your adventures!🥰
OUTSTANDING!!! Beautiful and exciting.
Have a few questions…
1. Do you ever “hobble” your mounts instead of using the electric corral?
2. Was there plenty of grazing areas and water throughout the trip?
3. Do you travel armed?
Stay Safe
GT
Good questions! 1. I have not trained the horses to accept hobbles yet but I see the value in it.
2. Yes, this particular area had plenty of grass and was near a creek. There were also grazing and drinking opportunities along the trail.
3. We carry bear spray and knives.
You might want to look into a crupper. They work great. I don’t ride without one. I’ve ridden with some using breeching, it came up over the horses rump. Just food for thought.