Also get or make a pack saddle... see the fotos section of this
blog.. i designed and built this pack saddle, its back boards are
flexible allowing it to adapt to the horses actual body shape... it
is also entirely laced together, this is for repairability in the
field.... all I need is some nylon cord and said pocket knife for
most repairs..... in a refugee situation a pack saddle will be
needed more than a riding saddle.. Having adequate amounts of survival
gear is more important than your fat ass riding... best case is two
horses per person, one to ride, another to pack... with horses you
can go anywhere you can walk... Meaning into the outback... Beyond
Raiders and Government agencies... also carry a set of heavy pliars
to cut fencewire, I have a set of large lineman's pliars.. horses
invariably get tangled up in barbed wire.... no pliars and you have a
serous problem! also carry a small roll of smooth wire in you saddle
bags... To repair any fences you have to cut..
I also have a long Rula machette in a saddle scabbard on the on side
of my personal saddle, very important in brushy country... in risky
terrain ride thru with your boots out of the stirrips so you can bail
off if the horse goes down.... keep in good physical shape if you use
horses.... stay agile yourself! I reccomend two rifle types for use
ahorse, the Winchester lever action, or the Ruger mini-14 with a
folding stock... both are fairly flat and so lay against the saddle
better... Get stainless, horse sweat is like sea water, very
caustic...
Tobbaco can be used against intestinal parasites in horses, get plug
chewing tobacco like Red man....
Horses love the stuff, probably where cowboys picked up the habit!
also if able stockpile anti parasite drugs.... Use often.... horses
are also very prone to Ticks, we use doggie Tick and flea powder, in
the ears, on the mane, and around the tail area.....
Own a quality rain cape, or an Australian duster...
carry a lariat, the most useful is 3/8's hard laid nylon about 50 feet
long... you can use it as a picket rope... never picket a horse on
steep ground, they will hang themselves.... I lost a beautiful
little red mare that was pregnant that way, on an area not at all
steep.. boy did that hurt.... she was an incredibly good horse and a
personal pet that many people tried to buy from me..... it still
hurts to think about.....
Never leave a lariat noose around a horse's neck, tie a bowline knot,
said mare hung herself with even the bowline...
many horses die being roped, especially young ones..... they fight
and strangle themselves before you can get the lariat off... Be very
careful with young horses, they can die very easily of exertion...
Even a short trip into the mountains following their mother is enough
to kill them if they are not used to rugged terrain...
Horses are both tough and fragile at the same time... Treat them very
carefully... all that I have said here about horses I have learned
personally thru experience.... I am not repeating something I read...
Horses are a serious responsibility, and require much time & effort
to maintain.. I train my horses that its OK to grab a bite of food as
long as they dont stop.... This is for survival/escape conditions,
horses eat 24 hours a day, and have amazing night vision, I have
regularly come home at night on my horse, and I not being able to see
a damn thing.... train your horse to rein lightly, called neck
reining.... I only use spurs as training aids, or if I think I might
need to escape danger at warp nine.... horses have an incredible
memory for trails, and can remember where to put their hoof in the
same exact spot on a trail for up to a year.... horses love hugs once
they get used to it...
They are sensitive around the ears, careful there!
If you have never owned a horse, you have never really lived.....
horses are the ultimate freedom device...
I also made up a harness of truck strap, rivited and sewn, and I
made a pony plow out of a smaller walking tractor share, a large
cultivator share would also work...
Train horses to pull by hooking them to something heavier first so
they cant panic and run away with it... use them to drag small logs
before trying to train them to pull a cart... the most useful cart is
a Tumbril style... In flatlands a horse can pull several times more
load in a cart than they can pack.... keep the cart as lightly built
as possible... horses are not superman.... another bit of info; is a
team of medium sized draft horses can easily pull a mid sized farm
tractor out of a mud hole... Just as a tractor can easily pull out a
stuck 4wd vehicle...
by the way, German Shepherds intuitively love horses, they will go lay
down out in pastures by eating or standing horses... and there is
nothing a dog loves more than to go on a horse trip...
Take care of your horse, and it will take care of you.....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment