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Techniques and Equipment for Wilderness Travel with Stock

Techniques for Wilderness Travel with Stock (continued)

Trail Travel

Animals correctly shod and properly packed tend to stand more quietly and cause less wear and tear when traveling on the trail.

Image of a man lifting the front leg of a horse to shoe it.
Shoeing a horse.

Pack animals need to be checked regularly to assure that the packs are balanced and fit comfortably and that there are no loose ropes. Loads ride better, stock travel more comfortably and the chance of injury to stock is less when loads are well balanced.

Image of several horses and mules with packs.
Checking horse and mule packs.

Once on the trail, try to keep all stock in a single file to avoid creating multiple parallel trails. Open ridges and mountain meadows are especially vulnerable to multiple parallel trail formation. For safety reasons, stock should not be turned loose to roam freely on the trail.

Image of a packstring walking along a trail. The lead mule is mounted.
Rider leading a packstring in a single file on a wilderness trail.

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