Trail Prerperations

Being organized and prepared always pays off.
Things to think about when prepping for a trail ride:
When I road a made sure I was in a good saddle that had nice saddle strings on both sides, front and back. I made use of these by tying my rope with the right front saddle string. On the left front was my canteen always full. A cool drink of water is always welcomed on the trail. My saddle bags as always were on the back with my slicker on top.
The right side of my saddle bag was filled with snacks (for me & Oaky), my rasp (small one),  & a pair of small hoof nippers. These items can come in handy when you are a long way from the farrier. The left side was a medicine bag was full of fly spray, Liniment & vet wrap for those unavoidable & imminent injuries that accompany horses. As for me,  I packed bandaids and some cream ointment.

I always liked heavy leather covered stirrups that way I didn't have to worry about my feet slipping. I wore short shanked spurs with a small rowl as these worked best with my horse Oaky. I used a rubber spur tie down on my spurs in addition to my spur straps which were plain heavy harness leather. I preferred to use a tie down for the bridal as well. As a precautionary measure my horse always wore bell boots and had non slip shoes.

When we would find a quite place to stop in a meadow or by a river Oaky and I would always share the snacks that were packed, building trust and comraderie (more on that later)
Those were the minimum things I made sure to have on a day ride.

Here is a link to some essential trail gear
-Dave Conklin