Horse Training

[Triplebhunters]

2014 I would like to lease a horse or two.

What does a person need to know to lease a horse, whether it would be to pack out an elk or to lease to have for the entire hunt?
Feeding schedule, type feed, amount to take in. etc.
Tying, hitching, etc.
Pretty much an A to Z plan.

I figure this is a good time to post this as everyone is checking down their list getting ready for their hunt

I have a 4-H leader that will train me with horses.

A. Finding a horse. This was easy. Surfed the web. Made a few phone calls. Availability is there.

Thanks
Dave

[easeup]

2014 I would like to lease a horse or two.

What does a person need to know to lease a horse, whether it would be to pack out an elk or to lease to have for the entire hunt?
Feeding schedule, type feed, amount to take in. etc.
Tying, hitching, etc.
Pretty much an A to Z plan.

Thanks
Dave

how much does it cost? will he deliver it to your location and pick him up? what will it cost you if something bad happens to the horse? is he freshly shod? what kind of saddle do you want him delivered with? riding or pack?
for your part...feed him at least twice daily...let him water preferably twice daily...His feed will need to be pellets or hay cubes if you go to the national forests....plan on about one 50lb bag every 3 to 4 days per head.....make sure you have a feed bag or pan to eat out of....tie him on a highline such that he cant get hoof caught on his lead rope, but low enough that he can rest his head.....you need a hoof pick to check his feet at least daily.....and brush him before and after each saddle mount.

you will most likely have better luck with two horses because they are herd animals and get scared easily so in their mind there is safety in numbers. If you go with two plan on using them together so they don't pitch a fit if separated from one another.

If you are not a man of great patience, maybe you should reconsider and train yourself somewhere other than the high country. Remember they are large and strong animals and you really can get hurt if they booger on you.
Otherwise, they are absolutely wonderful creatures that our Father in heaven made for us to enjoy. how's that for a simple summary?

[twinkieman]

Also, do you know anything about packing a horse? There is a tremendous amount of knowledge one needs to have to be able to pack safely. Just by the questions you ask, I doubt you have had much experience with the equine family. to There is nothing better than a good pair of horses, or as I prefer a good pair of mules to get gear into the back country, and get gear, and meat back out. That being said I can think of a multitude of things that can go really wrong, that could ruin your hunt, or cause serious injury to the animals, and to yourself. Lots of very experienced horseman are injured every year, and these are people that know what they are doing. I'm mot saying you aren't capable, I'm just trying to point out that there are lots of bad things that can and will happen. Rare is the pack trip where nothing goes wrong, and a successful trip is where you get from point A to point B with the animals , yourself, and whatever you are packing all in the same condition as when you started.

Since you were looking to rent horses, maybe a better option would be to arrange for someone to pack in your gear, and pack out your gear ( hopefully your elk also). I read all the time about guys who do this. LLamas are another option to look into. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

[pointysticks]

i've been on three horsetrips. everytime i get involved with loading the animals. i just wanted to learn. it is very old school. big long ropes, this knot that knot. i still cant do it.

everytime i think.."man this would be a billion times easier if we had some ratchet straps".

i dont think i can do it myself. it is crazy how complicated it is for me.

[cnelk]

If hunting Colorado, check into Sombrero Pack horses.

They deliver to your camp site or you can pick them up

http://www.sombrero.com/CustomPages/hunting.asp

[>>>---WW---->]

OK I've watched this thread long enough. So here is what I have noticed about rental horses in my years as a NF camp ground host. And the two most important things are as fallows.

(1)Tell them you have very little experience with horses. That way, maybe they will bring you a gentle one instead of a bronc. Make it clear that you want to rent a good horse and you didn't come on this hunt to break horses for them!

(2) Tell them you are 165 pounds or less. I've seen far to many guys brag about being big strong 220# he-men and they end up with a draft horse. They are usually big gentle giants. But they are so wide that you will feel like you did the splits after a hard days ride.

Another thing to consider is tack. If you have your own saddle, by all means, bring it. Sombrero's tack is junk for the most part. Do you feel lucky riding rotten leather?

Probably if you know a little about horses and know how to ride, you'll be OK. If not, it would be to your advantage to get a few riding lessons.

There are lots of other things you should know like how to feed, care for, and pack your horse. But the above things (#1 and #2) you should give some serious thought to before you even consider renting a horse.

[Lefty]

There are lots of other things you should know like how to feed, care for, and pack your horse. But the above things (#1 and #2) you should give some serious thought to before you even consider renting a horse.

Your 4-H leader wont be able to teach you what you really need to know for a hunt.

My daughter has a few horses, she went tto school to become a trainer and has trainrd horses to ride, pack and pull and has been hired by other trainers to breck some horses bad habits.
The more I learned about horses the less I want to do with them.

"A vet once told me cats and dogs can bite and scratch, but a horse will kill you."

Your 4-H leader wont be able to teach you what you really need to know for a hunt.

When I lived in northern Utah I had students that would pack in and out, you got them as a wrangler, and they were cheap ( anything to get out of school and be on a horse) they did all the horse care and responcibility.
I would do as suggested and hire someone to do it all,
While some may very much enjoy having a horse as part of the hunt, a hosre requires a lot of hunt time.

[Triplebhunters]

Lots of great input here. Thank-you.
Notes will be put into my Elk hunting composition book. I am sure others (lurkers) are looking for the same input as I am. Any and all input will be put to good use.
I have been around animals most of my life. Worked on dairy farm and and showed cattle as a kid. Had a couple ponies as a kid. My wife had a horse as a young adult. My kids showed beef cattle when they were young.
This is our third year in Colorado. Second year in same area. Every year we add more time to our vacation, hunt. This year we will be there a few days before muzzy season till the end of the month. Actually put our camp in storage out there. Goal is to learn area, taking notes, learning mass amounts of info.
Right now having a camp packed in or drop camp isn't in the budget. This year should be a great year. Later today I will try and update my profile to let you see the style of hunt I am using as base. Call it base camp basics if you will.

[stringunner]

Can horses add to the enjoyment of the hunt? Yes. Do horses add a lot more work to the hunt? Yes. Is there an inherent risk when utilizing horses to hunt? ABSOLUTELY. Can it be done...even if you are a novice horsemen? Yes. If you are committed to learning all that you can about how to utilize horses/mules to hunt with and you understand all of the above stated comments, particularly the amount of work it will take and the risks horses add to the hunt, then you will be just fine. If I had listened to all the naysayers when I got started using horses I never would have. I don't believe anyone is stating "don't do it" but more are trying to make sure you will be as equipped and prepared as possible. If you never try it you will never know what it is like. For some, horses are not worth the risks/time. For others, horses add a tremendous amount of enjoyment. All depends on how bad you want to try it and the level of commitment you are willing to put in.

Having been raised around animals as you stated, you are already ahead of the game...that's not to say that if you have raised beef you will know how to train a horse...but just having basic knowledge about livestock gives you a head start. Understanding their fight or flight tendencies, blind spots, how to feed and generally care for them, how to recognize when they are lame or sickly are all things that go hand in hand with raising livestock. The signs are similar though the symptoms will vary.

There are many great books, articles and resources available out there to learn from. Your 4-H leader (depending on their background) will be a great resource as well, particularly if they know how to ride and train horses. If they don't know how to hunt/pack with horses then utilize them to learn how to ride and work with the animals and find someone else or other resources to teach you about how to pack with them.