horses

The Original 4×4

Eminence, Missouri

I’ve spent years showing horses and since starting college almost 4 years ago and selling my show horse I have missed it greatly. I am incredibly lucky to still own horses, and I would not trade the memories, friends I have made and fun I have had with them for anything. In my 15 or so years of being around horses I have logged many miles doing the simplest thing. Trail riding. 

  • Versailles State Park
  • Hoosier National Forrest

While I also enjoy hiking, trail riding is my favorite way to cover ground. I couldn’t even imagine how many miles I have logged in Brown County State Park, Hoosier National Forrest, Eminence Missouri and private woods everywhere between. Saddle bags full of drinks and snacks, a good horse and a few friends are all you need to have a good time. Even the worst day in the woods on a horse is better than a day at work. If nothing else, misfortune makes for a great story afterwards. 

Over the summer me and two friends loaded up to go on a short trail ride. Against my morals I decided not to pack snacks (I feel very strongly about snacks) and only grabbed a couple bottles of water. It was only going to be a short ride, right? Five hours later, and incredibly dehydrated and hungry we somehow managed to find the truck and trailer. At the time it was very unpleasant but now, it is a funny story. 

  • Halloween Weekend, October 2019
  • How Tucker feels about most trips

Although I do a lot of day trips throughout the year I also enjoy camping with horses. There are actually quite a few places in Indiana, and all over the US to camp with your horses. My two favorite places in Indiana to camp is Brown County Horseman’s Camp and Hoosier Horse Camp in the Hoosier National Forrest in Norman, Indiana. I will say I have successfully avoided tent camping and much prefer ‘glamping.’ Many horse trailers have living quarters in the front half and I prefer to camp with running water and a full bathroom and kitchen. There is nothing better than sitting next to a campfire in the late fall while horses munch quietly on hay at the hitch rail next to you. 

Brown County Horseman’s Camp

I have trail rode many horses, but I have to include my favorite horse. Many horse people talk about having their “heart horse.” A heart horse is in short, a favorite horse that is irreplaceable and will always have a special place with you. My ‘heart horse’ is Bullseye, a registered Quarter Horse. He is nearing 24 and is now retired but he has been in my life for nearly 10 years. We have been all over together and some of my favorite memories involve him. 

  • Bullseye

Who said horses were fun?

You know the weird horse girl in elementary school that was obsessed with horses? Well, I was homeschooled but if I wasn’t I would have been that girl. I would say now as a college senior I am still the weird horse girl. In the past 15 years horses have taken me all over, from showing, trail riding, and even Standardbred harness racing. I decided to make this blog post a little different and talk about traveling with horses.   

Horses are constantly trying to kill themselves. When not being big dumb toddlers, they are looking for ways to cause you financial stress and gray hair. I would say that fellow equestrians are some of the toughest individuals out there, dumb but tough. One of the dumb things we like to do is go on ‘vacations’ with our horses. I have been to a bunch of horse shows, a few trips to Missouri and Florida. Here are a few things that stick out to me about traveling with horses. 

If the horses are not causing you stress, the government will. Any horse that travels over stateliness has to have the correct paperwork. The paperwork required is from a vet and clears them of one specific medical condition, equine infectious anemia. They also must have health papers that expire every 30 days. If you are pulled over and do not have the proper paperwork your truck, trailer, and horses can be impounded. In Florida they have check stations for people coming and going to check paperwork and make sure that the papers match the horse.  

If you are hauling them in hot weather, you will constantly be concerned that they are to hot. It’s even worse hauling them in the cold. To blanket or not blanket, either way is probably wrong, and you are going to end up pulling over every hour to check and see if they are too hot or cold. 

So, you have all the paperwork, the feed and hay loaded, your own things loaded and finally the horse is in the trailer. Now for the most exciting part, dealing with other drivers. This post is turning into a PSA before it turns into a rant. Don’t cut people off, don’t tailgate and give us space. We are hauling 1,000-pound animals that are standing on legs that have a lot of the same properties as a toothpick.