Camper's Checklist

I did not stop to think that I may have some people who are new to camping with there horses all together, so I thought, given this inspiration from one of my followers, that I would make a checklist and general idea post for preparation for camping with your horses.

First thing first is, find a place you are interested in camping at. Do your research in finding out things like,

is it barefoot friendly or how is the terrain like,

are the trails beginner, moderate or advanced,

how is the route to the campground,

is it suitable for my size of rig,

does it have a trail map,

do they close for hunting season,

is it primitive camping, electric and water or full hook up or all the options,

does it have a bathhouse/bathroom,

does it offer pens per site or do i have to pay for pens, are the pens first come first serve, can you bring your own pens, can you picket line,

These are all the questions I wonder myself about a place I am going to, especially if it is a place I have never been. So here are some pointers.

If you are camping in Southeastern Oklahoma, odds are, you will need shoes or boots on your horses. The ozarks are rocky and many of the trails are what I would consider from intermediate to advanced, HOWEVER, there are some of the shorter mileage trails that I could consider beginner to moderate if you are not new to riding horses/trail riding. This goes for even for young horses that need miles, the trail terrain is capable for them as well. These places would be as follows for example, Robbers cave, sardis lake, Heaven's Gate, Cedar Lake, Horse Heaven, Heyburn, Hugo (Kiamichi Park)

Most of the central/northern places in oklahoma are sandy and barefoot friendly options to ride. Lower mileage trail systems and great for first time campers that want to get their feet wet. These places for example would be like, Lake Carl Blackwell, Prague Lake, Bell Cow.

Of course there are a few that are kinda scattered over the state that are barefoot friendly as well as trail level is beginner to moderate.

Personally I have had a lot of friends that I have taken riding before that had no clue how to ride much less really ride "advanced trails" that could ride prague, Lake carl Blackwell, arcadia, thunderbird, even sportsman's lake (but shoes are needed for Sportsmans) and have no issue at all.

The next thing after deciding where to go is making the reservation. When doing so or knowing if the place is a first come first serve based campground is important and finding out all you can on the layout of the campground too. From personal experience some campgrounds can have a site that says it is 50' long but there can be trees in the way of backing in, so it makes it tricky. So if you are not good at backing your rig, you may find go visit the campground prior in person or pick a pull through area. Practice makes perfect and slow and steady wins the race.

The next thing to consider is finding someone to go with that has the experience. Experience in how to camp and what to do in cases of storms, bog downs on trails, accidents etc. Also of course this is where your research comes into play in general for trail riding rather you camp or just day ride. A lot of your knowledge from horse sense comes into play into the camping world

Now what to bring on a camp trip for both you and the horse... well let's dive in.

• Clothes and toiletries

• food

• cooking supplies (grill, fire wood, propane, fire starter, charcoal (however you want to cook your food)

• ice chest

• drinks of course

• first aid (for you and the horse)

• water hoses

• extension cords

• flash lights

• compass

• phone charger (portable charger block for saddle bag)

• lighter

• saddle bags

• hay

• feed

• feed pan

• water tub/bucket(s)

• horse blanket (if you blanket your horse)

• extra halters

• extra headstalls

• rain slicker

• bright orange or yellow for hunting season

• portable pens or picket line supplies

• hay bags

• manure fork/bucket/trash bags (i.e look at website to see what you do with your horse manure per site)

• bucket light (outdoor light of some sort)

Keep in mind this may also be closer to my own personal list of what i bring on my camp trips but a lot of it is necessary for any camper.

This may seem like a lot to take in but I promise it is so worth the experience to unplug from reality for a weekend and get to enjoy your time horseback and see the beautiful state from a different point of view.

Happy Trails!!