Are you so sure there aren’t any annoying rules and regulations to prevent you and your pony when you are out in the absolute outback? Looking forward to an expedition that’s not regulated by a number of dos and don’ts? Well, you may not have to fret much about statutory and other rules and rules out there, particularly those pertinent to behaviour in a crowd, but there very definitely are some common sense-based rules and regulations that you need to observe if you would like to bring yourself and your pony back in two intact packages.

You have to be out in the bush land with a horse that’s not going to spook at each small sight and sound. It does not truly need to be said that you are going to run into a ton of weird sights and noises. You are smart to desensitise your pony as much as you can before you go riding off. To be ready for back country, a horse should be trusted to load, haul, stay tied and stay hobbled. He should not hesitate to cross streams, bogs, fallen trees or any other obstacle. He should keep his presence of mind if you run across other people, other horses or any type of animal life. He should be able to shrug off loud and unexpected noises, even though they are of the explosive type. He should not be ruffled by colourful packs and apparel, nor should motorised vehicles of any sort startle him.

When riding in back country, avoid tying horses to trees. If you have to restrain your pony, you must stretch a picket line between trees. Ensure you do not damage the trees by looping lines around them; protect them with padding, a gunny sack, whatever. The picket line should be set up at a height of about seven feet above ground. Tie the lead ropes such that your halter snap rests 2 feet off the ground. Be sure the lead rope has a swivel so it won’t get badly twisted or loosened.

Set up your campsite at a distance of not less than 200 feet from brooks, lakes and other water bodies.

Don’t be a litter bug! Ensure you burn or take away everything you bring. Burn trash if it is permitted, and pack unburnable stuff like cans so that you can carry them away for correct disposal. Dispose correctly of food scraps and left-overs, as well. Don’t bury garbage and don’t burn tin foil, these activities are against the law in lots of places.

You are not permitted to carry packed hay or unprocessed grain in a large amount of Fed. lands, and that suggests a lot of parks and wilderness areas, too. This prohibition is because feed stock typically contains weeds, which if set free can plant themselves and soon grow to nasty proportions. It’s not uncommon for parks to stipulate that you bring your own feed, and this feed be free of weeds. You get alfalfa in cubes that is certified to be weed free; these cubes are easy to pack and carry, and are received well by horses. Follow up with the feed and tack outlets in your neighborhood, or get weed-free feed from county extension agents.

Before heading into any reserve or park area, do your home work: get acquainted with the regulations on camping, limits on the number of people and horses in a group and so on. Find out where horses can be ridden and where they cannot. You don’t want to get sent back, fined or maybe taken to jail because you did not follow rules.

Be especially careful about following rules associated with camp fires. Plenty of areas don’t permit fires. Somebody should always be attending to campfires, and they must be absolutely extinguished once you are finished with them.

Ensure you don’t leave behind dung in loading areas, camping areas or on trails. Leave everything at least as clean as when you found it!

The only things you can possibly leave behind safely are hoof prints.

Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers go here