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2200 mls 2015 1900 mls
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ULTRA LIGHT OUTFITTING
Perfection is achieved when there is nothing that can be taken away...
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
In harmony with horses and nature
The experienced trail rider likes to forego unnecessary luxury and travel as light as possible.
The more he can adapt to nature, the less he needs.
Trail riding puts the horse's back and hooves to hard work. That's why we have to train accordingly and make sure that the contact surface of the saddle is as large as possible and that the saddle fits 100%.
For longer rides (>3 days), hoof protection is generally necessary for our horses.
Saddle
your outfitt
equipment
For trail riding, I recommend a saddle with the largest possible contact surface. The saddle should distribute the rider's weight over as large an area as possible. Westernsaddle.
At the same time, these saddles are comfortable to ride for a long time and have enough attachment options for your saddlebags. The second criterion is the question of weight. For the horse, it is not the distance that matters, but the pounds it has to carry. Regardless of whether you are able to lift a 28 lbs saddle on your horse, a lighter saddle would certainly be better for both of you.
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The saddle should have a rigid saddle tree and be as light as possible. The rest is a matter of money.
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The cheapest saddles have hardly any decorations and are only functional. The more optics the more expensive, but that doesn't mean it's better.
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In Europe we use a measuring grit on the back of the horse to form a copy of the horses back.
We pick the saddle according to this grit.
Dual-functionality is the keyword.
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I try to use one thing for as many functions as possible. I used my saddle pad, as my mattress at night. The blanket underneath my pad is my cover on cold nights. My Military Poncho covers my saddlebags during the day if it rains and is my tent or my groundsheet during the night.
I ride bitless with just a rope halter, and my reigns are used to tye my horse.
its not the miles,
its the pounds that tire your horse
We live in a time of incredible abundance and excessive luxury. And we are used to having every comfort even when we are outdoors. (Glamping)
Suppose you compare that to the lifestyle of the Argentinian Gauchos (the cowboys of the south) or the nomadic lifestyle of the Kasachs in Mongolia. In that case, you see how ridiculous our expectations of comfort are.
The Gaucho is riding the Outdoors wearing a wool Poncho and sitting on a Sheepskin-covered wooden saddle, a dead armadillo is hanging from his belt. (his supper for the night). Also in his Belt in the back is a long knife, that he uses to cut the meat, his fingernails, and the hoofs of his horse and make fire at night. A Bota (a water bottle made of animal skin) is hanging at the other hip. That's all he needs to spend the night outdoors because he is so close to nature.
What does it mean for me to adjust my expectation of comfort? It's a change of mind.
I start with, what do i need to survive?
- a water filter
- a sleeping bag
- a weather protection-
and then I add luxury items.
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Now the fact is, I did not start out that way either. On my first long ride, I had my own packhorse for my personal stuff. Unfortunately, it had to go home after 3 days. And so did my stuff. My mentor then said, if you have not touched something for a week, leave it at home.
Saddlebags and the likes...
In the Outfitters Stores, you can buy Saddlebags in all shapes and forms, even insulated ones. And they will do the job, for your weekend ride or 10 days. But they are not for the long ride.
On a long ride, your horse will get caught in the branches of trees and your bags have to be sturdy and repareable if something rips on the trail. I tried all the modern materials, and ended up with leather bags, that I built and optimized myself, constantly. The reason for this is, that I can repair my bags on the trail with what I have on me. They are somewhat heavier than textiles, but if you buy the right material just as waterproof. The big advantage is, I can repair it myself.
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All my electronics use the same AA Batterie type except the battery for the fence system, which lasts 10 weeks.
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If you want to travel comfortably, take as little as possible.
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Equipment for the weekend trail
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- mobile phone.
- Lighter and small candle
- large Bowie-Knife / Multitool
- Waterbottle and filter
- snacks
- First aid kit/pers. medication
- GPS / Map
- Hat/gloves
- Raingear /
- Military Poncho
- Hoody/windbreaker
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Camping
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- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping pad
- Mini-Hygiene Bag
- pocket-size Kleenex
- small trowel
- Tarp, Tentpools, stakes, guylines
- folding saw
- jet boil and gas
- small cooking pot
- freeze-dried food
- mosquito repellent
- spare pants
- Socks waterproofed
- 2 T-shirts
- 1 Shirt
- 1 scarf
- paper and pen
Long Ride
- map 1:500k
- Tote one (Farrier tool) and nails
- spare hoof protection
- wire cutter
- Leather string, hollow punch set
- neadel and nylon fish line
- Tarp repair
- 30 feet of polypropylene rope
- First Aid horse
- foldable waterbag
- rabbit fur
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- Solar power bank
- spare batteries AA
- Tractive GPS
- spare boots
- Chaps
- Horse bell
- Silicon Zip Sealers
- Mini-Grill plate
- Firestarter
- Axt
- cup and spoon
- salt/pepper
- Coffee / Teabags
- whitener and sugar
- soap and sponge
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Horse
- Hoof Pick
- fly-repellent paste
- Honey
- western saddle
- blanket and pad
- Saddlebags
- Hornbags
- Cantle bags
- breast collar
- back chinch or crupper
- rope halter
-closed Rein PP with snaps
- Duplo composite horseshoe
- Hobbels
- fence and battery fence charger
- fence posts, stakes and string
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