By Stan Walchuk Jr.
Pete and I had been slowly picking our way up a remote mountain valley. The valley had narrowed. Alpine slopes ran down to the graveled stream bed that we rode on, which was actually smooth going considering the rugged mountains on either side. A ridge came down from the right and ended abruptly as a fifty foot cliff with the stream being forced around it in a curve. Half way around the bend my horses ears perked forward and his head came up. We could not see around the bend but the wind came from that direction. Something did not smell right. And we were in grizzly country.
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Pete and I had been slowly picking our way up a remote mountain valley. The valley had narrowed. Alpine slopes ran down to the graveled stream bed that we rode on, which was actually smooth going considering the rugged mountains on either side. A ridge came down from the right and ended abruptly as a fifty foot cliff with the stream being forced around it in a curve. Half way around the bend my horses ears perked forward and his head came up. We could not see around the bend but the wind came from that direction. Something did not smell right. And we were in grizzly country.
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 By Stan Walchuk, Jr.
During the Klondike gold rush of 1898 horses were employed to pack supplies from Skagway through rugged and hostile mountains to the Yukon. It was a tough life and a short life for these unfortunate horses. Feed was sparse, the terrain rough, and loads came heavy and often. More than three thousand horses died in this brief quest for gold, many of them in the wintering draw aptly named ‘Dead Horse Gulch’, several miles from Skagway. These poor horses, sore and already thin, starved pawing through snow for wisps of grass and a few willow twigs. (more…)
By Stan Walchuk, Jr.
In this third article on horse camping, we would like to discuss useful items that we would find it difficult to be without. (more…)
By Stan Walchuk Jr. Scene One: It was the second day of our honeymoon pack trip in the central Yukon. The first day was my wife’s first day ever on a horse trip and probably the third or fourth toughest day of my trail life. If you have read ‘Cordillera!’ you will know that this is no idle threat. By the second day Marlene and I were staggering in our boots, punch drunk with exhaustion from struggling through deadfall forests and bogs.
Scene two: It was a small mud hole, the type that trail horses ride through or around daily during wilderness rides. My new saddle horse, a sixteen-hand paint that had a good build and looked like it should make a reliable trail horse, had flopped over in the hole, overcome with self-pity. This horse had earlier shown cocky and arrogant behavior. He was, or thought he was, the ruler of the roost; nipping, biting, and pushing himself upon other better natured horses. I hoped, at the time, that this dominance may translate into a horse with energy and determination, but the reality was frustrating.If you go through life having known a good man or woman, and a good dog, you are lucky. If you have known a good man/woman, a good dog and horse with heart, then you are lucky indeed. I am looking out the window at this moment at our twenty-odd trail horses. I see at least a dozen horses that have quietly risen to the challenges of countless hills, rivers, tangled forests, bogs, and long days, and have done so faithfully. I am fortunate indeed.
By Stan Walchuk Jr.
Although the goal of a hitch is simple – to secure the load to the horse – the variety of hitches is overwhelming. Hitches can be placed in two categories; those that hang the load on the packsaddle, and those that wrap the load and the horse in a secure package. The latter would include the common and famous diamond hitches, as well as others. Of the hitches that hang gear on the packsaddle, the basket and barrel hitch are the most common. Although the barrel hitch may be the best for securing long lateral loads on each side of the packsaddle, like lumber, firewood and gear bags, the basket hitch secures long lateral loads, vertical loads, square loads like pack boxes, manties, and bales of hay equally well. If we had to choose just two hitches to use, we would choose a diamond hitch and the basket hitch. For now let’s make a basket hitch. As shown in the photos, it is really quite simple. (more…)
 by Stan Walchuck Jr.
Choosing the right horse or mule is a great place to start. The alternative – choosing the wrong horse – can provide mountains of grief. You may have heard the saying “There are no problem horses, just problem people.†Like most generalizations, this statement is partly true and partly false. Horses, like people, are not created equal. They are given a blue print to work with – a genetic gift from sire and dam called DNA. The blue print varies greatly so likewise, the conformation, minds, and behavior of the horses var (more…)
 Exploring the Chilcotin on Horseback – A Spectacular Holiday
By Heather Warren
Last year I decided it was time to take my first vacation on horseback. After a lifetime of riding in hogfuel arenas and flat country roads, and I was eager to experience the mountain backcountry on horseback. So my husband, young daughter and I headed for Spruce Lake Wilderness Adventures, an outfitting company that offers holidays in BC’s South Chilcotin high country. (more…)
On The Trail…
By Stan Walchuk Jr.
Your trail horses foot can make or break your trail ride or pack trip. Twenty years ago we went to great lengths with our pack string to prepare, correct, shoe, and deal with less than perfect feet while on the trail. Now, we buy and breed horses with better feet.
The good sized, proper shaped, thick walled foot that we prefer for trail use has been bred out of many horses. When horses are bred for movement, color, and conformation, the foot does not receive the attention that it deserves – no question. The lameness and problems that plague our horses feet and legs could be vastly reduced with more emphasis given to breeding good feet. Poor feet is a condition that is very unfortunate and unfair to both the horse and rider. When we ask a horse seller or breeder about the size or quality of a particular horses foot, they often reply that the horse has ‘enough foot for the horse’. Statements like this avoid the important facts. Is this a 1,100 pound horse using a #0, #1, or #2 front shoe? (shoe sizes vary with manufacturer and model). How thick, thin, hard, or soft is the wall? Is the hoof wall prone to cracks or separation? Is the sole flat, dropped, or concave? You should have clear expectations about the characteristics of a good foot. (more…)
On The Trail
By Stan Walchuck Jr.
Finding the right trail saddle is like finding the right mate – you don’t always get what you thought you got, so you tell yourself that the next time you’ll get one a little different.
After 30 years of buying, selling, and using saddles I have an idea about the type of saddles I like. Those of you who have spent long days in the saddle have also developed a strong sense of what fits. Sometimes it takes long days in the saddle to have a serious appreciation for a good trail saddle, and make no mistake about it, there are many guides, outfitters, ranchers, and cattle workers who have come through months or years of their lives when the saddle that they rode was more important than the vehicle that they drove. The vehicle may have been used to go to town for groceries once a week, but the saddle was lived in eight or ten hours a day, day after day. (more…)
