Happy (Horse Trailer) Campers

I had hoped to do some horse camping this summer, but Misty's tooth issues derailed those plans.

At the beginning of Spring, my riding club held an overnight horse camping practice.  I went sans horse, but it gave me a chance to see how I would fare sleeping in the bunk of my gooseneck horse trailer.

I don't have living quarters, so I was without the usual creature comforts in my bare, steel trailer.  Springtime in Colorado can be very chilly.  This particular weekend brought one of the last cold snaps of the season.  It got down to 35F/1.6C during the night, with a light rain, at our mock campsite.

Brrrr.  I had no heat, but my trailer nest turned out to be "beary" cozy.

For my bed, I use a king size foam mattress topper;  folded in half, it is the perfect size for a bed in the bunk.

For bedding I use flannel sheets, an open sleeping bag, and a heavy duty down comforter topped with my decorative fleece horse blanket.  Inexpensive kitchen valances serve as window coverings.  A battery operated camping lantern and magnetic tent light provide some illumination.  And a 3-drawer plastic storage chest fills in as a nightstand.

Even at 35F,  I was fairly comfortable with the addition of socks, gloves, fleece cap, and a cowl neck warmer.  It got pretty toasty in my little nest.   In fact, I awoke at 2:00 am and couldn't peel off the socks, gloves, hat and neck warmer fast enough.

I followed advice to crack one of the windows open, but still developed some condensation in the trailer.  I do have a ceramic heater, but there was nowhere to plug it in.  I'm considering purchasing a Little Buddy Portable Heater to take the chill off next time.

Have you used a portable camping heater? I'm curious what others have experienced.

There is one more item that comes in handy in a non-LQ horse trailer, whether you are camping or parked at a trail head.

I never leave home without my Luggable Loo.

Have you camped in your horse trailer?  What creature comforts do you take along?  I'm not a seasoned camper, so would love to know what works for you.

Do you have pictures to share in a blog post?  If so, let us know in the comments where your post is, and please link back to this post.

Misty's Monday Muse: Scared!

My name is Misty and I'm scared of my rolling box.

Recently, I've been expressing a fear of my trailer. I've never been very comfortable in it, but I'm an amiable girl and try to do what is asked of me. But in the last couple of weeks, I've become very disagreeable and my naughty behavior has escalated on a daily basis.

MyLady says it is her fault and she feels very badly. Despite the dilemma of her cockeyed Work-Life-Horse Balance, she has been trying very hard to work consistently with Marley & Me and has been hauling us to places that have round pens and arenas to work in. I've had to travel in my rolling box a lot lately and my anxiety is growing.

I've become very fussy about getting in my box; and last week I started running away from MyLady as soon as I see her with a halter in her hand. I just want to be left alone!

I've never really had the chance to make friends with my trailer. It hasn't been mean to me, but when I step into it, the doors shut, it gets dark, the world disappears, and I feel very uneasy. I'm always so glad when the world reappears and I can get out of that box.

On Saturday, I had a lesson to properly introduce me to my trailer. I had to trot a lot until I figured out that the trailer was a place where I could rest. I was given lots of chances to snoop around in the box and play with it, but was allowed to leave when I felt uncomfortable. TrainerLady said I needed to use my natural curiosity, but fear and curiosity cannot co-exist in my equine mind, so I was allowed to approach and retreat as needed. It was a long lesson. After 3 hours, I was finally comfortable enough to walk all the way into my box and relax in there and have a snack.

Then yesterday I found the rolling box just sitting at the top of my dry lot with its big, gaping mouth wide open. Inside was my lunch. That was really weird.

I stayed away, but every now and then I stole a glance. Then I saw MyLady sitting in it, playing with my food tub. I decided to check it out before she ate all my food.

Hey, save some of that for me.

I hung around for a little bit, then I turned and galloped to the other end of my lot. This back-and-forth went on for awhile until I finally got curious (and hungry enough) to start investigating further.

Nibbling outside the box.



Nibbling inside the box.



Getting braver.


Oh oh! What's that I hear?

PREDATORS!

Gotta run!


The next-door predators scared me with their yapping.

Just look how scary they are!

Wouldn't you run too?

Finally, I calmed down and went back to my box and got most of my body in. That's all I could do yesterday. I suspect I'll be dining in the box again.

.

OH MARLEY!


What a show-off.

One day at a time,

A Horse Trailer of My Own

Wahoo! Yipee! Hip Hip Hooray! Today I picked up my brand new horse trailer! A Titan Avalanche, 7'6" tall, 2 horse slant with front tack room and swing out saddle rack. The manufacturer moved the tack room wall forward to give my full-bodied girl more room in the front stall. That's my old pickup truck, purchased used for this very purpose. It's a '94 F250 XLT, turbo diesel, 4x4. An oldie but a goodie.



This is a BIG deal to me. When I showed in my earlier years, I boarded at a hunter/jumper stable and my trainer hauled my horses for me. Renewing my passion and "getting back in the saddle" means I need transportation to clinics and training and lessons and trails. This is my first ever horse trailer...and my first time pulling a horse trailer!

A couple of curious onlookers below. I hope this means they are looking forward to taking a ride. Not for awhile though. First I'll put on some miles with the trailer empty.



Oh, oh. What's that thing doing here? Does this mean our life of leisure is coming to an end?