I n preparing for this trip, I found very few modern "how to" books for horse packing. Many were written 40 to 50 years ago. Most did not incorporate ultra-light packing for long distance horse rides. I found that by reading ultra-light distance hiking books combined with horse packing ideas I came up with a middle ground. However, there were some books that did broach the subject, including Don West's Have Saddle, Will Travel. Also Treading Lightly With Pack Animals by Dan Aadland, who was a pioneer of ultra-light horse packing.

I also found anecdotal books of horse adventures very helpful. I really enjoyed Lisa Wood's book, Chasing the California Dream. Lisa rode the length of California and I plan on taking almost half of the trail she took on her journey.

On the net, journals and websites of horse adventures were extremely helpful, especially those of the Pacific Crest Trail. Sandy Wade's journal from 1985, when she spent two months on the northern section of the PCT was one of the few journals I found that was related to horse packing for a long ride.

The Pacific Crest Trail website posts journals of current and past hikers' treks. I found those very useful in planning food drops and finding water. I also strongly recommend the Long Riders Guild site.

The book The Pacific Crest Trail was helpful in calculating mileage, however many stores and supply points have changed so drastically that they were not reliable. I recommend more updated resources if someone were planning to ride the trail.

Here are some of the books I found helpful:

• Horse Packing Illustrated by Dusty Johnson (Saddleman Press, Loveland, CO)
  
  
• Manual of Pack Transportation by H.W. Daly (Long Riders Guild Press)
  
  
• Horse Packing by Charles Johnson Post (Long Riders Guild Press)
  
  
• Chasing the California Dream: A Solo Horseback Journey Along the California Coast by Lisa F. Wood (Lost Coast Press)
  
  
• Have Saddle, Will Travel: Low-Impact Trail Riding and Horse Camping by Don West (Storey Communications)
  
  
• Treading Lightly With Pack Animals by Dan Aadland (Mountain Press Publishing Company)
  
  
• Horse Packing in Pictures by Francis W. Davis (Western International, Inc.)
  
  
• Horses, Hitches and Rocky Trails by Joe Back (Johnson Books)
  
  
• Packing: A Guide to the Care, Training and Use of Horses and Mules as Pack Animals Republished from the Department of the Army Field Manual No 25-7. (Northland Publishing)
  
  
• Packin' In On Mules and Horses by Smoke Elser & Bill Brown (Mountain Press Publishing Company)
  
  
• The Ultralight Backpacker by Reyel Kestenbaum (Ragged Mountain Press)
  
  
• Long Distance Hiking by Roland Mueser (Ragged Mountain Press)