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"Although I did not receive any money from any of the following companies,
their products or services were helpful in my adventure and I support them
for their quality products."
Equine Elite
Hygiene is one of the basic problems encountered by Long Riders and
through-hikers, which I had to consider when planning my trip. Wound
dressings, for myself and my horses, are also a necessity, which brings us
to the big issue of weight. Obviously, the less I carry, the less weight
for the girls to pack.
I was told a company called
Equine Elite Labs was interested in sponsoring
my trip. I was not looking for financial support, but said I would talk to
them about their products. When I learned that three of their products were
just what I needed, and that they could be used on myself and my horses, I
was very interested. I took the risk of packing their products in my food
drops, not knowing if they would work. Sometimes taking risks pay off, and
this one did.
Not only did the products work great, but they replaced many other
products, which lightened my load, and I found hundreds of uses for the
products. With just three small bottles I did the following:
- Wound ointment for myself and the horses.
- Treated saddle sores (and the hair grew back quickly).
- Treated blisters (mine, of course).
- Sunburn relief
- Bee sting relief
- Ant bite relief
- Rash relief
- Treated cuts and abrasions on myself and the girls.
- Hygiene
- I used it for dry baths
- Hand cleaner
- Put on the girls to prevent rainrot
- Sprayed on pots and pans after cleaning (to disinfect)
- Sprayed on my toothbrush (to disinfect)
I wanted to give some Equine Elite products to very barn I visited, but my
supply was obviously quite small. I recommend that you check out their
website and their products.
JJ Maxwell Tack and Saddle Co.
Joe and Cindy Maxwell, proprietors of J.J. Maxwell Tack and Saddle Co.,
became what I consider close friends on my trip. They not only
allowed me to stay on their property, but Joe also took the time to
carefully examine the saddle fit issues I was having on my horses.
Joe took valuable time away from his shop to fully educate me on
saddling, equitation, horse body structure, and saddle design. Then
Joe pulled a brand new saddle off the rack and handed it to me to
finish my ride. What a great saddle. It not only solved comfort and
fit problems for my horse but for me as well.
I had been fooled into thinking that the perfect Long Rider saddle
was a gimmick flex saddle featuring panels to move with the horse as
it moves. In theory this is good. However, these panels have four
connector spots where the panels connect to the actual saddle. These
connectors become pressure points where the weight of everything
above the pannels is received. These four spots were exactly where I
was having saddle sore issues with my horses.
Joe explained and demonstrated how a good saddle distributes weight
evenly and reduces any one spot to not carrying any more than two
pounds of pressure. Joe’s Hope saddle weighs 25 pounds, making iA
perfect for trail riding and perfectly distributes weight. My girls
loved it as much as I did. Joe has great information on his site for
saddle fit and horse posture. Check it out!
J.J. Maxwell Tack & Saddle Co.
3680 Main St.
Cottonwood, CA
(530) 347-2417
Feather Haven Mill
I became aquatinted with Feather Haven Mill about four years ago
when a friend told me about them. I was buying expensive grains and
feed and spending hours mixing them, trying to feed each of my
horses all the nutrients I had learned were necessary daily
requirements. I had as many as 25 horses at any one time and feed
costs were huge. Although I had to do the calculations, when I came
up with the perfect feed Dave at Feather Haven said, "We can make
it. Do you want it in a pellet or loose grain?" With time I would
come up with improvements and call Dave and he would say, "We can
make it. do you want it in a pellet or loose grain?"
As I started planning for my trip I realized I needed a concentrated
feed that would not only give all the necessary daily vitamins and
minerals, but be balanced with all the different grasses they would
be eating across California. I also realized they needed the
nutrients and salt I had been providing in their salt block. I made
the calculations, confirmed them with a Ph.D. in Equine Nutrition
and I called Dave. He said, "We can make it. Do you want it in a
pellet or loose grain?"
By now all my neighbors go to the mill and ask for "Garry Feed" and
Dave just grins. So many order it now, I have to call in advance to
make sure they have it, but they can always make more pellet or
loose grain.
Feather Haven Mill (Dave)
8888 Highway 25
Gilroy, CA 95020
831-623-4249
Custom PackRigging Ltd.
When I first starting investigating pack saddles prior to leaving on
my trip, I read on the Long Riders Guild site that many of them used
and highly recommended Custom PackRigging saddles. I got to talk to
Gene Glasscock about his experience and felt, if it was good enough
for Gene's riding, it would be great for me. I called Kelly DeStrake
and he was great. He hooked me up with a great packsaddle and
complete harnesses and pads. The only change I made my whole trip
was to add another pad (a cool back wool pad.) The harnesses all
held up great and it was wonderful to have the ability to change the
saddle to fit both horses. Also since the packsaddle was aluminum,
it was lighter than a sawbuck. I love my packsaddle and panniers and
with the dollar exchange in Canadian currency, I got it for half the
cost of most full set ups rigs. Thanks, Kelly!
233 Park Drive, Box 1789
Lillooet, B.C., V0K 1V0
Canada
1 (877) 7PAKRIG
1 (877) 7725744
2 Horse Enterprises
I heard about this lady who " knows everything about horse
camping." Immediately I thought, "Well, there is probably a big overstatement.
Who knows everything about horse camping?" So I asked, "Does she know all the
trails and parks in California?" Answer, "Yes!" "Hmmm!" I think,
"Boy this is oversell. Okay, give me her name and number." Answer, "Bonnie
Davis, Two Horse Enterprises (510) 657-5239." So I give her a call as I am stuck
on what path to take the northern section of my trip. I tell her what I am doing and I
ask her if she has any maps of Northern California trails and parks. (Anyone who knows
Bonnie is probably lauging right about now.) Bonnie says, "Sure" and starts
listing map after map after map on and on! Okay I asked for it. So I said,
"Send them to me" and two days later a box arrives. Wow! Bonnie is certainly
a wealth of knowledge and she lived up to her image. If you want to know about
horsecamping see Bonnie Davis.
PO Box 15517
Freemont, CA
(510) 657-5239
DreamPower Horsemanship
Many have asked if I am doing this
for a charity. I had considered doing so. But this trip has been a
dream of mine for a long time and I didn't want to jump on the charity
bandwagon seeking sponsorship for something that was clearly for my enjoyment.
However, Martha McNiel has given up so much of her personal time to
help me in preparing for this trip. Martha is the Founder and
Director of DreamPower Horsemanship, a non-profit organization that
uses Equine Assisted Psychotherapy to help children with all forms
of disabilities and disadvantages.
The mission statement of
DreamPower Horsemanship is Building lives filled with dreams, and
the power to make dreams come true.
This trip is the fulfillment of a life-long dream of mine. If you are wishing to assist in any
way helping me with my trip, or to help others learn how to achieve
their own dreams, I encourage you to donate to DreamPower
Horsemanship. I would greatly appreciate it. I believe in it and
Martha as they believe in me.
The Long Riders Guild members are real modern day adventurers and explorers who took
time to write me, to wish me luck and
offer encouragement. I offer my thanks to all of you on and off the trail.
My first encounter with the Long Riders Guild was while surfing the web
seeking books or any information regarding horse packing on long trips.
At the time I felt like I was the only person in the world who had ever
attempted something like this. To my amazement, here was a site dedicated
to documenting the treks of horseback adventurers, past and present.
The Long Riders Guild was formed in 1994 as the first International Association
of Equestrian Explorers who have traveled 1000 or more continuous miles on horseback.
This organization has a huge charter, but it became a kind of refuge and resource
center for me, all at the same time.
I first wrote to the guild in September 2002,
asking logistical and "how to"
questions. They replied with a personal email
and attached a laundry list of FAQ's for the person considering a journey. I was
appreciative and moved on, still looking for information from other sites and books.
Then in January 2003 I sent my second email to the Guild, informing them that against
my better judgement I was going to take a trip the length of California, leaving in
March. I quickly got an email from Basha, the Webmaster (but believe me, besides being
the founder's wife, I get the feeling she does tons more than that and then some).
The email was personal; congratulating me of going on the journey and offering support.
The Guild's founder, CuChullaine, also fired a personal email where he
actually repeated back to me not only the date of my first correspondence to the Guild
but some of its content. It was such a personal and uplifting note that it actually
brought tears to my eyes. These were genuinely caring people who truly want to support
and encourage those who want to, to take the long ride.
What happened next was a barrage of emails and phone calls from other Long Riders.
I received a phone call from Gene Glascock. Gene is already well known for being the
only person on record to have ridden from North to South America. The Texas-born equestrian
traveler accomplished that feat in the 1980s when he rode his Quarter Horse, Cactus,
12,000 miles from the Arctic Circle in Canada to the Equator in Ecuador.
Currently at age 67 he is riding to all 48 state capitals in the continental US, a
journey of 3 years and over 20,000 miles. He actually called from the road in Tennessee,
to wish me luck and congratulate me for taking this adventure. I was riding my horses
in training at the time and happened to answer my cell phone. What a call! Gene Glascock,
calling me, imagine that. He suggested some tack and offered any assistance I might need.
I was kind of in shock and didn't have anything intelligent to say except, "Thanks."
It's not every day your hero calls you.
I also got a call from Lisa Wood. Lisa is the author of Chasing the California Dream,
in which she documents stories from her journey of traveling the length of California. Lisa
has also traveled in Tibet and in 2002 she rode across the U.S., from the West to East Coast.
Lisa has shared her wealth of knowledge with me so freely. She is a great resource, and I
will always appreciate her wisdom and experience, which have saved me from making some
big mistakes.
I also received encouraging emails from Long Riders like Mike Winter (who while riding
across the US was actually struck by lightning). I was shocked to hear from him ...
(sorry, no pun intended!). I received emails from Gordon Naysmith (who made the only
recorded ride in modern history from South Africa to Western Europe) and Tracy Paine
(whose trip was from New Hampshire to Washington via the southern route through Florida
and Texas then up through southern California). Tracy started in 1991 and ended in 1994
(9,000 miles) on her horse, Dawn.
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