Page 61 - The Pocket Guide to Equine Knots

6. HORSE CAMP KNOTS

Ropes, knots, hitches, and splices play a big part in making a comfortable, safe camp. For
me, mention of a horse camp invokes wood smoke, black coffee, horses and mules
munching, aspen groves, and a bubbling creek. But, of course, there are other enjoyable

types of horse camps, including more sumptuous ones set up next to living quarter horse
trailers at developed campgrounds. These, too, can be satisfying, and knowledge of knots
and hitches can be equally useful in these more domestic surroundings.

Most of us have a mental image of the perfect wilderness campsite: a clearing with grass
for the horses, a creek for water, trees for shelter, and perhaps a beautiful view of
mountains or a valley. My gelding Little Mack, now retired, has firm opinions on this. Ride
him up a drainage he hasn’t seen for a decade and he’ll “rein himself” into the campsite he
remembers. And, if you’ve decided not to use that location, Little Mack will take it upon

himself to choose one! His judgement is quite good.
But the days when you could simply turn your animals loose in this idyllic spot are pretty
much gone. Some packers still do that, usually with mules dependent on a “bell mare,” a

mare they’ve accepted as leader. Her bell tells the morning wrangler her location; he has
kept a reliable saddle horse tied in camp. With this horse, he retrieves the mare, and the
mules follow her to camp. But few locations are so remote that you can handle a string this
way without fear it will mix with someone else’s animals and perhaps disturb a neighboring
camp.

This leads to the need to restrain or confine your animals in camp. Tying to trees, at least
for very long, is a “no-no,” and illegal in some areas. Horses and mules tend to paw when
confined for long, and that cups out the area under the tree and sometimes exposes the

roots. Also, some animals like to eat the bark off the tree. Such damage is unsightly and
difficult or impossible to repair.

Highlines
A highline has become the method of choice for many, and in some areas, it’s almost the

only alternative. One wilderness area near our ranch completely forbids grazing, which rules
out even picketing and hobbling. Luckily that’s not typical, and I’ve always questioned the
wisdom of such regulations, because the result is heavier use by pack animals—pack

strings must pack in their own feed, usually weed-free hay or pellets, which requires more
animals and thus creates more impact.
It’s rough (though not impossible) to rig a highline without trees, so we’ll assume your