dlish

Im trying to organise a horseback adventure for 2010 sometime (probably early 2010 but this is season dependant) to Central Asia preferably to either of the following:

Tibet, Bhutan, Krygystan, Nepal

i have done some riding before, but im willing to take classes to learn professionally once things get rolling. i know that some of you are avid horse enthusiasts, especially Merlinau, so im looking for advice on many thinghs -

-training (how much is required? im by no means any better than an amatuer)
-food (for me and the horse - what do i need?)
-things to look out for- injuries to the horse/me etc.
-length of time i should do this (ive got a month in my head for now)
-season (obviously it cant be winter season in those areas)
-political atmosphere - central asia doesnt have the best record for political stability
-group size - what do you recommend for group size?

has anyone done anything similar? what would you guys recommend? maybe some of the guys in the defence force can help with the type of foods i need? i know she-lish could give me advice on this too.


ive done a search online but havent really come across a lot of information on this.

would love to hear your feedback

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PonyPotato

I can give replies to most of your questions, but it will take me a little bit of time to do so (and I'm at work right now). Would it be better suited to a PM?

Personally, I would get as much experience around horses as possible between now and then. It will allow you to deal with a horse who does NOT want to cross X stream, to recognize lameness or injury and possibly learn how to treat them, and learn exactly how much horses DO eat (about 2% of their body weight per day at a low-medium activity level - higher if you are asking more of them and/or if they have high metabolisms). You cannot take a horse out for a month and expect to be able to carry enough food for both of you - you will have to schedule regular stops for refueling and/or put grazing days in every couple of days if good quality grazing is available. Otherwise, you will be dealing with hungry, grouchy, weak horses within a week.

p.s. when planning a long trip, it's best to have at least two horses per person - one to ride, one to carry the pack(s). You switch off daily or when you take lunch.

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"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
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dlish

just the sort of response i needed. we'll keep it in the public realm for now. if i need some personal info, i may go to PMs for more detailed stuff.

im just about to leave too, so ill post a few things when i get back home later tonight.

im throwing up the idea of doing it with a renown group or organising it alone. my concern is finding people friendly horses in those sort of places if i do it alone.

__________________
An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere

I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay?
- Filthy

PonyPotato

Answering some of these questions.. will go into more detail if you want.

-training (how much is required? im by no means any better than an amatuer)
Some people pick up on riding horses very quickly. Some don't. You need to at least take riding lessons, and include trail riding in those lessons as well. If you can afford it, lease a horse - that way you'll get the grooming/healthcare/groundwork training along with riding.

-food (for me and the horse - what do i need?)
Take food that packages and stores well, and travel as light as possible. You will need at least two horses to one person (one as a pack horse, the other to ride, and you switch off regularly) to carry the weight of food required for even a week. You'll need grain for the horses, and hay cubes if you have enough room/if there isn't enough grazing for them. Take at least a few hours off every day for grazing, and try to camp somewhere where there is adequate grass for the horses and either hobble them or put them out on lines so they can graze. Horses need about 2% of their bodyweight per day in food (so about 20 lbs for an average 1000 lb horse), and they can only carry about 15% of their bodyweight comfortably, so plan accordingly. People food should be dried or canned whenever possible, though cans can be heavy.

-things to look out for- injuries to the horse/me etc.
You'll need to keep a close eye on your horses' feet. They can get stone bruises bad enough to make them totally lame, not to mention splits and chunks taken off. If you can, invest in boots for the horses for really rough terrain - shoes can be slippery and dangerous at times, but boots are removable and will protect their feet over very rocky areas.

-length of time i should do this (ive got a month in my head for now)
I'd go with less than a month if you don't want to take breaks. If you want to go for a month, I'd go a week or two and then camp in the same spot with good grazing for at least a few days. If you can, keep your riding to a maximum of 4 hours per day and keep your speed low. If you want to gallop, do so - but cut out a significant portion of the rest of your riding for that day. Some horses may not be able to go more than a couple of hours depending on their previous conditioning, so you need to keep that in mind. Ideally, you would lease horses for the purpose of this ride and condition them/get to know them over the months before you go. You don't want to discover that a horse you rented is headshy when you're trying to catch them on a mountain.

-season (obviously it cant be winter season in those areas)

Preferably spring, when the grass is relatively young. That way they can eat a smaller volume of grass but still get decent nutrition.

-political atmosphere - central asia doesnt have the best record for political stability
You'll know much better than me on this. I'd avoid anywhere where you'd find nomads with horses, because if you piss them off they may try to steal yours, since horses are very valuable and a symbol of status. Either that or have an armed guide.

-group size - what do you recommend for group size?
Anywhere from 4-6 to 20 horses. Any more gets unmanageable, any fewer gets dangerous because there's less of a herd mentality.

I know of a few people who have done horseback trecks over long periods of time across the US, but I don't know much about other continents, really, when it comes to choosing a place to do this and figuring out the logistics of it. You'll probably be best off picking a country to visit, then looking for companies who offer horse tours or something like that.

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"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel