Horse Camping Essentials

I’ve heard from many people that they’re interested in horse camping. Maybe not full-time like we’ve been doing for over two months now, but at least going out on the weekends, taking your horse out on the trail, and staying at campgrounds. So, I thought I would walk you through the essentials of what you need to horse camp, whether you’re doing it just over a weekend or long-term.

I want to start with the horse essentials first, and I’ve tried to make this universal whether you’re traveling for a short amount of time or a long period—you need these things.

Containing Your Horse While Camping

First things first, you need a way to contain your horse. Many horse campgrounds will have stalls, corrals, or even highlines. Some don’t, so that’s something you’re going to need to research before you go somewhere.

Temporary Tape Fence

We have a few different options. We have a temporary tape fence here, and this allows the horses to stretch their legs and walk about. Electric tape is pretty cheap, and with our pack, we got about 25 of the sticks and posts, so we can throw up a paddock anywhere we want. The one downside to this is it’s not a good visual barrier for the horses or for the humans to make us feel like the horses are secure.

It can flap in the wind, and if the horses are startled enough or they get galloping around, they could easily run through it. But for the most part, this has done really well in containing our horses. We’re staying at a family member’s house right now, and it was just something easy to throw up so they could get grass and be able to move around if they wanted to.

Electric Portable Panels

If you don’t want to do a temporary fence, one solution I highly recommend are these electric portable panels. They have an electric tape that is run in three strands, and the PVC gives a good visual barrier. The electric tape solidifies them against the horses. These have been really, really nice. If we are camping primitively somewhere, we always put these up and put the horses in them at night just to secure them a little better or if we have to leave and go somewhere.

Now, if you’re just weekend camping, I don’t think you need both of these things; you can choose one or the other. These are a bit more expensive. We got two sets, and I think there were six or eight panels per set, and total it was $1,200, so each set was $600. These are from Affordable Portable Products. You can attach them with these little stretchy zip-tie things, and they also come with battery-powered fence chargers that have been amazing. We actually use those fence chargers on our temporary fence.

Fence Chargers

Many people wonder how we power the fences. We use a battery-powered fence charger called a Speedrite fence charger (check price on Amazon). They are really good, and we’ve really enjoyed them. You have a grounding rod that you hook to, or you can hook it to the base of these things. They have done really well, and the battery-powered ones make it so easy because if you go and see the solar-powered fence chargers, they’re generally a lot larger. So these things are really nice and compact, easy to store.

The only thing I will mention about this is especially when you get a larger fence going like we often do, the shock just won’t be as strong. My horses are pretty good with a low shock even, but you really just have to get your grounding right and have a smaller area for these to work really well. But I still think they’re great, and I would highly recommend them.

Highline

The cheapest way to secure your horse is going to be with a highline. You can buy a highline kit for maybe like $90, where you just get a rope and some metal clips that you can put the horses on. They’re super easy to throw up. The one downside to them is they don’t really give you the visual barrier of “Oh, my horse is secure,” and you also will need to train your horse how to stand on the highline because they just need to get used to giving to that pressure when it pulls back on them. But that is definitely the cheapest way you’ll be able to contain your horse.

It’s also much quicker to set up a highline than it is to set up a portable fence. It takes us around 15 minutes to set up a high line versus an hour or more to set up a large portable fence.

Feeding Your Horse

Hay Bags

For feeding your horses, you’re going to need hay bags. I’ve learned that horses will poop in their hay, they’ll pee on the hay, do all of that, so I try not to put it on the ground if I don’t have to. I’ll do it if I have to, but otherwise, hay is always going in a hay bag. I have quite a few different hay bags. I highly recommend slow-feeder hay bags like these on Amazon that have smaller holes for the horses to get the hay out of. It just makes them regulate themselves a little more and gives them mental stimulation throughout the day to eat their hay. These things are awesome, and I would highly recommend them.

Buckets

You’re also going to need buckets, and you can never have too many buckets when it comes to horse camping. We give a really large bucket to Ruach because he will dump over small buckets. He also drinks like an elephant. But for most people, I highly recommend having 7 to 10-gallon water buckets. Plastic buckets are also great because they can double for doing dishes or cleaning and washing things. There’s just a wide array of buckets you could get. I always recommend bringing an extra or two than you think you’re going to need.

Manure Management

Now, you can’t bring a full-size wheelbarrow usually, just because storing that and finding the space for it just doesn’t work. So, I highly recommend getting a small bucket. I found this on Amazon, and it’s for gardening, but it has worked really well for picking up manure. You will be responsible for cleaning your horse’s areas usually at campgrounds, so you are going to need something like this. I’ve been really pleased with this little thing.

Hose

You’ll want a hose. We have a 100-foot hose just because it makes carrying water so much easier. Usually, at a campground, there will be a spigot in one spot, and you may have to carry water over, so having a nice long hose can make that really easy on you. We’ve also used this for other things having to do with our RV and camper.

Extra Halters

You’ll want to bring some extra halters too. When my horses are out in their temporary fence—I have them in breakaway halters that have the leather strap around their ears, and that way if they get their foot in it or something, it will break off of them. But if they were to get out, having a halter on makes it a lot easier to catch a horse. So, we use the breakaway halters for things like that or tying them up on a highline would be the ideal time to use them.

Horse Footwear

Scoot Boots

Before you go trail riding and horse camping, I highly recommend either putting shoes on your horse or finding temporary shoes for your horse. I personally use Scoot Boots, and they’re trail boots you just put on your horse’s feet. This is the best brand I’ve found that actually stays on and won’t get pulled off. The other brands just slip off your horse so easily. But these I’ve run through the mud, I’ve run through water—these aren’t coming off.

The reason for that is a lot of trails have varied footing, and if your horse is barefoot, you never know what you’re really going to come across on the trail. So it’s better to be prepared than for your horse to be uncomfortable or for you to not be able to do the trail ride. So I do Scoot Boots, but a lot of people shoe their horses, have their horses shod, and you’re still going to want to bring the seasonal things that your horse needs.

Seasonal Horse Camping Items

Fly Masks and Winter Blankets

You’ll want to bring seasonal items that your horse may need, like fly masks or, if it’s cold, a winter blanket. With fly masks, I love having these not only to put on my horse if they’re out in the little pen and there’s flies out but also on trail rides. I’ll put fly masks on my horses because it just makes it so much more enjoyable for them to not be constantly going like that all the time.

This is actually probably the better kind for trail riding just because they’re a little easier to see out of; they grip to the horse’s head. I also put these on in the trailer so I can have my windows down and the grates up, just in case a rock were to fly through the window—it protects the horse’s face and eyes.

Horse Identification

The next thing you’re going to want is an ankle bracelet for your horses with your contact info on it. We ordered some on Amazon that broke almost immediately, so we fixed them with Velcro ourselves. If we go out trail riding or they’re out and they could potentially escape out of the electric fence or something, we put them on.

That way, if someone ever finds our horses, they can give us a call. I’ve also heard of people braiding an AirTag into the horse’s mane, which could be a good idea. There are a few different ways you could get that information out to where you can find your horse.

Tarps

The last thing you’re going to want to need for your horses is a tarp. Tarps are great. Number one, if you are sleeping in a tent, you’re always going to want to put a tarp under the tent so that the morning dew does not come through the bottom of your tent and make you wet. We’ve also used tarps to cover hay bales; sometimes, it’s easier to take out the hay bales and put them closer to our horses, and then we’ll just cover them with a little tarp to keep them dry. There are many different uses for a tarp. I highly recommend having one on hand when it comes to horse camping.

Horse Medical Supplies

You’re also always going to want to have medical supplies on hand. I’ve already found since we’ve been doing this, we have used some. Ruach got a scratch in his eye one day, so having ClearEyes on hand so we could flush out his eye and see what was going on was really helpful.

A few other good things to have are vet wrap, latex gloves, hydrogen peroxide, and Desitin.

Human Essentials For Horse Camping

Bungee Cords

When it comes to horse camping, you also have your comfort to deal with as well because camping can be a big adjustment compared to normal life. First and foremost, you can never have too many bungee cords. You’re going to want to get a lot of these or a tub of them because you will use them for a bunch of different stuff. So just have these on hand.

Lanterns and Headlamps

Having lanterns or a headlamp is also great. We realized we didn’t initially realize that we would need those things, but after living a month on the road, we were like, “You know what? We need a good lantern.” So we have a few lanterns that just make it easy to check on the horses at night or go to the bathroom. You can get a headlamp; we also have one of those. This is essential for primitive camping. Maybe if you have electric and hookups, you don’t need this, but if you are primitive camping, lanterns are a game-changer.

Portable Power (Jackery)

Once again, if you are primitive camping, another thing that can be very, very useful is this thing called a Jackery (check price on Amazon). This is like a power box. This comes with solar panels to charge it up, or you can plug it into an outlet and charge it, and it charges a lot faster. This thing is hardcore. You can use it to charge your phone, a computer, a lantern—you know, anything—and it stores a lot of power. This thing has been a necessity for us because we work online, and so when we have been primitive camping and we don’t have hookups or anything, we’ve had to use it for our power.

Sleeping Arrangements

When it comes to camping with horses, you also need to figure out where you’re going to sleep at night. You may be sleeping in a tent, you may have a horse trailer that has sleeping quarters, or that may have one of the gooseneck areas you can put a mattress up in, or the campground may have cabins you can stay in. So you need to choose your pick.

I would recommend if you’re staying in a tent, do not just think you can lay on the ground and be comfortable because after about age 10, I’ve learned that the ground is not comfortable anymore. So you’re going to want a cushion or a cot or something you can sleep on in a tent.

Portable Stove

One thing I recommend getting, whether you’re staying in a horse trailer or a tent, is a portable stove. We got one off of Amazon that runs on propane or butane; it’s easy to take outside, and you can cook, and it just makes life a whole lot simpler. It’s much easier than cooking over a fire. We’ve used ours a lot. So, this is one thing that I would recommend getting if you plan on camping in any capacity with your horses.

Food Storage

Regardless of where you’re staying, you are going to need storage for your food. We have our living quarters; we can easily store food in cabinets and do all that. But if you’re in a tent, you’re going to need a way to keep the food away from the animals. They make bear-proof bags; you can also put it in a cooler and keep it in your truck or in your trailer and different things like that. So you’ll want to research that.

Garbage Bags

You can never have too many garbage bags. Garbage bags come in handy, number one, for throwing away your trash, number two, for storing things. You can put your dirty laundry in a garbage bag to take home; you can put extra blankets in a garbage bag. There are so many things you can do with garbage bags, and I feel like we never have enough of these. So I would recommend actually getting a box of garbage bags, not just bringing one or two.

Shower Bag

We have a backpack that we call our shower bag, and you are going to want one of these as well. Most campgrounds will have a shower house if you’re staying at a private campground where you can go and take a shower, brush your teeth, and do all of that. Having a dedicated bag that holds your towel, shampoo, and any toiletries you need is super handy. Just make sure you bring flip-flops or something to wear in the showers.

Baby Wipes

If the campground doesn’t have a shower house, I highly recommend investing in some baby wipes. These are the alternative. Collin has gone 10 days without showering before, as we have all seen previously. You can use these every morning to wipe in the areas that tend to get stinky and things like that. So, baby wipes are amazing. I use them to clean my face at night if we don’t have water.

Clothing

The best way to pack light when horse camping is to wear layers. For the first layer, you can always start off with one of our Etsy shirts—we have a ton of them. They all have some cute or funny designs that you can check out. We do have Christmas coming up, so they make great Christmas gifts, and we have a shirt for every type of horse rider out there, so be sure to check that out.

When it comes to clothing, you’re going to want the essentials, and it really depends on the weather you’re riding in. If you’re riding in the colder months, you’re going to want a good base layer of mock clothing or Under Armour, having a pullover and a jacket you can put on. Also, always bring a raincoat because you never know when rain is going to show up, and I find that having a raincoat is very useful.

Essential Tools

You’ll also find that there are always going to be certain tools you will have on you from now on when it comes to horse camping. One is a knife. Keeping a knife handy makes it easy to cut bales open or open sawdust bags. I have one that clips on that I really like. A Swiss Army knife or even a pair of wire cutters for when you’re on the trail would be great to have.

Adapters

Other things you’re going to need is you’re going to want to have an adapter for everything. We have electrical outlet adapters for whether we’re plugging into a 30 amp or a 50 amp or just anything like that. Research the type of adapters you may need because I can guarantee you if you’re doing this a lot, you’re going to need it at some point.

Water

Another very essential part to life—not just camping—is having water. We have found that having a large water tank in the bed of our truck has been very useful. I think ours holds around 48 gallons. Not only do we use it for getting water for the horses because not every campground will have water—and that’s why you have to research—or if they do and it’s really far away, we’ll load this up and bring it to our campsite.

In addition to our large water tank, we have a smaller portable water tank that you can find in the camping aisle of Walmart. We’ve found primitive camping—we’ll fill ours up with water and brush our teeth with it. It’s also useful for carrying smaller amounts of water for the horses.

Human Medical Supplies

Just like with the horses, we also have a human medical kit inside. We actually have a drawer of just medical supplies. We have some painkillers and salves for poison ivy. Just think about normal things you may run into camping and make sure you prepare for that as well—sunscreen, aloe, all of that stuff. You can never have too much bug spray, so that’s another thing that’s in our medical kit. We always make sure we are stocked up on bug spray and fly spray for the horses.

Final Thoughts

Now I have given you the list of supplies you will need. If this is something you are going to do frequently and often, I think that if you were just going out for your first camping trip and you just wanted to see how it went, you don’t need all of this stuff. There’s no reason to buy all this stuff for your first time camping, but just watch this guide and make notes about the things that you think you will need just to survive for one or two days your first time camping.

Remember, we do have our Etsy shirts out if you’re looking for some fun riding shirts for the trails. There’s something for everyone there, and they make great Christmas gifts with the holidays coming up!

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