TRAVEL WITH SADDLE AND PACK ANIMALS
Under this head we shall consider: (1) Saddles and pack equipment; (2)
Animals best adapted to pack work; (3) Outfit and provisions and how to
pack them; (4) How to throw some practical hitches; (5) Equipment of
the traveler who has no pack animal and whose saddle horse is required
to transport both rider and equipment.
Comfort on the trail depends to a very large degree upon the animals of
the outfit. A mean horse is an abomination, and a horse may be mean in
many respects. A bucking horse, a horse that shies at stumps and other
objects or at every moving thing, or one that is frightened by sudden
and unexpected sounds is not only an uncomfortable but unsafe animal
to ride upon rugged mountain trails; and a horse that will not stand
without hitching, or one that is hard to catch when hobbled and turned
loose, will cause no end of trouble.
In choosing a horse, then, avoid so far as possible one with these
tendencies, and also observe the manner in which he handles his feet.
He should not be subject to stumbling. He should be sure-footed, steady
and reliable, to qualify him for work on dangerous trails; this is of
the first importance. A horse that does not keep his eyes on the trail
and select his footing with care is wholly unsuited to mountain work.
He should be gunwise. A gunwise horse will not be easily frightened by
sudden and unexpected noises.
Whether intended for mountain or plains work, the horse should be a
good camp animal--that is, one that will not wander far from camp.
It is more than aggravating to find upon arising in the morning that
your horse has disappeared and one always feels that time consumed
in searching for a roving horse is time worse than wasted. Of course
this tendency of an animal can be forestalled by picketing him, but a
picketed horse unless forage be particularly good will not do well, for
it rarely happens in these days of sheep-ravaged ranges that an animal
can find sufficient food to meet his requirements within the limited
length of a picket rope.
Some horses need much persuasion before they can be induced to ford
streams, and I have had them lose their nerve and decline the descent
of precipitous trails. An animal possessing this trait of timidity
is not suited to trail work, for he is likely to cause trouble at a
critical moment.
Some horses are good foragers, others are not. A poor forager will
become leg weary and break down much more quickly than the animal that
takes advantage of every opportunity to graze or browse. A horse just
in from the open range should be round and full-bellied. This is an
indication that he is a good feeder. Generally speaking the chunky
horse is the one best adapted to arduous trail work because he usually
possesses greater powers of endurance than the longer, lankier type.
All of the qualifications above enumerated should be borne in mind in
selecting animals, whether for saddle or pack use. And of course the
animals should be as sound as possible. One should never start upon a
journey with an animal that is lame or has cinch sores or galled back.
When mountain trails are to be negotiated a saddle horse weighing from
nine hundred to a thousand pounds will be found better adapted to the
work than a larger animal. Too large a horse is liable to be clumsy on
the trail, while too light a horse will of course tire under a heavy
rider. A small horse, as a rule, is better able to forage a living than
a large horse, and for this reason stands up better with a moderate
load on long, continuous journeys. Ponies weighing from eight hundred
to eight hundred and fifty pounds will pack one hundred and fifty
pounds easily, and ponies of this size make much better pack animals
than larger ones.
While for general saddle work I prefer a horse, a mule is surer footed
and therefore preferable on precipitous, narrow mountain trails. In
the Sierra Madres of Mexico I rode a mule over trails where I would
scarcely have trusted a horse. Good saddle mules, however, are scarce.
I never saw a really good saddle-broke mule north of Mexico, though
they are doubtless to be had. Mules have greater powers of endurance
than horses, and for many other reasons are superior as pack animals.
The chief objection to a mule is his timidity upon marshy trails. His
feet are much smaller than those of a horse, he mires easily, and he
is fully aware of the fact. A good mule, nevertheless, is the one best
all-around pack animal.
Burros are good where forage is scarce, but they are slow. When the
burro decides that he has done a day's work he stops, and that is the
end of it. He will not consult you, and he will not take your advice.
When he fully decides that he will go no farther you may as well unpack
and make camp with as good grace as you can muster, and keep your
temper. I believe that burros have a well-organized labor union and
they will not do one stroke of work beyond the limit prescribed by
their organization. But one must sometimes resort to them in desert
travel. They will pick their living and thrive on sage brush wastes
where other animals would die, and their ability to go long without
water is truly remarkable. On rough mountain trails they are even more
sure-footed if possible than mules, but like the mule it is difficult
to force them over marshes or into rivers when fording is necessary.
In horse-raising localities in the West very good horses can be had
at anywhere from thirty to seventy-five dollars. The usual rate for
horse rental is one dollar to one dollar and a half a day, and it is
therefore cheaper, when the journey is to extend to a month or more, to
purchase the animals outright and sell them when you are finished with
them for what they will bring. Rented animals are generally animals
of low value and sometimes not very efficient, and in the course of
a month one pays in rental a good share of the value of the horse.
The risk is no greater, for if a rented horse is injured while in a
traveler's possession, the owner holds him who has rented the animal
responsible for the damage.