A Trail Ride Survival Kit

If you have already cleaned and conditioned all of your tack and are looking for a horse project to occupy your mind while you are waiting waiting waiting for the snow to melt, I have just the project for you. It will keep you busy, make you think and help you stay safe for years to come.

 Plastic Case - Equine Trail Ride Survival Kit

When I was in Jr. High I joined the Stevens County Explorer Search and Rescue Team. "Explorers" is a division of the Boy Scouts (I tried Girl Scouts, I really did, but found it tooooo ya know, girly, not enough adventure for me) and provided us with training opportunities and funding. After I graduated for years I remained an active member the Adult Search and Rescue Team for the Sheriff's department. While I never participated in the "horseback" division (I thought they were a silly unsafe group of ladies - and they were) I remained devoted to division on foot and rotated through many positions from working the dog, to managing the search via radio at base, to actively participating in search groups.

During my time in ESAR (Explorer Search And Rescue) I had the opportunity to learn and practice MANY different survival skills. As part of our training we spend nights out in the woods armed with only a survival pack (only to be used in emergencies) a map, a compass, and some water. It was part of our test to be certified to work actually Sheriff Office Searches - we were to navigate and travel from point A to point B, a distance of about 10 miles in the dark, unarmed - and oh yeah there was a time limit. We learned how to properly use survival equipment AND how to get along without it. We had experts come and speak to us and an Air Force Survival Trainer actually took us out on one of our training exercises where we practiced the techniques he showed us the previous day. At any give time anyone on our team has to have 3 different ways to start a fire.

While volunteering for ESAR, once certified we were "on call" 24/7 - and had to be ready in a moments notice to assist the Sheriffs Office. I cannot even begin to count how many times we were called out in the middle of the night and gathered at the Ambulance Shack (our designated meeting spot) only to learn that the "Missing Hunter" got too drunk at the bar with his buddy and crashed at his place rather than going home or calling a terrified and now very very angry wife. OR that the "Missing Hunter / Hiker" was really at his girl friends house..... sigh....  MEN! Frick! Grow the HELL UP!

Anyways there was a lot of serious searches too and I saw some things my parents wish I hadn't, but I don't think it impacted me negatively. The Sheriffs Office was always very detailed in what we may find, what had happened, and never forced us to search - you could always opt out and go home. But I appreciated the fact they never sheltered us - the information ALWAYS helped. And the searches weren't always for people, sometimes it was for evidence, sometimes it was just to see if there was something - anything the Sheriffs Dept had missed. One time we spent 2 days running a grid pattern search on our hands and knees for an earring that was evidence in a case. We have found missing children, guns, random evidence, body parts, bodies, and suicide victims. In my most heartbreaking search I returned a young boy who did not want to go home to an abusive father....

It was a great educational experience that has lead me to be more confident in the woods. And drawing on this experience I created a "Trail Ride" survival kit.  I think everyone should make a “Trail Ride Survival Kit” regardless of whether you are on occasional or habitual trail rider every time you leave the sight of your house on horse back you should have one of these. The weather, an injury, wildlife or getting lost can turn a short trail ride into a life changing situation, isolating you from your group or trailer and forcing you to relay on what you have in your mind and on you.


 A survival kit is just that, for survival – this is not a list of things that will keep you comfortable out on the trail or a first aid kit list. This is a minimal list of items that will help YOU make it out alive if “the worst” should happen. While assembling your kit it’s important to keep in mind that if “the worst” happens, your number one priority should be for YOU to make it out or get rescued, your number two priority is that your horse makes it out with you. As a horsewomen I can admit to rebelling against that mindset, my first inclination is to the safety and rescue of my horse….but the reality of a life or death situation is that you can always get another horse but you can’t get another chance at life. This doesn’t mean you have to abandon or discard your horse in an emergency, it means take care of yourself first, then your horse. This makes sense; you will be better able to care for your equine companion if you are in good shape.

 

Your kit should include the following items, double pack them in large Ziplock bags: an extra large garbage bag, one of the ones you use to collect leaves in, not a kitchen bag, this can be used as an emergency poncho, emergency blanket (if you curl up into a tight ball you can fit inside one, bringing the sides up around your neck) for carrying water, and for weather proofing a shelter. A small spool of rope (not string), plastic bailing twine is more bulky but also works to repair tack, secure splints, construct a shelter, make a snare, etc… and a pocket knife. In a smaller Ziploc bag add a tube of antibiotic ointment like Neosporin (useful on horses and people), a small selection bandages, gauze, cotton balls and antiseptic wipes, and a roll of vet wrap. A hoof pick, for obvious reasons. A whistle, when your voice wears out you can still blow a whistle to attract help. Some duct tape (combine with vet wrap to cover a hoof, for compact storage wrap it around a pen), water purification tablets, a compass, a snack bar or two, and a small flashlight with extra batteries.

Lastly, add some matches to the kit, and although everyone recommends “water proof matches” in survival kits; I do not. They are notoriously hard to ignite, near impossible if you don’t have the box to strike them on. Instead, buy some “Strike Anywhere Matches” from the grocery store and dip the tips in wax from any old candle you may have burning in the house. Pack them in a waterproof container, there are ones you can purchase from outdoor stores (which I recommend), or you can use an old plastic film container.  When you need them simply strike them on a zipper or a piece of wood once to remove the wax, again to light the match. Easy as pie. If you have one of the metal match containers you can purchase at the store, you can strike a wax coated "strike anywhere match" on the container itself, it has a texture on it just for that purpose. Another thing you may want to try getting is a small mirror - you'd be surprised how far a flash of sunlight can be seen - they say up to 10 miles...

In my area in Eastern Washington there are still many places one could get lost where you might not see another human being for days and where you could end up miles away from the nearest residence or paved road. I recommend sticking your kit in a small hard case, either plastic or metal. The advantage in using a metal case is that it can be emptied and then be used to boil water (you can actually do this with a plastic container too it's just more tricky). This can easily become a permanent part of a saddlebag or fanny pack that is always with you out on the trail, and tempting, as it may be, it is important not to use any of the items in your kit, unless you are experiencing an actual emergency. It’s too easy not to replace the items.

Most folks will insist that the kit stay on you so if your horse dumps you and takes off you still have the kit. This is a GREAT point, but I have found the kit you would need to be too bulky for most horse folks to comply - soooo the second best thing is to stick it in your saddle bag and carry a few life saving items with you. Get a belt ladies. And wear it. On it put a good sized locking blade knife use one of those knife holsters that can be put on a belt. There are also arm bands out there that you can purchase and use for carrying a knife or a cell phone for that matter. Put your cell phone / GPS / SPOT device (a spot device is part cell phone part GPS if you push the 911 button - it will send your GPS coordinates to the authorities on a repeating bases),  on your belt too. I know a few of us out there "pack" (yes, I mean a gun - but there's no point in taking one if you don't know how to use it, so take a class if you're not sure) - if its allowed where you are riding I always recommend it, especially if you are a girl. That too can go on your belt - or you can get one of those holsters that positions it in the small of your back. Stick a lighter or some matches in a small ziplock and stick it in your pocket, its not that bulky. If you can, buy a survival strap and wear it, I recommended one of those too, check them out - www.survivalstraps.com.

What you would have there in a pinch is: rope from your survival strap for shelter, repairs, a lead rope or snares, a knife that could, in a pinch, double as a small ax, and way to start fire even if you are soaked. Many people can survive if they just have fire. Fire is warmth, fire is comfort, fire is hope, fire is visibility to planes, FIRE IS GOOD. Use the matches to start a fire, you can use the lint in your pocket for tender to get it going (for that reason I never clean lint out of my pockets). And you'll have a way to carry or even create and purify water in the plastic bag. Got it? Good!

There, done with my half yearly educational blog post.... LOL!