Finding New Trails

How do you plan your rides on your EquiTravels?

The whole point of EquiTravels is to explore new and beautiful destinations. However, by the very definition of that, you’ll be traversing unfamiliar territory.

Questions you may have about the trails you’ll be going may include:

• Which direction should I take the loop? Which way will put me ascending the steeper inclines and descending the more gradual hills?

• What is the footing on the trails?

• Are there any permanent obstacles that will make the trail hard to traverse for horses?
• Are there any shortcuts or optional detours in case of an emergency or impending sunsets?
• What is the trail width? Is it a narrow single track? A wider maintained trail? A dirt road? Or an open meadow?
• Will there be shade? How can I plan my route to take advantage of sun and shade based on the temperature and time of day?
• Is there parking for my trailer?
• Is there a particular day of the week that multi-users frequent the trails? Are there any events happening on the trails? Will these multi-users such as hikers, mountain bikers and beyond cause problems for my horses? Or for parking the trailer?
• Will the trails have a lot of horse traffic? Will the other horse traffic bother my horse? Will it be muddy because of horse traffic?
• Are there water locations for the horses? Are ponds or creeks okay for them to drink? Are they frequent enough to hydrate my horse?

There’s many resources beyond the trail map brochures that can help you plan your route and get you more information about the topography and footing of your destination.

Cellphone Trail Apps

(Ramblr, MapMyHike)

You won’t be the first person to ever traverse these trails. Many will have come before you and routed the trails on these apps. Look up routes others have taken by ride, hike or bike to get more information, and potentially pictures, on the route.

I’ve found that Ramblr has more users and shared equestrian routes

However for my own mapping, especially on endurance racing, I prefer MapMyHike because of the better audio indicators of mileage accomplishments. On my phone the ramble audio mile markers are jumbled.

A newer app I’ve been using is EquiLab. This is an app specifically designed for horseback riding. Not only does it track mapping but also specifics to our sport such as gaits (Walk, Trot, and Canter), stride length and amount of left turns versus right turns.

It also allows for tracking of your own statistics as well as multiple mounts. Furthermore it also allows for sharing of mounts within a barn – so that the riding done by multiple riders shows up in the same horse’s statistics.

It does not have audio signals which does bother me on longer distance rides as I use them to help me track progress. It also seems to not indicate well in the read outs which horse I was riding or what rider was riding a horse for each workout. Hopefully it progresses in indicating this eventually.

USDA & Government Maps

(Avenza)

Apps such as Avenza allow you to permanently download USDA or government maps onto your phone. These intricate topographical maps don’t always provide the trail routes themselves but will provide you with the very important information about hills, mountains, inclines, creeks, lakes and ponds.

Avenza has track overlay, so ask you ride it will track your progress and impose it as a layer over these maps for permanent storage.

Topography & Satellite Maps

(Google Maps, Google Earth)

Using the satellite maps you can stake out parking lots to determine their feasibility for trailer parking and the difficulty of maneuvering within them. You can also determine the foliage cover, open field space and various obstacles by looking closely at the satellite images along your trail route.

While we are all used to the road and satellite settings on google maps, the terrain setting is an incredibly useful way to determine inclines and terrain in areas where Avenza or government maps are not available or hard to access.

Google has also been traversing into the world of bike mapping and has a bike route overlay that can be helpful. As always, double check that bike routes are also designated multi-use routes for horses as well. Never go on trails not designated or intended for horses for both safety as well as stewardship of the reputation of all horse riders.

Photos Online

(Image Searches)

While this may not be the best way to plan your route, it will significantly help you to determine the footing and ground-cover of the area you are visiting.

By searching for the trails you are using along with key words such as “hiking,” “biking,” and “terrain.”

Facebook Groups

(HTCAA Horse Trails & Camping Across America)

Again, you’re most likely not the first person to hit the trails. Various Facebook groups of likeminded riders exist specifically to share photos, routes, logistic advice and tips.

One in particular is HTCAA, with over 76,000 members one of them is guaranteed to have been where you are going. Just be prepared for the onslaught of responses – this is a very friendly group!

The HTCAA group is a spin off of their journal.

Mountain Bike Videos

(mtbproject.com)

While there are many trail riders out there, there’s even more mountain bikers. And without having to manage an equestrian companion, they are often much more able and capable of cataloguing their routes. Websites such as mtbproject.com not only offers an interactive map, but photos, weather averages, the number of miles of trails ranked by difficulty, elevation charts, total ascent and descent in a particular direction, the average and maximum grade of incline, photos, descriptions and comments and even more amazingly mounted bike-cam videos. With all of this information you can determine which direction to take the trail (hint, it’s usually the opposite of the bike riders – they like going downhill, we like going uphill).

As always, double check that bike routes are also designated multi-use routes for horses as well. Never go on trails not designated or intended for horses for both safety as well as stewardship of the reputation of all horse riders.