Sports & Outdoors

Mason County has miles of hiking paths for feet and hooves. Horse riders have many options for a day on the trail or a night in the backcountry. Local Backcountry Horsemen of Washington member Traci Koch told the Journal camping with a horse is a great experience if you "do your homework."

It's important to know your needs and your horse's needs as well, she said.

The U.S. Forest Service recommends you get your animal used to highlines, rope stretched between two trees used for tying stock, pickets, a horizontal rope used to tie horses at intervals, hobbles, connected loops that loosely tie a horse's front legs and temporary corrals.

Also check with a local ranger station for maps, regulations, information and rules concerning permits, campfire, party size, grazing, weed-seed-free feed, trail conditions and closures, according to the Forest Service.

Parking can be an issue even if the trail allows horses, Koch added.

"A lot of these places don't accommodate trucks with trailers," she said.

For short trips, always carry enough water for you and your animals, and for longer trips, have a water filtering device.

Packing lightweight meals for yourself, such as freeze-dried or dehydrated food, can help lighten your horse's load.

The Forest Service recommends using nosebags and mangers for stock.

"Use these to feed your stock hay, pellets or grain. They help reduce waste, you don't have to feed stock on the ground, and it's easier on the land," according to the Forest Service Horse Sense guide.

Keep pack animals at least 200 feet from bodies of water and camping areas.

In steep areas, downhill traffic usually yields to uphill traffic.

"If you have a better place to pull off, do so, and let the other folks pass through," the guide states.

When you do get out on the trail, know how to use a map or use GPS software, Koch said.

"Remember, it's easy to get lost while hiking, but riding a horse you generally cover ground a lot faster and may end up further out than you ever expected. When you are camping, practice Leave No Trace or Light on the Land principles. Remember you always want to leave the site better than when you found it," she said.

BCHW's 7 principles of Leave no Trace are:

■ Plan ahead and prepare

■ Concentrate use in resistant areas

■ Avoid places where impact is just beginning

■ Pack it in, pack it out

■ Properly dispose of what you can't pack out

■ Leave what you find

■ Use fire responsibly

Once you're prepared, where do you go?

Mason County has three horse camps, many 4-H horse areas and multiple day-use trails, Koch said.

One of her favorites is Lebar Horse Camp off Forest Road 2353 in Olympic National Forest.

"That's a nice little horse camp," Koch said.

No more than eight people per campsite are allowed and maximum stay is 14 days, according to the Hood Canal Ranger District.

"Please be aware that recreating near and in horse campgrounds can provide a different experience than when camping in a nonstock campground. Horse camps are designed to include more for parking and hitching/corralling stock reducing areas for other activities. The presence of stock in the camp can also create different noises and smells than at a nonstock campground," according to the district website.

Green Mountain Horse Camp and Tahuya River Horse Camp are close to Belfair and on Department of National Resources land.

Tahuya River Horse Camp, in Tahuya State Forest off Ghost Ranch Forest Road, is open only for weekend camping from Memorial Day to Labor Day, according to the DNR website.

There are 11 camping spots.

Green Mountain Horse Camp, in Green Mountain State Forest off Green Mountain Road, is also open for weekend camping from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

"Green Mountain Horse Camp offers access to 13 miles of trails for horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, and camping," the DNR website states.

There are seven camping spots.

Koch said BCHW teaches the "ins and outs of backcountry riding."

The group was formed in 1977 "with the purpose of maintaining and keeping the trails open for stock use," according to Koch.

Educating horseback riders is also an important part of the organization's philosophy.

"Tread lightly on the land," she said.

There are 30 BCHW chapters in the state and three chapters in our area: Oakland Bay, Capital Rider and Grays Harbor, Koch said.

"BCHW is an excellent source of information for the entire family to get involved with your horses, such as camping, trail riding, trail maintenance, and education opportunities. For those more ambitious horseback riders: opportunities to learn about packing into the high-country areas with more than one horse," she said.

For more information, go to http://www.BCHW.org.