There are so many things to consider when prepping a horse for his first real ‘mountain climb.’ Have you done enough conditioning?  Do you have the right hoof gear to protect his soles on rocky paths but provide traction on slick slates?  Do you need a chest plate or crupper?  One thing you don’t really worry about is if your horse will turn up his nose at the water at base camp and jump into this venture dehydrated. Juneau, the equine love of my life, never fails to both exceed my hopes and push all my anxiety buttons.  Our July 4th weekend trip to the beautiful Lost River State Park in West Virginia was no exception.

We loaded up late Friday morning for the three-hour drive.  By 2:00, we had the boys settled in their little pole corrals at Big Ridge Campgrounds  -- each with a bucket of water and bulging hay bag -- and left to check out our cozy little log cabin in the park.  Everything was perfect and we were excited to get climbing the next day.  But, when we returned to the corrals to transfer the boys to stalls at Hidden Trails Stables, all Juneau’s hay had vanished but not a drop was gone from his bucket.  I was curious (that’s code for concerned) but not outwardly worried.  I put him in a stall with another couple flakes of hay and a bucket for the night.

Saturday morning arrived and the weather looked perfect for riding the mountain – sunny, breezy with temps not expected to go above 70.  What wasn’t perfect was what we found at the stables.  Once again, all of Juneau’s hay was eaten, but not a drop was gone from his bucket.  That made for 24 hours, a 3-hour trailer ride, and lots of dry fodder without any water.  Now, I was visibly anxious.  My veterinarian husband was nonplussed.  “Nature will solve this.  He’ll drink when he’s thirsty.”

Easy for you to say, Doc Schrader.  Your horse’s bucket is empty.  And, by the way, nature can be a royal bitch.

What came next is why I worship these amazing animals with their 9-pound hearts.  Juneau and Guillermo are field horses.  Their regular workout is cantering the edge of a cornfield or trotting rolling hills of hay.   Well, that’s not Lost River. This a beautiful place but tough country.  The trails are rocky and narrowly cut into near vertical slopes.  There are trees for shade but also roots that twist across the path.  Long steep climbs alternate with tight switch backs. Our horses clambered up stone steps and pivoted on their hindquarters to navigate hairpin turns. Not once did they hesitate.

After 3,000 feet of rock and forest, we crested the ridge and found that it runs for miles along the spine of the mountains like a grassy lane.  The views were spectacular, but one thing was noticeably absent – water. We explored the ridge for an hour then dismounted.  I shared an apple with Juneau that left him foaming at the mouth and very excited.  It was time to find the trail down.

Up was hard; down just pure crazy.  Heavy rainstorms had left the trail eroded and peppered with downed logs the horses had to ‘jump’ while traversing the grade.  But once again, the boys seemed to understand their job.  Juneau collected under me, arching his back and neck to keep his weight centered over feet kept close together under his belly.  I’m pretty sure it was a thing of beauty, dressage without the classical music or deep, soft footing.

We made it down and I soon saw the welcome flash of a creek winding between the trees.  We trotted over.  Juneau dropped his head.  And there it was -- the sweetest sound ever to reach this horsewoman’s ears – SLURRPPPP!

Links to Explore

Lost River State Park:  https://wvstateparks.com/park/lost-river-state-park/

Private campgrounds with pole corrals for horse camping or day use:  www.bigridgecampground.com

Stables with trail rides and stall rentals for the night:  http://www.hiddentrailsstableswv.com/