Principles of Leave no Trace

Leave No Trace:

Outdoor Skills and Ethics

Backcountry Horse Use

The Leave No Trace program teaches and develops practical conservation techniques designed to minimize the "impact" of visitors on the wilderness environment. "Impact" refers to changes visitors create in the backcountry, such as trampling of fragile vegetation or pollution of water sources. The term may also refer to social impacts--behavior that diminishes the wilderness experience of other visitors. Effective minimum-impact practices are incorporated into the national Leave No Trace education program as the following Leave No Trace Principles.

Principles of Leave No Trace

These principles are a guide to minimizing the impact of your backcountry visits to America's arid regions. This booklet discusses the rationale behind each principle to assist the user in selecting the most appropriate techniques for the local environment. Before traveling into the backcountry, we recommend that you check with local officials of the Forest Service, Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management or other managing agency for advice and regulations specific to the area you will be traveling in. First and foremost, it is important to carefully review and follow all agency regulations and recommendations; these materials support and complement agency guidelines.

Minimizing our impact on the backcountry depends more on attitude and awareness than on rules and regulations. Leave No Trace camping practices must be flexible and tempered by judgment and experience. Consider all of the variables of each place including the soil, vegetation, wildlife, moisture level, the amount and type of use the area receives, as well as the overall effect of prior use. Use these observations to determine which recommended practices to apply. Minimize your effects on the land and on other visitors, while enjoying your visit as well

Plan Ahead and Prepare

Unnecessary impact in backcountry areas can be avoided by carefully preparing for your trip. For example, if you do not have adequate equipment for grazing restraints, you may be forced to put horses on short picket, perhaps even utilizing live trees as the picket anchor. The potential for overgrazing and girdling live trees is extremely high. Impacts resulting from being unprepared may seem minor, but they are not uncommon and over time result in long-lasting damage.

Expectations Determine the goals and expectations of your trip. Consider your group size, number of horses needed, route length, possible activities, the age and abilities of other group members and their expectations. This will help you choose the best times and places to travel in order to meet your goals.

Knowledge of the area Many backcountry visitors do not live near the areas they wish to visit. Inquire with local land management personnel for information on such considerations as access, weather conditions, snowpack, available feed, high-use areas and wildlife considerations (such as presence of black or grizzly bears). There may be closures and prohibitions that you should be aware of. You may not be able to camp where you had planned. Some areas are closed to grazing and most areas restrict the number of horses a party can use.

Get out your maps and go over the route. Consider the river crossings, alternate campsites, mountain passes and fishing opportunities. Familiarize yourself with other trails and roadheads that you could use in case of an emergency.

In popular areas you can assume you will be able to find existing highly impacted campsites to use. Conversely, in remote or seldom visited areas, you must be willing to take extra time and use a variety of techniques in order to Leave No Trace of your having camped there. With good information you will be better prepared for your trip, have a more enjoyable experience and be better prepared to minimize your impacts.

Meal planning and food preparation Plan your meals carefully. Repackage food into reusable containers or plastic bags. This will reduce the amount of potential trash or litter you bring into the backcountry. Carefully planned rations also reduce waste from leftovers and minimize the amount of extra food carried.

Equipment Make an equipment list. Select equipment and horse gear that allows you to minimize signs of your stay. Light-weight gear, such as compact stoves and nylon tents and sleeping gear, can help reduce the number of horses required to support your trip, thus reducing impact to trails and meadows. Examine the gear itself. Many amenities can simply be left at home. Taking only what you need will make setting up and breaking down camp go much more quickly. A simple camp makes it easier to Leave No Trace.

The horses Before entering the backcountry you should consider the following points concerning the horses themselves:

Minimize Horse Impact

Horses and mules have great potential for leaving long-lasting impact in the backcountry. They generate pressures up to 1500 psi on each foot. Horseshoes intensify those pressures and increase shearing force on soils and vegetation. As grazing animals, they compete with wildlife for available feed and can over utilize a meadow if not properly attended. As large animals reacting to fear, boredom, hunger and discomfort they can do damage very quickly. A frightened horse can girdle a tree within seconds if it is improperly tied and then sets back on the lead rope violently.

This section first addresses methods of confining horses while in and near camp, then discusses grazing restraints appropriate once camp is in place.

Confining horses in camp Ideally, horses should spend the shortest amount of time possible in the camp core; enough to load and unload. Otherwise they should be grazing and held by the least constraining method possible. This allows you to spread out and disperse impact.

Someone should be designated to tend the horses regularly to ensure that all are safe and that no damage is being done to the area. Always keep an eye out for problems. If a rope is long enough for a horse to nibble at the ground, it is long enough for him to step over it. A horse in trouble can do irreparable damage both to itself and the environment.

Wet or boggy ground is too fragile to withstand the repeated trampling associated with tied or corralled horses. Evaluate the specific site for each highline or corral. If a tie-up area also catches enough breeze to discourage insects, there will be less pawing and stomping. Insect repellent can also help prevent this kind of damage. Well fed, well watered horses will be more content. Nervous or bored horses that paw while tied should be hobbled as well as tied.

The methods highlighted below are presented from generally lesser to greater degrees of impact.

Saddle hobbles A lightweight but sturdy pair of leather or nylon hobbles can be carried for short-term restraint, especially while the horse is under your immediate supervision. They are great for short stops while traveling or as you first make camp and begin the unloading procedure. A horse thus hobbled is free to graze a short distance away while you attend to other animals and tasks.

Highlines In many areas, this is the preferred low-impact method for restraining horses in camp because it prevents horses from trampling the root systems around trees. Find an area of dry, hardened ground or a site where the least ground cover will be disturbed. Stretch a rope a little over horse-head high between two live trees at least 8" in diameter. Tie lead ropes at intervals along the highline, away from tree trunks. The ropes should not be able to slide along the highline; this will prevent horses from getting tangled with each other. Additionally, there should be no long loops in the lead ropes which a horse could step over or wrap around its neck. Horses properly tied to a highline have freedom of movement yet are in little danger of getting hurt, and the highline prevents horses from damaging the root systems around trees.

To ensure that the highline does not girdle trees, use wide nylon "tree saver" straps or use several loops of a lash rope to spread the constricting force. Gunny sacks can be used for additional bark padding if necessary. When saddling or unsaddling, adjust the height of the highline so saddle horns won't hang up on it.

Temporary corrals A two-rope corral can be set up to contain horses. When setting up the rope corral, use an area with hard, rocky ground. The corral should be as large as possible to prevent over-trampling of the area. This type of corral is easy to put up and easy to move. Pad all trees to protect the bark from damage.

Portable electric fencing is becoming popular for backcountry use. As no trees are required, it is ideal for use in open areas or desert. It is light-weight, versatile and easy to set up and move. You will need to acquaint your horses with it before the trip. New corrals and hitchrails should not be constructed from logs or poles, as their use in the past has created lasting impacts, such as trees cut down for use as poles; damage to standing trees from nails, lashings and ax cuts, and pole corrals left standing after camp is broken.

Tying to trees Horses should be tied to trees only for short periods of time. If you do have to tie up (e.g., while you set up a highline), select a live tree at least 8" in diameter. A tree of this size can resist some trampling of the roots and damage to the bark. Wrap the lead rope around the trunk twice before you tie the knot. This will prevent most of the damage the rope can do to the bark.

Grazing restraints Once in camp, free roaming horses grazing on good grass cause little long-term impact. However, limiting travel during grazing is a major concern for the horse user and is a major cause of impact in horse camps. A helpful principle to remember is: more confinement can generally be equated to more impact. For example, horses on picket do more damage than hobbled horses. More confinement concentrates impact and may contribute to restless behavior. Remember also that a well fed, well watered horse will be more content and less apt to paw or dig, no matter what grazing restraint is used.

Loose grazing Horses, confined only by their own herd-bound instincts cause the least impact. Every group of horses has a few members which lack the courage or the ambition to leave the rest of the bunch. If you can identify these individuals, you can restrain them simply by confining their "buddies" or leaders.

Hobbles This method of restraint causes very little environmental impact. The idea behind hobbling horses is to give them freedom to graze yet restrict their travel to the general area near camp. Since many horses learn to move freely with hobbles, keep one or two wrangle horses on pickets or within an electric fence. Place bells on "ring leaders" or "loners" to help you keep track of your horses.

Electric fence This is a popular method for restraining grazing animals. The fence is easy to set up and move around. The fence must be moved periodically to ensure that the area is not overgrazed. Terrain that is impossible for picketing, such as an area with many rocks or bushes, may be fine for electric fence.

Pickets Picketed horses require good feed. Choose the site carefully and make sure it is free of obstacles. Pack in your picket pins; do not cut trees to make them. Remove those that have been left by others. Move the pins frequently to prevent overgrazing and trampling-as much as every few hours. It is past time to move the picket when you can see a circle beginning to show. When possible, rotate hobbled horses with those on pickets or in an electric fence. This helps ensure all stock get enough feed and water.

Picketing two wrangle horses is usually better than picketing only one. A single horse can get anxious if left alone and may paw the ground or injure itself. Picketing a "bell mare" or "ring leader" may help keep the hobbled horses in the general vicinity. Most horses require a little time to learn how to be picketed. It is best to teach them at home under close supervision.

Picketing horses can be very hard on soil and vegetation and is not allowed by land management agencies in some areas where meadow plants are not robust enough to withstand the repeated trampling of hooves and rubbing of the picket line. Know local regulations and how much use a particular meadow can stand when evaluating the type of feed available at each particular camp.

Watering horses Wet marshy areas, stream banks, ponds and lake edges are very susceptible to trampling, bank erosion and pollution. Water your horses at an established ford or low rocky spot in the bank where little damage will occur. Encourage the hobbled horses to water there as well.

Many watering places are small or contain sensitive vegetation and fragile soils. Consider watering horses away from the source to prevent damage to these sensitive riparian areas. A water bucket is handy in such cases as well as in the kitchen.

Supplemental feed In some areas, forage is limited; in others, grazing may be restricted by regulation. Meadows should always be left in the best possible condition for those who follow and so that plants can recover from grazing pressures. Fifty percent is often used as a maximum utilization guideline.

The use of supplemental feed can reduce grazing time and amount of live feed utilized. A small ration of supplemental feed can also be used as a "bribe" to remind horses that camp is Home.

Processed and pelletized feed is a good source of nutrition. It is more concentrated than hay and thus will help keep weight and bulk to a minimum. The seeds of many weeds and non-native species can be found in unprocessed feed which can grow and then compete with native plants. To lessen this problem, avoid packing in uncertified hay or unprocessed grain. Feeding certified hay and feed one day prior to your trip will help prevent the unwitting transport of weeds in horse manure, and allows you to check that your horse will eat the feed that you bring.

As an alternative to placing feed on the ground, consider putting it in a simple nose bag or on a manti. A full ration can be eaten without waste; less pawing, trampling and close-cropping of the grass should occur. A feed bag can also be hung from the highline.