While equipment occasionally is traded for the comfort of the guest, the well- being of the horse is extremely important. This week he might carry a 120-pound experienced rider, and next week 190 pounds of someone who's never ridden before. So the horses have to work hard in that respect, as well as carry those people over the terrain. We pay particular attention to saddle pads, and we watch the backs on our horses carefully and adjust pads as needed. But we go up and down hills, and that is hard on a horse's back.
Good management can eliminate some of it, but there's no way around it.
To help protect the horses' backs we encourage people to get a rock to stand on for mounting, or put the horse in a ditch to get on. The guests said that McPhaul's talks on horsemanship and basic anatomy and physiology of the horse, and the question and answer sessions, are among the things they enjoy most on the trip. Most guests encourage the management to add more of the educational aspects of horses and riding on the multi-day outings. The horses receive a balanced, concentrated grain ration twice a day in individual feed bags. That ensures every horse gets his fair share.