Horse packing into the backcountry is a experience that every horse owner should enjoy. Many do not though. Some folks are intimidated by the terrain, the wildlife, the ever changing weather or just their own lack of confidence. It’s understandable. Backcountry horse packing can be very challenging, but with a little research and preparation you can make this a very enjoyable experience. 
Most important item to me is having confidence and trust in your horse. Riding down a snowy mountain ridge in the moonlight all alone on a crisp November night was an experience that changed the relationship I have with my horse. You learn to trust your partner just as much as it trusts you. You may learn this through many wet saddle blankets, or maybe you learn to trust your mount from certain experiences that turned out positive. Maybe you spend many hours with round pen training that gives you that confidence. Regardless of how you arrive at this stage with your horse, that sense of trust is essential to having a great back country riding experience.
These type of majestic views are what await those willing to accept the challenge.
In today’s world we have the ability to access many non traditional learning tools. The Internet provides numerous sights where you can learn essential packing techniques. You can learn proper methods of high lining, hobbling, working with ropes, and other backcountry care for your horse. You can read stories of problems that can arise and how to deal with them. Anyone can have success when things go well, but you need to learn what to do when those hiccups happen, because trust me – they will. Joining a chapter of back country horsemen is also a great way of learning and having access to backcountry riding with the help of others more experienced. Another great tool in our world today is the ability to view the terrain via satellite imagery. Accessing google earth will allow you to view areas to explore in the safety of your living room.
Start with day trips to gain experience before attempting overnight or extended stays in the backcountry.
Travel as light as possible when you do start backcountry camping. You do not need to bring the kitchen sink, just because you have a horse to pack it on. It is much easier to bring bare essentials such as sleeping bag, tent, fire grate, light duty cook set and easy to create meals – like the dehydrated meals back packers carry. Remember you will also need to pack supplemental feed for your stock in most cases. Later after you have a few trips under your belt you can expand your packing to include the conveniences that we associate with horse packing. Coolers with adult beverages and ribeye steaks are examples of the types of indulgences horse packers are able to have along.
When you get somewhat proficient in horse packing you will be able to incorporate fishing and/or hunting into your trips to the wilderness. Fly fishing wilderness lakes and rivers can be fabulous at times. Your horses give you the ability to seek out many remote fishing hot spots.
The next step with horse packing is packing in a hunting camp. Usually this involves numerous loaded horses in order to haul all the equipment needed. By the time you’ve reached this stage in packing with your horses, you should have gained the confidence and ability to lead your string into the backcountry and set up a comfortable camp.
Horse packing is an extremely rewarding experience. Once you become somewhat skilled at managing numerous head of stock on the trail, you will have access to many more backcountry miles and adventures.
The wilderness awaits!