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Tips on Horse Packing

The Trail-Ease Horse Packing System consists of Trail-Ease Riding Panniers and the various Trail-Ease Accessories that go with it. It is very easy and straightforward to use, but since it is different from other saddle bags or pack panniers you may have used or seen used, these tips may be helpful to you in adjusting and using Trail-Ease Riding Panniers and Accessories for the first time.

To determine the correct placement and adjustment of your Panniers first unbuckle the breast strap and place the Panniers over your horse or mule’s back with the deepest point of the curved center seam behind the withers. Then place your saddle over the Panniers between the front and rear bags. Tuck the saddle skirt of a Western saddle under the tops of the bags. Move Panniers and saddle together to get the proper placement of saddle on the animal. You will notice that the Panniers will be further forward on the animal than a conventional saddle pad. The front bags will cover the shoulders of the animal and the lowest point of the center seam should be behind the withers.

A western saddle used with the “Tracker” model may require that you loosen the straps connecting the tops of the bags to allow the saddle skirt to fit underneath. If you have a saddle with a very large square skirt, it may be easier to install the Panniers on the saddle before putting both saddle and Panniers on the animal. To do this place the saddle on its front end. Then, while grasping the loosened corners of the rear bags, slide the rear bags over the rear edge of the saddle skirt so that the skirt fits between the support panel and the tops of the rear bags. Then lay the saddle on its underside and slip the strap connecting the tops of the front bags over the horn. Tuck the front edges of the saddle skirt under the tops of the front bags and slip the center seam loop over the horn and adjust so that it fits snugly without supporting weight. You may then place the both saddle and Panniers on the animal.

Once the proper placement has been determined, the britchin and breast collar may be adjusted. Place the breast collar across the chest and buckle it. It may then be adjusted for the width of the animal’s chest by sliding the straps through the adjustment sliders at the ends of the straps. Adjust both sides so that the breast collar stays centered across the animal’s chest. It can be adjusted for height by sliding the adjustment strap up or down through the buckle or, if necessary, you may attach one end of the adjustment straps to a higher or lower loop on the Panniers. The breast collar should cross the chest just below where the neck joins the chest.

Once the breast collar is adjusted properly, the britchin can then be adjusted so that it hangs a few inches below the point of the buttock. Do not over-tighten either chest or rear straps. You should be able to easily slide your hand underneath them.

If you are using the “Y” breast collar, you should first run the girth through the tie-down strap and then buckle the tie down to the breast collar.

All straps on your Trail-Ease Riding Panniers are adjustable. Once you have determined the best fit, you can pass the end of the straps back over the sliders and thread it under the opposite side to absolutely lock it in place.

IMPORTANT: If you are using the “Tracker,” do not over-tighten the straps holding the tops of the front or rear bags so that they are forced to support the weight of the loaded bags! This will defeat the purpose of the support panel which has been designed to support the bags without pressure points.

If you are packing a lot of weight in the rear bags and using the Extra Britchin, it should be adjusted along the Britchin support straps so that it is a few inches above the tail. It is okay to tighten the straps going from the Rear Bags to the Extra Britchin so that they support weight. This will help to transfer some of the weight of the rear bags from the vulnerable loin area to the strong croup of the animal.

Now load the bags, keeping the weight balanced between the right and left sides. IMPORTANT: Balance is essential with any type of horse pack and cannot be neglected!!! Good horse-packers keep their packs balanced within one pound of each other and do not rely on the saddle to keep an unbalanced pack from slipping no matter what type of saddlebags or pack panniers they use! (It’s a good idea to check your riding style for balance, too!) If unbalanced, you’ll notice that Trail-Ease Riding Panniers will tend to slip to one side beneath the saddle. A grossly unbalanced load will put your animal off-balance and may also pull your saddle off-center which will cause a sore back or other problems for your animal sooner or later.

Fortunately, with Trail-Ease Riding Panniers, it may be possible to correct an imperfectly balanced pack without ever getting out of the saddle if you keep a few items in the mesh outer pockets. Paired water bottles are ideal for this since you will want to keep them in easy reach anyhow. Then all you need to do is to switch a bottle from the low side to the high side without having dig through your packs or dismounting. It is well worth the extra time spent at home or in camp to make sure the load is balanced before you get down the trail aways and then have to redo your packing!!

Sometimes loads which are perfectly equal in weight will nonetheless slip to one side or the other. This is caused by an imbalance in the way items are distributed within the pack. Try to place the heaviest items on both sides in approximately the same positions within the pack to keep the distribution of weight equal on both sides.

If you find it impossible to balance the bags by weight because one item is so heavy that you can’t put enough stuff in the other side to balance it, try this little-known secret of horse-packing: on the heavy side, put the heaviest items higher in the bag and closer to the animal; on the lighter side, put the heaviest items lower in the bag and further from the animal. This can sometimes cause an unbalanced load to sit level on the animal if the weight difference is not too extreme.

The four Easy-Load Bags are a very useful, multi-purpose accessory that will save you time and frustration on the trail. They will help keep your gear organized in camp or they can be hoisted up between trees for protection from bears. They also provide another layer of protection from rain, odor, and bruising of the animal by the contents. The pockets that hold the padding are also a good place to keep maps you’re not currently using flat and protected from getting bunched up in your bags. Be sure to place the padded side next to the animal.You can load and check the weight and balance of Easy-Load Bags at home or in camp and then just slip them into your Trail-Ease Riding Panniers when you’re ready to go. Once you’ve identified what combinations of non-consumable items balance each other, make a note or put color-coded stickers on those items. Note: Consumable Items like food and stove fuel will need to be rebalanced on a daily basis as they are used up.

To balance your Easy-Load Bags in camp, find a sturdy stick and locate its balanced center (where it will not fall one way or the other when supported freely at this one spot.) Then hang either front or rear pairs of Easy-Load Bags at equal distances from the center and see if they balance when you lift the poles or stick at its balanced center. Or, with some practice, you may be able to determine approximate balance just by lifting the pairs of bags with one in each hand. Switch items around until you find what combination feels balanced. Switch sides to double check. Some people like to carry a scale like fisherman use to weigh their packs.

Pack soft items, like clothing, on the side next to the animal to prevent rigid,protruding items from bruising the animal. If an item can be bent or broken, put it in the middle of the pack and pad around it with clothing or other soft articles. NEVER pack breakable glass. Items which will rattle or bang when the animal moves should be padded to avoid frightening the animal with the unaccustomed noise. Longer items, like tent poles should go in the off-side front bags and may extend a little above the lid, if necessary. If your tent poles are very long, however, hang them as described below.

If you need to carry items that will not fit inside the bags, such as fishing rods, rifles, or tent poles, you can hang these longer items vertically, diagonally or horizontally between the front and rear bags. There are many web loops on your Panniers to make it possible for you to add hardware and straps to hold such items. Just thread a 1” adjustment slider onto a strap, pass the strap through the loop then back through the slider again. If there is any slippage of the tab through the slider, turn the tab back over the slider again and thread it through the opposite side of the slider to lock it. You can attach a buckle by threading a strap through a loop and then threading both ends of the strap through the buckle. Extra hardware and straps are available from Trail-Ease.

If you are using a Compression Cantle Pack, place pack between the Rear Bags with the compression side toward the front of the Panniers. Then thread the 3 tabs (with adjustment sliders) on either end of the Cantle Pack through the corresponding 3 loops on the tops of the Rear Bags and back through the sliders. Thread the 2 straps on the rear edge of the Panniers (on either side of the center seam) through the sliders on the rear side of the Cantle Pack. NOTE: Do not adjust any straps so tightly that the weight of the rear bags is supported by them.

If you are using a Combi-Pack, thread the 2 tabs (with adjustment sliders) on each end of Combi-Pack to the corresponding loops on the front bags and then back through the sliders. For a western saddle, loop the opening between the two sides of the Combi-Pack over the horn. For saddles without a horn, undo the center seam strap on the Panniers and fold it back over the middle straps of the Combi-Pack and then thread it through the tab on the center seam and then back through the slider. Adjust all straps so that the Combi-Pack fits snugly without supporting the weight of the Front Bags.

Your bedroll can be strapped on behind the cantle with the straps provided. You can use your own, but for maximum stability, convenience and safety, our matching Compression Cantle Pack will allow you to compress a bulky sleeping bag to a smaller diameter, making it easier and safer for you to mount and dismount . It will fit neatly and securely between the rear bags and it also converts to a back-pack with the addition of shoulder straps available from Trail-Ease. Comfort tip: We like to use a small, self-inflating mattress pad which will fit neatly inside the Compression Cantle Pack along with a highly compressible sleeping bag. In camp, we inflate the mattress inside the Cantle Pack to make a comfortable seat.

Note: For the sake of the animal and for your safety, you should avoid packing very heavy, rigid or long items in the cantle pack or in the bedroll straps. Tent poles or other long, rigid items should absolutely not be placed horizontally behind or in front of the saddle where they could catch on trees or brush or make it difficult to mount or dismount, especially in an emergency.

If you are using the Trail-Ease Pannier Pad, it should be secured to the Panniers to prevent slippage. To do this first remove the Breast Collar and Britchin Adjustment Straps from the Panniers leaving the sliders on the straps. Then thread the Adjustment Straps as follows:

1. Through the openings between the webbing and fleece on the front and rear edges of the Pad.
2. Through the web loops on the Panniers.
3. Back through the openings between the webbing and fleece.
4. Through the adjustment Sliders on the Adjustment Straps.

The straps extending off the center seam of the panniers should be threaded through the openings between the webbing and fleece on the middle of the front and rear edges of the Pad.

If you need to carry longer items which won’t fit inside the bags, you can add straps to your Panniers to hang a rifle scabbard or fishing rod, or other long objects. There are many web loops on the Panniers for this purpose. Don’t be afraid to experiment, but take care to avoid attaching items which can bruise the animal, catch on brush or branches, or make mounting and dismounting difficult. If necessary, you can also use extra straps to secure your saddle to the Panniers to keep it from slipping. An Extra Hardware and Strap Kit is available from Trail-Ease. The web strap may be easily shortened by first cutting the strap to the desired length then melting the ends with a lit match to prevent fraying.

At times you might find it necessary to carry more than what will fit in your Riding Panniers with just your riding animal such as packing in bags of feed for extended stays in areas without grazing, or cut-up big game that you need to pack out. Piggy-Pack will give you the extra capacity you’ll need in these situations. Throw Piggy-Pack over the saddle and wrap the middle strap around the horn of your western saddle and thread it under Tracker’s cantle straps and then fasten the buckle on the top. Or, if you are using a saddle having a channel on the underside of the seat, such as English or Australian, just pass the male end of the middle buckle through the channel and fasten the buckle on the top side of Piggy Pack. Adjust the Piggy-Pack cinch snugly over or behind the saddle’s girth strap. You can use the other two compression straps to stabilize or separate the contents. If you don’t utilize the entire cargo space, put most or all of the contents in the upper part of Piggy Pack and tighten the compression straps completely to keep the contents from settling to the bottom. As always, balance right and left sides.

Piggy-Pack may be quickly and easily transferred between two animals, if necessary. Just unfasten the cinch and middle straps, throw it over the other animal and refasten. Piggy-Pack may be used with or without Trail-Ease Riding Panniers and is easily rolled up and stashed in the bags or with straps on Trail-Ease Riding Panniers when not needed.
As far as what you should take with you while traveling and camping with your horse and Trail-Ease Riding Panniers, a good rule of thumb is to take what you would normally take on a back-packing trip—lightweight, compact equipment—plus the usual horse stuff — ropes, hobbles, etc.. Keep in mind that your animal must carry not only all your gear, but you and your saddle, too, so be considerate of him and keep the weight and bulk down as much as possible. It will make your job of loading and organization so much easier, too! There are many excellent, lightweight and compact camping products widely available to make your camp comfortable and convenient without excessive bulk and weight. Remember, LIGHT IS RIGHT and PACK COMPACT!

Comfort tip: Keeping your Trail-Ease Riding Panniers and Pad as clean as possible will provide the greatest comfort for your animal. While on the trail you should protect the fleece from picking up dirt, twigs, pine needles, seeds or burrs. After each use, allow the sweaty fleece to dry. Before placing the Panniers on the animal again, inspect the fleece, removing any material that will irritate the animal and brush with a horse brush. You should wash the Panniers after each trip. Some people like to use Trail-Ease Riding Panniers to sleep on. This is fine, but be sure to protect the fleece from picking up dirt off the ground or anything else which will cling to the fleece and irritate the animal.

All hardware on you Panniers are instantly replaceable without sewing. Our hardware is very tough, light, and rustproof. It is the ideal hardware for this type of horse pack, however, it may be broken from impact or excessive pressure. Keep in mine that it is preferable that an inexpensive and easily replaceable piece of hardware break rather than a seam be ripped or fabric torn should the Panniers catch on something. Extra straps and hardware is available from Trail-Ease.

WASHING INSTRUCTIONS: Trail-Ease Panniers and Accessories may be machine washed. First remove the britchin and breast collar and undo any long straps to prevent them from tangling in the machine. Wash in a large-capacity washer in cool water or by hand with mild detergent or soap. Rinse thoroughly and dry on low or air dry.

Give your horse or mule time to learn and become comfortable with carrying the weight of your new Trail-Ease Riding Panniers with a typical load before going on your trip. Your animal needs time to learn to allow for the extra bulk on his sides, too. Help him to learn to avoid scraping the bags against trees and other objects while riding by reaching out and pushing away from the object that could catch the bags and spook him or damage the Panniers.

If you are inexperienced with traveling and packing with horses, we are here to help. Feel free to call us with your questions or concerns. If you are an experienced horse-packer, we would like to hear your comments and suggestions so that we can continue to provide you with the best possible products.

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