Summer Glen Stables, October 26th, 2025 – 10am to 3pm
Master the Art of Ultralight on Horseback
Join us for an immersive, all-day hands-on clinic designed to teach you the essential skills of ultralight horse packing. From real-world gear use to trail-tested techniques, this course gives you everything you need to confidently explore the backcountry—without the bulk.
Whether you’re a new packer or an experienced rider looking to lighten your load, this clinic focuses on efficiency, safety, and practicality in remote terrain.
🎓A Full Day of Learning
This is a hands-on, active learning day. You’ll be working with our horses and real gear, and by the end of the clinic, you’ll have a working understanding of what it takes to move through the backcountry safely, simply, and lightly.
On arrival you’ll be greeted with an ultralight breakfast, be assigned to a group of like-minded adventurers and meet your instructors.
🏕️ Shelter & Sleep System Setup
- Learn about the pros and cons of different ultralight shelter systems (hammocks, tents, minimalist and emergency systems)
- Hands-on setup of your our large stock of shelter types.
- How to choose an effective sleep system based on weight, weather, and region
- Learn about insulation options like sleeping bags, top quilts, underquilts and sleeping pads.
🐻 Bear & Wild Animal Safety
- Bear hang demos vs. bear-proof canisters
- Scent management
- Wildlife encounters: prevention, deterrents, and protocols
🐴 Highlining & Horse Containment
- Set up a highline and compare the difference of a traditional highline vs an ultralight system.
- Learn about prusik knots and how to use them correctly.
- Tips on how to practice highlining at home.
- Bonus: Ultralight highline systems will be for sale!
🩹 First Aid: Human & Equine
- Learn from a vet tech; what do we carry in the backcountry for ourselves and our horse and which items are dual use for both.
- Common backcountry injuries and how to respond.
- Colic signs, lameness, wounds, and handling equine emergencies.
🧭 Navigation: Maps & Route Planning
- Free Bonus: Recorded versions of Gaia 101 and Route Planning Virtual workshops.
🛰️ Garmin inReach & SOS Devices
- How satellite communication tools work.
- When and how to send SOS signals
- Tracking, texting, and check-ins from the trail and how it works with your phone.
💧 Water Filtration in the Backcountry
- Hands-on with a large stock of water filter systems (Sawyer Squeeze, Katadyn, etc.)
- Learn the pros and cons of each system.
- Boiling and chemical treatment options.
🎒 Tacking Up with Ultralight Packs
- Live horse demo: how to pack and attach packs.
- Balancing loads and gear organization.
- Troubleshooting slippage, rubbing, or imbalance on the trail.
🍲 Ultralight Lunch Challenge & Discussion
- Participants bring their best “ultralight” backpacking lunch
- We will bring some options to taste test.
- Group critique + demonstration of lighter, more efficient food options
- Discuss nutrition, weight, calorie density, and packability.
🎒 The “10 Essentials” for Ultralight Horse Packers
- Breakdown of the essential items for safety and self-reliance
- How to adapt them for equine-assisted travel
- What to leave behind, what to double up on, and why weight matters
📍 Clinic Details
📅 Date: October 26, 2025
🕘 Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 Location: Summer Glen Stables
💵 Cost: $200 per person
Who is this clinic for?
If you haven’t taken our lecture based ultralight class you can join this class. Our instructors will tailor information to your level and make sure you go home successful and full of new information. For those that have taken our lecture based class – this one will dive deeper into each topic and provide plenty of time for individual questions.
- Riders interested in backcountry camping with horses.
- Aspiring long-distance or solo horse travelers including those participating in the Guacho Derby or Mongul Derby.
- Packers, trail riders, or thru-riders wanting to reduce pack weight.
- Anyone looking to build confidence in wilderness settings with their horse.
🧳 What to Bring
- Any personal packing gear or shelter systems you want to test
- Your own trail lunch (see “Lunch Practice” above)
- Weather-appropriate layers
- Water, notebook, questions
- Camp chair for lunch talk.
- A sense of adventure!
🔒 Register Now – Limited to 18 Participants
This is a personalized, high-contact clinic with limited spots to ensure every participant gets personalized, hands-on instruction.
Moquistang; one little mustang who does it all. 