Our Horseback Journey’s Decals are now for sale! These decals are made of a thick durable material and hold up really well on your horse trailer. We have had ours on our horse trailer for over a year and it still looks just as nice as the day we put it on there. They are available in one size which is 12″ x 7″. We added two purchasing options. The first is for those of you who want it shipped within the United States. The second option is for those of you who are wanting it shipped to Canada or another country. The added amount is to cover the shipping rates. Thanks so much for purchasing and supporting Wilderness Horseback Journeys. We can’t wait to see the decal on your trailer!

Cisco is our amazing fourteen month old Morgan colt. He has been on a total of four trail rides and his temperment out on the trail is a sight to be seen. Cisco is smart, confident, and sweet. He has been exposed to bridges, water, cows, hikers, down timber, and mud. Cisco follows well on the trail on and off lead. We found that towards the end of our trail rides Cisco would get pesty while on the lead often bothering the horse in front of him so we let him free. He shot off a few times to explore, but for the most part follows the trail keeping up with us quite well.  While the water took some time getting used to he sure had fun playing at Hidden Lake. Muddy spots are something that still needs some work on though. When Cisco comes to mud, he puts on the breaks and tries to find any way around it rather then going through it. With time and experience he will get it. While we do not get him on the trail nearly as much as we would like to, every little bit helps and we are hoping that the experiences we give him will help make the transition to saddle that much easier. We are nothing but impressed with our little Morgan.

Our Morgan Colt Teton Cisco Kid, just turned 9 months old. He is a very intelligent horse and continues to amaze us on a daily basis. On our last update we mentioned how we had gained his respect and trust. We also worked on leading him with the halter, giving to pressure, and lunging. In the past few months we worked on fine tuning some of those lessons. Cisco lives out in a pasture with our two mares. When we take a halter out the girls often run or walk away while Cisco comes to us everytime and automatically puts his nose in the halter. Cisco has also become a pro on the lunge line. He will lunge in both directions and switch directions with just the change of a hand. Cisco stops by just giving him the “Whoa” command and will turn into us at this point as well. After a training session, Cisco will often join up with us and walk with his, stopping when we stop and backing up when we back.

Cisco also recently just visited the vet, where he got his 5-Way and West Nile booster. A trip to the vet meant getting in the trailer for only the second time in his life. We put Gracie in the trailer first, so he would have his buddy in there with him. Cisco hesitated at first, putting his front feet into the trailer and then not quite sure what to do with the hind. We took the pressure off for a second and reassured him. Once we did that he hopped right in. He was a little apprehensive standing in the trailer, however we were really impressed with how easily he took to this. When we left the vet, Cisco was all too eager to get right back in that trailer. This day at the vet was not just any other ordinary day. There was a horse clinic going on, so there were people and horses there from all over the area. There was a lot of distraction and while Cisco was slightly on edge he was more curious than anything and did an amazing job.

We also took a step in introducing him to fly spray. We took a small spray bottle filled with Mane & Tale out to him. We figured might as well condition his healthy mane while we were at it. We sprayed his mane and forelock and he could have cared less.

We are anxiously awaiting this summer, when we can hit the trails with him. Cisco really is an amazing little horse and we feel blessed he has entered into our lives.

We took Gracie, Joey, Tuxie, and our new colt Cisco to the vet to get their shots and coggins testing done. Our vet does an annual clinic for the horses. We get to take them in and they get their 5-way, West Nile, Worming, and Coggins test done at a much more resonable price than it would be if we had all it done separately.

Its good to keep your Coggins updated so that at a moments notice you are off on the trail. Check with your state to see if you need to have your Coggins done every 6 months or just once a year. We found a cool document that states all of the necessary documents you need in each state to travel with your horse. Here is a link to that Transportation Requirements by State

We also found this informational article from Trail Rider Magazine called Equine Traveling Papers that is full of information on the different documents needed for transportation of your horse and how to obtain them.

1.North Leigh

• Directions: From the traffic light in downtown Driggs travel north on Idaho Hwy, 33. At 5.7 miles you will cross a bridge that brings you over South Leigh Creek. You will see a sign that will point you to the national forest access. If you were to continue on the highway it would take you into Tetonia. As you leave the highway and take the road to the right that heads into the national forest, you will come to  a stop sign. Turn right at the stop sign and drive east towards the Tetons. Turn left at 2.6 miles onto signed North Leigh Canyon Road. You will drive approximately 6 more miles on this road until you come to a large open meadow with a turnaround for trailers. This is where we park.  This road can be washboard and rough but they do keep it up pretty well.
• Amenities: Fire pit, large meadow, nearby creek,  no elecitic hookups, no bathrooms, first come first serve, free, no limit to how long you stay
• Access to these nearby trails:  Green Lakes/Granite Basin; Tin Cup; South Lee; Badger Creek

2. Teton Canyon

• Directions: At the stoplight in downtown Driggs, turn east off Idaho Hwy 33 onto Ski Hill Road toward Grand Targhee Ski Resort. Follow Ski Hill Road for about 6.5 miles where you will come to a sign that points to Teton Canyon on the right. Continue down Teton Canyon road for about 4.miles until you come to the camping facility on the left hand side of the road. there will be an in and out road that leads the the camping area.
• Amenitites: large parking area, secluded camping, large meadow, corrals, no electric hookups, no bathrooms, limited camping spots at this area, first come first serve, free, no limit on how long you stay
• Access to these nearby trails: Alaska Basin, Buck Mountain, Table Mountain, Beard’s Wheatfield, Hurricane Pass, Mount Meek Pass, Devil’s Staircase (horses not allowed),

3. South Boone Creek

• Directions: From Idaho Falls, ID: Head down HWY 20 towards Ashton, ID. Just before coming into Ashton you will see a blue sign for Squirrel Creek. You will turn right onto 1200N. At about a mile you will come to a stop sign, continue straight through it. You will get a nice view of the Tetons on this road. At about 13 miles into this road, it turns to gravel. It is a pretty wide gravel road and in good shape with few potholes. At about 21 miles into this road there will be a little lookout point to the left. It looks out onto a pond with pretty lily pads and yellow flowers. We have stopped here before and taken some pictures. It’s particularly pretty at sunset. At 23.5 miles you will pass a bridge over South Boone Creek. Shortly after the bridge you will come to a sign that points to Jackass Meadows. Turn right here and follow the narrow dirt road. Follow this road for about 3 miles and you will come to the trailhead sign on the right. Pull into the road at your first left and you will park in a big camp spot.
• Amenities: large parking area/meadow, fire ring, creek access, no electric hookups, no bathrooms, first come first serve, free, no limit on how long you can stay.
• Access to these nearby trails: South Boone Creek, Berry Creek, Conant Basin, Hominy Peak, Union Falls (short driving distance)

4. Coyote Meadows

• Directions: From Idaho Falls, ID:  Follow US 20 for about 30 miles to exit 339 toward ID-33 E/Driggs/Jackson. Continue on Idaho 33 towards Driggs for 31 miles. You will see a sign pointing to Idaho 32 that heads towards Ashton, turn left on this road. You will drive on this road for approximately 12 miles. Then turn right onto the road marked N 4700 E. Drive for one mile on this road  with the Tetons in view and then turn right onto 700 North.  700 N turns into a gravel road.  You will travel on 700 N for about three miles and  you will cross a cattle guard and come to a sign that says you are entering the Targhee National Forest. You will then turn right onto Forest Road 265 and follow this all the way to the end where you will see the big turn around called Coyote Meadows. You will be on 265 for about 8 miles. 
• Amenities: large parking area, several camp spots, small corral, tie racks, several fire rings, on site porto potty, creek access, limit to 3 day camping, free, first come first serve, no electric hookups
• Access to these nearby trails: Hidden Lake, Hidden Corral, Conant Basin, Bitch Creek, Camp Lake

5. Indian Creek

• Directions: From Idaho Falls, ID:  Follow US 26 towards Swan Valley. You will follow US 26 for about 58 miles going through Palisades. Just across from the Palisades Resevoir you will find Indian Creek Road NF #281. You will travel on this road for about two miles. Once you start seeing signs for the camping permitted area you may pull over and choose anyone along side the road. There are several camping spots along this road so choose your best one! If you follow this road to the end you will find the South Indian Creek trailhead with tie racks and a bathroom.
• Amenities: several camping areas, creek access, fire rings,  free, first come first serve, no electric hookups, bathroom at trailhead, tie racks at trailhead.
• Access to these nearby trails: South Indian Creek and North Indian Creek
• Trails within a short driving distance: Palisades Creek, Rainy Creek, Big Elk Creek, Bear Creek, Sheep Creek, Fall Creek

When we first met our kid it was at Mountain Home Breeders, a facility in Victor, Idaho. At that time he had just been weaned from his mother and was in a pen of his own. He was still afraid of us humans and rightfully so. We could hardly get a hand on him to pet him before he would tear off running and bucking at the slightest pressure from us. Some people would have called him a wild horse or one that would be difficult to train. However, we saw something in him. You could tell he was a smart little horse.  We hoped that once he earned our trust and learned some respect,  any aggressive behavior would dissipate.

Two weeks after our initial meeting, the breeder so graciously delivered our kid to us and we signed a contract to work with him for thirty days. We decided to go with this sort of contract because the breeder wanted to make sure we were completely satisfied with him before making the purchase. All of this coming from the aggressive behavior he had shown including biting and kicking. We started working with the kid the very next day. We put him in a pen of his own where he was separated from our mares but could still socialize with them over the fence. When we would go into the pen to work with him, he would run, kick out, buck, and turn his back-end to us. We tried not to push ourselves on him and would wait patiently for him to come to us rewarding him with praise when he did. We continued doing this on a regular basis with our goal being to get a halter on him. We started with just putting a rope around his neck and moving him around with that. In just three days  he trusted us enough to let us put a rope around his neck and the halter on. The kid is smart and picked up very quickly and was soon leading around the pen like a pro. The thing is, once he was caught his demeanour completely changed and he pretty much did as we asked. We just had the issue with gaining respect before the halter was on and sometimes getting the halter on in a timely manner was a task.

Our kid has currently lived with us for one month and has come a very long way. He now halters well, leads, moves his hips, backs up, gives to pressure pretty well, and has learned to lunge on a lead rope on both sides. He is extremely smart and his attitude and trust has changed significantly. He is now out of his pen and in the pasture with our mares. We can walk up to him with a halter in hand and put it on him in the middle of a pasture. His trust for us has grown so much that he will often walk up to us and meet us out in the pasture. He will even do this when there is a halter in our hand. Our kid has also had his first bare foot trim and he took it like a champ.

It is amazing how quickly this little boy has come into our hearts. We fell hard and can’t wait to see where this new journey will take us.

We have been truly blessed with adventures we get to go on while on horseback. However, with that blessing comes the responsibility that we owe to ourselves to complete our rides in the most safe way possible. We are fortunate enough to encounter quite a few wildlife sightings while out on the trail. These can include moose, deer, elk, wolves, and of course bear.  We have  encountered bears on the trail and have been lucky that they were more afraid of us and have run off.  While it is an amazing site to get to see these animals and of course get that picture of these beautiful creatures, we also need to be safe in doing so. That is why we attended a few Bear Aware presentations that have been quite educational. Our local Fish and Game organization puts together an awesome free presentation that is full of great information.  In this post we will share with you the most valuable information that we took away from these presentations. However, if this is something you want to know more about after reading our blog, then we highly encourage you to contact  Fish and Game in your area to see if they too hold the Bear Aware presentations.

Sociology of a Bear 

Bears are programmed to survive. There are things they do automatically in regards to food and mating. A female’s job is to mate and reproduce.  A female will mate with as many males that are around as long as she doesn’t have a cub or yearling. If she does, a male will come around to kill the cub to get the female bear to go into heat. This can happen in one day because the female will want to replace that cub. Once a female is impregnated she will go into the den and the gestation period is 2 months. When a female gets pregnant, she could have 4-5 cubs  inside of her, all from different fathers. At birth, a black bear is about half a pound and a grizzly will be about a pound. Bears can be cannibalistic and a female will eat the cub, if the cub is in bad shape before winter. The female makes the choice to eat her cub so that she can survive and keep the species going. Bears tend to be solitary animals. The moms will hang out with their cubs or hang out with their daughter’s cubs, or they will share cubs.

Hibernation

Bears only hibernate if there isn’t enough food. If the food is plentiful,they may not hibernate. Hibernation is a form of shutting down when there isn’t enough food. If you take away a bear’s food they will hibernate. Hibernation has nothing to do with the time of year or temperature. When bears do hibernate, males and females will den separately. A grizzly bears might just lay down and let the snow cover them.  Grizzly bears drop their heart rate and body temperature a bit, but can turn everything back on in a quick second. If a grizzly feels threatened they will immediately wake up. If a grizzly bear is hibernating, it might wake up in the middle of winter to walk around a bit. However, once their body is in hibernation mode they won’t eat, hydrate, or defecate. When black bears hibernate they will actually go into a den. If a black bear is hibernating  you can crawl in a den and check them out because they can’t wake up immediately like a grizzly bear can.

Physical Difference Between Black Bears and Grizzly Bears

Color is the last thing to look at when telling the difference between a black bear and a grizzly bear. Not all black bears are black.  Actually,  in Idaho only 19% of the black bears are  black. The size of a bear is also not a good indication because bear size is a function of food. There might be a small grizzly bear or a large black bear. There are about 20,000 black bears in Idaho. Black bears are not on the  endangered list and 2000 black bears are harvested a year in Idaho. Grizzly bears however, are on the endangered species list in Idaho. Black bears are found almost everywhere except for the high desert. The front claws of a grizzly bear are much larger than a black bears. Grizzly claws are meant to dig so they aren’t sharp, whereas a black bears claws are sharp because they climb trees to get away from problems. If a bear looks like a teddy bear with a big, round snout and round ears, it is a grizzly bear. If you see a bear with a long snout, longer ears,  and looks more like a dog, that is a black bear. When looking at a black bears they will not have a hump on their back and their rump is higher than their head. A grizzly bear will have a distinct hump on their backs. When looking at tracks, a grizzly bear’s tracks will have a clear definite line between the toes and the paw whereas a black bear will not have that. It is difficult to find a good track that you can analyze and see the differences, so it’s not recommended to rely on tracks.  There is a test you can take for free in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho on the Fish and Game website that will tell you how great you are at telling the difference between the black and grizzly bears.

Signs That a Bear is in the Area 

You will see a black bear or grizzly bear any where in Idaho even in the sage brush areas. Many people think if you are in sage brush you are safe. Some people also think if they see a black bear then they won’t be able to see a grizzly bear in the same area. It is thought that a grizzly bear will kill the black bear. Truth is they will often share territories. There are a few things you can look for that lets you know a bear is in the area. One of them is down logs that have been tore open. Bears do this to look for bugs.  Bears also tend to follow trails so check for foot prints. Scat is a sign that there is a bear around. It is wise to make noise if you see signs so you don’t surprise the bear. Some people do this by carrying a bear bell or a horn.

How to Avoid Problems With a Bear

In Idaho we have been fortunate in the fact that we can say there have been no bear fatalities. Our neighboring states cannot say the same thing . There are a few steps you can take to avoid having an encounter with a bear. Bears usually think we are bad news so they will avoid us unless we surprise them or have something like garbage that they want to get into. 90% of bear attacks are caused because the bear was surprised. If you clean up after yourself and use a bear approved food storage box you are less likely to be bothered by bears. Also if you are out hunting and you want to protect your kill, bears don’t like electricity so a  portable electric fence would be a  good tool to keep your stuff safe. Also, don’t hike alone, it is good to hike in parties of three or more. If you do happen to come across a bear, don’t run. If you run their preditorial instincts will kick in. Your chances of outrunning a bear is zero. Bears are also excellent climbers, so if you climb up a tree both a grizzly bear and a black bear will be able to get you . You can also not out swim a bear.

What to Do if a Bear Attacks

If a bear stands up on its hind legs, that doesn’t always mean they are going to attack. Bears rely a lot on their smell so they are just getting a better smell of the area. However, if a bear doesn’t like what they smell then they may shake their head, slap their jaw, or slobber. Then you may have problems.  A grizzly bear will do a bluff charge because they want to see what you will do. The reason for doing this is to let you know that they are tougher than you. Whatever you do, don’t run or shoot cause you will just anger them. If a grizzly bear comes after you, know that he can kill you, and he knows he can kill you. If a grizzly bear comes at you and he isn’t doing a bluff charge, you are going to drop to the ground on your stomach and put your hands over your neck. The bear may  toss you around and hopefully walk away. If a black bear is charging you; yell, throw sticks, or even punch the bear. You can intimidate a black bear. Do not lay down and play dead for a black bear. If you play dead for a black bear then he thinks he has won and he will eat you. If you are in your tent and a grizzly or black bear comes after you and you have done everything right, meaning you don’t have any food in the tent with you, then the bear has gone preditorial. He has decided that he wants you. At that point do whatever you need to do to get the bear away. The chances of a bear coming into your tent is slim but it has happened.

Bear spray is the best tool to keep you safe in an attack. A gun is not the right tool, it has killed more people in an attack than a bear. Bear spray has to be accessible and it is a good idea to wear it in a holster. It can’t be in a backpack because you won’t have enough time to get to it there. Bear spray works instantly and creates a pain in the bear’s brain that is unlike anything they have ever dealt with before. Horses are a good thing round bears because bears will generally not attack a person when on a horse. We create too big of a picture, however we still carry bear spray on us while horseback riding.

Finding the South Boone Creek Trailhead

From Idaho Falls, ID: Head down HWY 20 towards Ashton, ID. Just before coming into Ashton you will see a blue sign for squirrel Creek. You will turn right onto 1200N. At about a mile you will come to a stop sign, continue straight through it. You will get a nice view of the Tetons on this road. At about 13 miles into this road, it turns to gravel. It is a pretty wide gravel road and in good shape with few potholes. At about 21 miles into this road there will be a little lookout point to the left. It looks out onto a pond with pretty lily pads and yellow flowers. We have stopped here before and taken some pictures. It’s particularly pretty at sunset. At 23.5 miles you will pass a bridge over South Boone Creek. Shortly after the bridge you will come to a sign that points to Jackass Meadows. Turn right here and follow the narrow dirt road. Follow this road for about 3 miles and you will come to the trailhead sign on the right. Pull into the road at your first left and you will park in a big camp spot.

South Boone Creek Trail Description

Once you are saddled and ready to go, head down the road that you drove in on for about 1.3 miles. We actually start the trail down the road and then come out at the trailhead sign that is across from where we parked. As you head down the road you will see a forest service road maker 264. The trail starts right at this sign. The trail takes you through the forest where you will steadily gain elevation. Like we mentioned above there is a lot of down timber at this point.

In 4 miles the view will open up and you will get a pretty overlook with snow-capped mountains. You will also notice the Grand Teton making its appearance. This is perfect spot to pull over and get some awesome shots. We took ours with the Olympus Tough Camera.

The trail will continue on this hillside for a bit with your views continuing. At about 5 miles that trail will go downhill for a bit before it climbs back up. The trail goes down through a little drainage where you will see a sign and we took the small trail to the left.

At 6.2 miles you will come to a sign, head left on the Teton Crest Trail 008. This trail takes you to South Boone Creek and Jackass Road. Jackass road is the road we drove in on. Shortly after turning onto this trail you will come to an amazing cliff view where you are riding on the edge. Yes sounds scary but it is actually a really wide path. This has an amazing over view of rolling mountains and is the perfect spot to stop for lunch. We tie our horses up to one of the many trees and grab a seat on the cliff edge to enjoy our lunch. Here you are about 8400 feet in elevation.

After lunch continue on down the trail. Shortly it will take you into a green grassy meadow where you will be for about 2 miles. At 8.3 miles you will come to a sign. We veered of trail at this point to the left. If you follow the rocky, boulders that line a creek bed you will come to another amazing overview. There was actually water in this creek bed which is a rarity. We usually do this trail much later in the season when the water is all dried up. Water in this area just added to the beauty and it looked like a totally different area this trip. We tied the horses up in some trees as we got off and explored the rocky cliff ban and off course got some of those cool shots.

Once you are ready and back on your horse follow the rock bed back to where you saw that trail sign and continue on towards Jackass Road. The trail will take you back into the forest and in about a mile you will come to a lake. The trail will then go up a short hill where you will get a nice overview of a second lake. At this point the trail kind of fades for a second but just head up to the left towards the lake. You will see a sign in a minute that will point you in the right direction.

At 10 miles into your journey, the trail will start to descend through some thick Aspen trees. This is where we pulled out the saw and cut our way through. The trail will also be taking you through a thick rooted forest area and you will be climbing over some big roots in the trail. This trail used to have a bit of a tough spot on it where there was a tree root and a big rock that was somewhat of a challenge to ride up or down. We have ridden this trail many times and have had to do this.  Well to our delight, someone fixed that spot!   Whomever this great group or person was, a big thank you to you!

At 11 miles you will come to a creek crossing. We stopped here to let the horses get a drink. You are going to follow down the creek to the right for a second before you see the trail reconnecting on the other side. The trail continues through the forest and South Boone Creek will be running on your left all the way through to the end of the trail. When you come out at the end of the trail cross the road and you will find your vehicle in the big camp spot.

Trail Map: (Made with the Suunto Ambit 2 Watch)

[map style=”width: auto; height:400px; margin:20px 0px 20px 0px; border: 1px solid black;” maptype=”SATELLITE” z=”12″ bike=”yes” traffic=”yes” kml=”http://www.wildernesshorsebackjourneys.com/wp-content/uploads/route1643615-Boone_Creek.kml” mtoggle=”yes”]