The Ultimate Pack Saddle.Tested over 90 miles of non-stop riding in the Montana wilderness, this re-engineered packsaddle by Evolutionary saddles will fit today’s horses and mules.  Attached to the Ralide® pack tree are the amazing System X panels which spread the dead-weight load across the pack animal’s back, preventing pressure points, soreness, and galls.  This saddle will clear even the tallest of withers.  Also added is the freely adjustable slide n’ lock rigging, allowing easy repositioning of the rigging –up and down; forward and back - balance the load and to position the girth to avoid galling.  The neoprene girth features stainless steel roller buckles, allowing for easy and fast tightening and has a pocket to tuck away the billet straps to protect the animal’s sides. Dee rings are strategically placed on the tree to allow for a perfect-fitting pack load.  Included are Saddle Sox™, which is a pad that stays attached to the packsaddle (but can easily removed and laundered). This pad does not bunch or slip, thus avoiding bruising of the animal’s spine or withers or causing galls.

  Order Form Print off and turn into your nearest dealer

But all items can be purchased separately
**Also a must have are the Garment bags under the   Garment bags.  Two of these bags make packing the little things with all the clips much easier.

What is a Mantie vs. Panniers?  You use a mantie tarp and rope to make a mantie load.  Hard to balance each side until you get it tied and then you can sometimes adjust by raising or lowering the mantie on the horse. Panniers are boxes that are formed to and loaded on to the pack tree.  You attach with the short leather straps that go under the dowel onto the tree.  If you have a decker tree, just buckle through the decker rings.  If you have a sawbuck or decker rings with knobs you buckle the strap and place the loop on the far side of the tree. Easy to balance load and unload. If your stock likes to jump things you must use a bottom strap to hold the pack down because the pannier could come off.

Breast collar and scale not shown. Packs MUST NOT exceed 80 pounds in weight for each side.

The bottom breeching strap will hook to the girth as shown below.

The bottom strap from the breeching, hooks on to the buckle of the girth.

Inside the pannier is the plastic liner, which we removed and used as a watering trough or turn over and use as a bench.

The garment bag, has scissor snaps on all corners and on the zipper ends for easy attachment  to pack saddles and saddles.  This bag is used for personal items.

This bag is sold separately.

Two of these  bags balanced using the trees clips works outstanding well.

It was so cold in the mornings that our washed clothing was frozen solid.  We had our light cotton blankets along for our horses.  The others in the group did not.  Their horses shivered and one got a bit sick but was ok with drugs.  We felt bad about not having blankets for their horses.  But our stock must come first. Plan - Plan -Plan.

Before packing make sure your pack horse is worthy.  Practice at home with bells on the horse, rocks and empty aluminum cans in the panniers.  Travel at a walk, trot/gait and canter - get all the bucks out.  Go over logs to see if the horse jumps and how they handle it. Go though water and mud. Go between tight trees as to make the packs HIT the trees and this will teach your pack animal to look and handle the situation.  Lead with a rope halter and jerk it back when the pack animal falls out of formation and keep jerking to teach the horse to back up.  DO NOT tie your lead rope to you or your saddle,  hold it in your hand and yes... you will drop it from time to time.  BE SAFE and wear and use protective foot ware and a helmet.  We have seen some bad stuff when the proper safely equipment is not used.

Here we are crossing one of 50 streams.  Always stop and offer water to your horses.  We were out 4 days and traveled about 90 miles??

RETURN TO INDEX

Checklist for Packing Trip

Amount to haul depends upon time out and number in-group, as well as if a base camp is established.

Equipment for Each Animal

• Pack Saddle and Blanket
• Breast collar, crupper, britching, girths and cinch for all animals
• Halter (include one extra)
• Saddle and saddle blanket
• Lead rope
• Panniers (many need bear proof) and Lashing rope
• Saddle Bags for riding horse
• Bridle
• Old cinch, tree hugger, tree saver (Use around trees. Helps eliminate rope burns when necessary to tie stock to trees.)
• Containment system for each horse: hobbler / picket rope, tying up corrals, etc. (we used picket line rope with a rope cleat, horse positioners with sleeping halters and leads.)
• Feed Rations *
• Horse blanket

General Items for Stock

• Hoof pick
• Grooming supplies (curry comb, brush, etc.)
• Bucket(s) - feed
• Easy boot/boa boot (emergency shoe for a horse that anybody can put on)
• Sponge
• Shoeing kit (horseshoe hammer, horseshoe nails)
• First aid kit for animals (large-sized gauze, tape, elastic bandages, salve, antibiotic ointment, electrolytes, Antihistamine, Cortisone, Lidocane, sutures, needles, Syringes, Tranquilizer, Gauze, tape, DMSO, rubber gloves, Furizone, Pads, antibiotic, phenolbutizone, bantimine. Check with your local Vet for other supplies for emergency use etc.)
• Wire cutters & extra fence wire (For emergency purposes if necessary to cut through a fence) (a fancy leatherman is the tool we took)
• Insect repellent for horses / people

Clothing and People accommodations

• Clothing - Inner Layer, Synthetic long johns, Inner socks (wool or synthetic)
• Clothing - Insulating Layer, Pile shirts or jackets, Down or synthetic fill jackets, Down or synthetic fill vest, Wool shirt, Wool sweater, Pants, T-shirt, Wool socks (2 pairs), Warm hat, gloves.
• Clothing - Protective Layer, Wind breaker or parka with hood, Rain jacket or poncho, Hat for sun protection, Pants with Pockets / shorts, riding boots, walking boots
• Bandana
• Towel
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping pad
• Tent (poles, stakes, fly, guy lines) OR Tarp and Ground Cloth (for the ground cloth we used our rain ponchos)
• Candle, Flash Light or Lantern, Headlamp or flashlight (spare batteries and bulb)
• Lotion
• Toothbrush/paste
• Glasses or contacts
• Comb
• Mirror
• Sunglasses
• Sun block
• Toilet paper
• Chap Stick
• Water bottle (we just had our Berkey Bottle)
• First Aid Kit: Includes, Two gauze rolls (2" wide), Moleskin for blisters, Two triangular bandages, Six sterile pads (4"x4"), Anti-acid tablets, Ace bandage, Band Aids-assorted sizes, Butterfly closures, Safety pins, Aspirin, Tweezers, Two-inch first aid tape, First aid book, Personal medications.

Kitchen

• Camp Stove with Extra stove parts (gaskets for stove, fuel cap, etc.)
• Fuel bottle (with gas)
• Funnel
• Pots / water boiling pot/kettle
• Frying Pan
• Dutch Oven
• Pot gripper
• Cup
• Spoon
• Corkscrew
• Food / MRE’S (Mre’s is all we ate and took only a coffee pot and mug)
• Water container(s) & water
• Water purification system (filter & accessories, purification tablets) (we used the berkey water bottle and did it all with that alone)
• Plastic bags (pack in carry out) (we used the plastic grocery bags left over from the horse rations)

Miscellaneous

• Axe & Sheath
• File and stone for sharpening axe
• Folding saw
• Fire arms
• GPS
• Satellite Phone
• Watch
• Notebook/pencil
• Fishing gear & license
• Binoculars
• Day pack for day hikes
• Leather and laces
• Leather punch
• Sewing needle
• Nylon cord
• Nylon thread or dental floss
• Duct tape
• Leather men or Vice grips (5" size)
• Bailing wire
• Bear Deterrent
• Matches (and striker in waterproof container)
• Fire starter (solid fuel pellets, candle, pitch wood, etc.)
• Compass
• Map
• Knife

* Feed Rationing by Cathy Sheets Tauer, BS-Animal Sciences:  The following is a guideline to be used when calculating the feed requirements for your animal – please consult with your feed specialist/nutritionist for the exact ration.    A WORKING horse will eat 1 to 2% of its body weight in hay.  However for roughage value a horse must eat 1% of its weight in hay, with the balance to be made up in mixed feed such as,  “sweet feed” which is used to increase the protein value for the energy requirements needed.  This extra feed will consist of: Oats, corn, barley, grain sorghum, wheat bran, linseed meal, soybean meal and cottonseed meal. The molasses portion of the sweet feed is used as a sticker for phosphate, limestone and vitamins.  The hay portion should be of timothy and or a timothy/alfalfa mix and can be in cube form.  Avoid feeding complete pelleted feed as that will greatly increase the risk of colic and destroys the roughage value of the hay when fed in this form.  Do not exceed 2.5% of the animals live weight in feed as that is the maximum feed intake.  So keep feed in the 2% range of live animal weight for safety.  Provide loose plain salt NaCl for salt lost in sweat.  We give electrolytes but only when animal is drinking well.   The following is our daily ration, which we weighed out and bagged for two feedings (and allow the animal to graze as much as possible between meals) so our animals ration were covered perfectly.  Based on a horse with medium work, a 1100 lb animal will eat 23# of Dry Matter per day. We fed 12# of Timothy/ alfalfa cubes and 10 lbs., of a 14% sweet feed.  (A total weight of 23 lbs per 1,100.00-pound horse).  We split this daily ration into two feedings using two- gallon zip lock bags containing 5 lbs., of sweet feed and two plastic grocery bags containing 6 lbs., of hay cubes.  We put these meal rations in our panniers and fed morning and night.  We started this feeding this type of ration gradually over 3 to 4 days before full rations were given, as all changes in feed must be done slowly and very gradually as to avoid intestinal trauma and hoof issues.  I sincerely hope this helps with your feed planning.  Remember a sound healthy horse will carry you home and when you get home, on non-work days begin to reduce the grain portion of the feed, starting at 50% and is back to pre-working levels over the next 3 days, as to avoid the occurrence of azoturia, or Monday morning sickness.