<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best
Review: Don West has been an inspiration for me in daring to be different. The old style of packing has its place but there are other ways of doing it as well and Don West will show you one. I like his approach. It is not a "this is a working formula book" but it is a book which can give enough ideas to do it yourself. I don't understand some other reviewers criticism. If you are looking for a book on old style packing then get Joe Back's "Horse, Hitches, and Rocky Trails" or other books. But if you want to horsecamp lightly without bringing a packhorse with you - this is perfectly feasible and he will show you how. I highline my horse in the Rocky Mountains and have the horse graze on high ground. That was good enough for my horse and the method worked well. The book is presented in a format which shows Don West's path to how he got to to where he is now. The only criticism I have is that it does not address some issues which it should, such as horseshoes, or guns. However, it is one of the few books out there addressing the needs of a changing world, where owners are more environmentally sensitive (ever seen those old style horsecamps after everyone was gone? scattered hay and leftover twine, poles nailed to trees which had been used as saddleracks or as tieoffs, etc.?), and which incorporates smaller and lighter high tech camping gear rather than the castiron pan and the stove to stay warm inside grandfather's canvas tent.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: I didn't expect this book to be about horse "packing," but I did expect it to provide useful ideas about horse "camping," and general information on back country techniques and practices. Unfortunately, this book is virtually nothing more than West's demeaning views about other backcountry users and an advertisement for his line of clothing and horse tack. Some of the information is questionable at best and lethal at worst, such as picketing a horse by the halter, or high lining a horse so that it can graze during the night. Additionally, there is no information about horse first aid, nor horse nutrition/feed (West travels in the Rockies of CO so he just grazes his mounts on hard mountain grass, which for that environment is understandable but just one more limiting factor of this exceptionally limited book), maybe a paragraph pertains to any type of horse training. West does mention that one should bury one's own feces 6-8" in the earth (a recommendation neither feasible nor advisable in a rocky arid environment)but in his suggested equipment list a shovel is not mentioned. Overall, if one is interested in learning about packing or even just camping with horses, there is no better book than Packin' In On Mules and Horses. That book is not only thoroughly informative, but written as the best of "how to" books are written: with advise on a number of options, and with compelling reasons for why the author prefers one option over the others. A final disappointment about Have Saddle Will Travel is that it is published by Storey Books. Storey has published some great books, but this is certainly not one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: not worth the paper it's printed on!!
Review: I didn't expect this book to be about horse "packing," but I did expect it to provide useful ideas about horse "camping," and general information on back country techniques and practices. Unfortunately, this book is virtually nothing more than West's demeaning views about other backcountry users and an advertisement for his line of clothing and horse tack. Some of the information is questionable at best and lethal at worst, such as picketing a horse by the halter, or high lining a horse so that it can graze during the night. Additionally, there is no information about horse first aid, nor horse nutrition/feed (West travels in the Rockies of CO so he just grazes his mounts on hard mountain grass, which for that environment is understandable but just one more limiting factor of this exceptionally limited book), maybe a paragraph pertains to any type of horse training. West does mention that one should bury one's own feces 6-8" in the earth (a recommendation neither feasible nor advisable in a rocky arid environment)but in his suggested equipment list a shovel is not mentioned. Overall, if one is interested in learning about packing or even just camping with horses, there is no better book than Packin' In On Mules and Horses. That book is not only thoroughly informative, but written as the best of "how to" books are written: with advise on a number of options, and with compelling reasons for why the author prefers one option over the others. A final disappointment about Have Saddle Will Travel is that it is published by Storey Books. Storey has published some great books, but this is certainly not one of them.
Rating:
Summary: ... great return policy.
Review: If you're interested the exercises the author does to stay in shape - this is the book for you.
If you're interested in getting into the nuts n' bolts of camping and packing with horses - this is NOT the book for you. Keep looking because this ain't it.
The meaningful information related to camping and packing with horses could be condensed to maybe ten pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Full of insight for the thoughtful reader.
Review: This gentleman has a world of experience with horses and traveling the back country and it shows. Reading his book is like sitting a the kitchen table with a cup of coffee with a good friend. It's full of good advise and tales of adventure and for a horseback rider full of ooohs and ooops. It has inspired me personally to further explore the experiences possible on horseback in wilderness areas. But the information in this book is not just for camping, the general information and necessities list is well worthwhile for all trailriders. I personally am hoping Mr. West puts pen to paper for an additional work.
Rating:
Summary: Full of insight for the thoughtful reader.
Review: This gentleman has a world of experience with horses and traveling the back country and it shows. Reading his book is like sitting a the kitchen table with a cup of coffee with a good friend. It's full of good advise and tales of adventure and for a horseback rider full of ooohs and ooops. It has inspired me personally to further explore the experiences possible on horseback in wilderness areas. But the information in this book is not just for camping, the general information and necessities list is well worthwhile for all trailriders. I personally am hoping Mr. West puts pen to paper for an additional work.
<< 1 >>
| 
