Each rider will be responsible therefore for their own riding animal, a pack animal and, in three cases out of four, a second riding animal. Logic dictates that all animals are ‘cross-trained’ and will function as either riding or pack animals. Each rider will be responsible for the animals in their care, including health, feeding and saddling/unsaddling.

One major fact learned whilst researching this expedition is that there are as many opinions about suitable animals as there are people! We have, so far, been encouraged to considered gaited horses, quarter horses, Arabs, mustangs, crosses and mules. All seem to have their advocates and supporters, none of which makes the final decision any easier!

Whichever animal, horses, mules, or breed finally selected, it will be so largely on the basis of cost!

Economics are currently such that good mules are considerably more expensive than an equivalent horse.

We are still considering.......

The decision to forego the use of a chuckwagon requires a re-think of loads, equipment, feed, etc.

Essentially, we will therefore now be travelling with five riding animals, plus three spares to be used in rotation, plus five pack animals.

Dolly

Dan

Animals

One of the stated aims of the expedition is to complete the trip with the animals with which we start. So many long distance riders fail to do so for numerous reasons. I propose therefore, to keep daily mileages down to a reasonable figure, loads as small as possible considering the remoteness of much of the trip, and rest periods as frequent as possible.

The plan, therefore, is to have frequent short halts during the daily ride and riding only two days followed by a rest-day on the third. I wish the animals to be fit and unstressed should we have to push on a bit for reasons beyond our immediate control.