Jennifer Wilson Wilfong 
I love the Expo, so much fun watching all of the clinics. Learned so much last year :-)
10 May at 08:20

Trail Symposium Features Conservation, Lots of Fun on the Trails!

Presentations at the Horse Expo Trail Symposium are structured to educate horse people about the use and expansion of multi-use trails. Created to inform horse owners of the on-going and pressing issues facing the preservation of trails, the Symposium offers a forum to share ideas and effective actions needed to keep our trails open and used properly. Environmental and political issues will also be addressed, as well as horse safety, proper packing techniques, and campfire cooking.

Come visit the Back Country Horsemen of California, presented by the Mother Lode, Sutter Buttes and East Bay Units in their Gentle Use Camp. Learn their Gentle Use Principles so that you will leave no trace when enjoying the trails and backcountry. Learn how to conduct yourself and manage your stock to have a safe and enjoyable experience. Featuring how to throw a hitch on our metal mules, high lining, what to pack, how to pack, dutch oven cooking and new this year a kids corner.

Bonnie Davis has been horsecamping and trail riding for over 45 years and is a nationally recognized clincian. Her clinic, “Horsecamping: expanding your trail adventures”, has been presented at seminars, conferences, events and expos (Western States Horse Expo, Equine Affaire, Iowa Horse Fair, Backcountry Horsemen of California, National Trails Symposium, etc.). Bonnie maintains that “recreational trail riders are the backbone of the horse industry yet we are the most overlooked within the industry itself!”.

Drawing from her own experiences, “Horsecamping” covers getting a horse ready to camp, rigs and trailers, feeds and feeding, weed free feeds, selecting campsites, keeping a horse in camp, meeting environmental regulations, bears, mountain lions and elk, safety, emergency care, camping tips and more! Bonnie points out that horsecamping allows a person to enjoy longer trips, spend more time with your horse exploring and regardless of one’s physical condition or age, “anyone can horsecamp and trail ride! We often let others and our own emotions dictate what we should or shouldn’t do. Age is a mark on a calendar. Not of the person. You’re never to oldS to ride. It doesn’t matter if one uses rocks, stumps, trailer fenders, mounting blocks or the side of a hill to get on your horse, the important thing is your still riding, getting ON your horse and still cleaning your own horse’s hooves!”.

Bonnie was Woman of the Year for “Environmental Work” as the first woman to be inducted into the Alameda County Hall of Fame. American Express Philanthropy Foundation & California State Parks Department awarded her the “Take Pride in California” at the California Governor’s Presentations for her “dedication to trails and open space”. Along with trail riding, horsecamping, presentations, she is Consulting Editor for “Trail Rider” magazine, owner of Two Horse Enterprises (www.twohorseenterprises.com), dedicated to trail riding and horsecamping, manager/owner of the website www.weedfreefeed.com (the first website recognized by the State of California’s Trails and Greenway Conference

for education in preserving open space from invasive and noxious weeds in horse feed) working with the California National Park Service writing “Best Equestrian Management Procedures and Practices for California’s National Parks”. In her spare time, she maintains a blog, does free lance writing for publications including “UK Western Horse” in England and if not doing that – can be found riding Nic in the hills around Pleasanton, California. Always willing and eager to help individuals, groups, clubs or associations with trails and camps or horsecamping questions, Bonnie can be reached at horsecamping@comcast.net!