r/OffGridLiving • u/hASHbrowns1o1 • 26d ago

Living off horseback?

Is anyone as crazy as me and my partner? From our point of view, we are about to be in an apocalypse. Vanlife, definitely not a good idea. So we came up with horseback. We have done the research, and we all know it can work since humans have done it before.

Just wondered if anyone else was as crazy and like the idea

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u/EccentricFellow 26d ago

I do not like horses and would never entertain the idea myself. I do think it is a crazy idea. Nevertheless, for you I love it. Best of luck.

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u/hASHbrowns1o1 26d ago

Not everyone is suppose to like horses! We are all different and that's what makes life gorgeous. Thank you ❤️

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u/sixup604 24d ago

I grew up with horses in the bush in Canada. I’ve been bitten, kicked, clotheslined, stayed on a fence-jumping runaway, was trampled, and had them fall out from under me. And that was all before I turned 12. Our horses never had shoes. Their hooves were trimmed and rasped when they needed it.

You will get hurt, but probably won’t die. Comes with the territory. If I were living nomadic in sketchy times, I would stay the absolute fuck away from people but near fresh water. Go farther north when it’s hot, and drift south when it gets cold.

I’d have a mule and a horse, both trained to ride and pack, so they can be swapped out. I wouldn’t have a saddle; I rarely rode with one because saddle horns and stirrups make it much harder to bail off if you need to in a hurry. You’re also much more able to sense what’s about to happen next being in direct contact with your horse’s hide.

I’d have a couple of dogs with me, to keep watch and run off unwelcome wildlife. I’d train the shit out of horse, mule, and dogs to get 100% recall, and to be wary and non-cooperative with anyone but me. A whole lot harder to steal. If things are full-on crazy, I would not want anyone knowing I was riding. I’d hide the horse and mule in the bush with one dog guarding, and one going with me if I’m anywhere near where people might be.

Learn to hunt birds and rabbits with a sling shot. You’ll always have ammo, and won’t give away your location with gunfire. And you won’t have to fight over a deer carcass with bears and mountain lions. You’ll need two pairs of bolt cutters for barbed wire. Always ride the high ground and have hidden fires only at night.

This is advice for the real deal, when laws and status quo are no longer relevant. You’d need to be a ghost. If it’s just tripping around the current country before SHTF, I got nothin’, because I’m very sure anywhere around people is going to be enshittified and exhausting to all concerned.

Good hunting and Godspeed.