U.S. Forest Service trains employees on horses for treks in the Colorado wilderness
Considering more than half of the millions of acres of U.S. Forest Service land does not have roads or easily accessible land for cars and trucks to get our USFS representatives where they need to go, the next best option in Colorado is also one of the oldest.
Horses and mules.
"We have 2.3 million acres of land that we manage for the White River National Forest. ... 55% of it is wilderness and roadless," said Scott Woodall, livestock program manager for the White River National Forest. "We need these animals to get where we are going."
Hence why a dozen or so Forest Service employees recently joined together in Rifle for a 3-day training course where they can hone their skills on horse/mule back and make sure when they're called into the roadless wilds of Colorado to maintain our public lands, they can get there quickly and effortlessly (to some extent).
If you think this is just learning how to pull reins, you're sorely mistaken.
"You have to learn to control them and maneuver them and it all translates to when you are in the woods and navigating a tight spot," Kaiden Frantz, a student in this year's training said. "Knowing how to help them get out of it."
It's much more than just getting a learner's permit, too. This is about building trust and communication between these working animals and our working people.
Understanding how best to communicate with your ride is going to result in the best possible trip for both humans and animals alike.
"(You get a) general understanding of how a horse acts, how a horse brain works, how to interact with one another and how to use that body language and pressure and release to get control of our horses and get done what we need to get done and keep 'em safe," Crosby Davidson, training leader explained.
"We are using them as a tool to get the job done, but you can't turn the key off on one of these and put them away for the evening," he said.
He added, "They have their own personalities and their own quirks, finding that communication and that partnership with your horse is going to make him want to go to work as much as you do."
This is just one of three levels of training employees can experience and the starting level at that.
Other training would be out on the trails (or lack thereof) and getting those riders ready for whatever the Colorado wilderness can throw at them.
