Packing

We mostly use sawbucks on the estancia - learn to tie a basket hitch and barrel hitch, how to throw a diamond and a double diamond. Most of our horses are trained to be packed as well as be ridden, however, we generally use mules for the packing as they are more resilient. Packing is a handy thing to know in these areas as this is how your food and luggage will be coming in and going from the estancia!

Basic Equine Veterinary Skills
(Please know that none of us have been schooled in the veterinary sciences, the knowledge offered is purely from our own self study and experience).
- Vital metabolic signs and functions of a horse, their norms and what it may mean if they are abnormal.
- Confirmation and basic physiology of the horse.
- Basic first aid, wound management, lameness detection and cures, nutrition, diet, de-worming, rotation plans, and conditioning.

Riding Skills
- Games on horse back; musical chairs, bareback dollar, obstacle course
- Horse swimming in the river and lakes up in the high mountains
- A basic understanding of the English and Western disciplines and their principles

Horsemanship Skills
Tack repair, maintenance, basic stitching, handy knots, how to make bridles, cinches and other simple articles of tack such as rope halters.

Reading Library
We have a large library and many bookshelves throughout the houses filled with novels and "good reads" left by our guests as well as veterinary manuals and books covering horse nutrition, breeding management, training methods, leatherwork, how to make articles of tack and books on general ranch and farm skills.