Holidays on Horseback - Sven, the Haflinger pack pony, jerked his head up and snorted. I looked uphill towards our camp and caught a humpy flash of beige ducking behind a stunted fir tree. Grizzly, I thought. I was hand-grazing Sven and my paint mare, Jewel, on a frosty July morning in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia during a solo pack trip. When Sven jerked his head up again, a beige grizzly bear shambled downhill towards us. Just 20 metres uphill from the first bear, a second bear rose up on its hind legs out of the brush before dropping down onto all fours and following the frontrunner. As the two bears lumbered towards us, Sven danced around on his lead line while Jewel kept grazing, and my heart beat a little quicker. As I considered what to do, a third bear trundled out of the trees and followed the first two. They were all grizzlies, all full size, and all coming straight at us. I started to sweat.

On a perfect blue-sky day in the Kananaskis region of the Canadian Rockies, the views are nothing short of breathtaking in every direction. But my attention is fixed on the path ahead as I work to stay balanced in the saddle while my horse carefully navigates the rocky ridge along the mountainside. Reaching into my bag, I cautiously pull out my camera to capture a few shots. In that moment, I notice our guide, Dewy, fully immersed in the adventure, wearing an unmistakable grin beneath his ten-gallon hat and bushy mustache. Each day, he pushes his clients just beyond their comfort zones, creating memorable, thrilling experiences.

Imagine a few days of outdoor living with your horse—exploring new terrain, catching up with riding companions, and enjoying life away from the usual routine. That’s the heart of horse camping, a favourite experience for many trail riders. While competitive riders may travel to events and stay overnight in their trailers while boarding horses in stalls, the approach taken by trail riders on camping trips is a different type of journey.

Over the years I’ve spent working in the backcountry, one thing has consistently stood out: how often people head out with the mindset, “It’s just a short trip—I don’t need much.” My background spans time in the infantry, earning a Bachelor of Applied Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership from Mount Royal University in Calgary, working as a professional adventure guide, and teaching Wilderness and Remote First Aid and survival skills. Alongside that, I’ve spent years as a horseman and now instruct Equine First Aid. Through all of this, I’ve witnessed significant changes in how people approach the backcountry.