It’s a beautiful day to head out to the mountains for some playtime. You grab your horse and tack and head out in the afternoon for a quick ride to your favourite spot. It’s 28 degrees Celcius and you don’t see a cloud in the sky. You grab a light windbreaker for “just in case,” get on your horse, and soon you’re enjoying the peaceful sights, sounds, and smells of the forest.

Spending all day with your horse, visiting with friends, and riding a variety of trails pretty much describes horse camping, so it’s no surprise that many riders consider horse camping to be the ultimate adventure. Although performance riders often haul to a different facility for a clinic or competition, put their horse in a stall, and camp out in their rig, trail rider-style horse camping is a bit different.

What is the chance of a bear or cougar attack while riding your horse? What is the chance of being injured or killed in an attack? And are there preventative measures that make sense?

Holidays on Horseback - The scenery is stunning in every direction on this blue-sky day in the Kananaskis region of the Canadian Rockies. But my focus is dead ahead as I concentrate on staying balanced in the saddle while my horse tiptoes through the rocks on the skinny ridge of the mountainside. I feel around in my bag for my camera, daring to take it out for a few shots. At that moment I am aware that Dewy, our guide, is loving every minute. Under that ten-gallon hat and behind the bushy moustache is an ear-to-ear grin as each day he takes his clients another smidgen beyond their comfort zone to give them a solid adventure.