Horsepacking Expedition

Expedition Overview

Dates: August 6 – August 15, 2022
Age: 16–18 years old
Group size: max 8-10 students/2 instructors
Length: 10 days
Tuition: $3,150

This 10-day expedition emphasizes skills in backcountry horsepacking and camping in Montana, along with Leave No Trace Ethics, leadership and team building techniques.

(Please note that there is a weight limit of 250lbs for this expedition)

Questions? Send us an email.
MWS Essential Eligibility Criteria 

Packing List 
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Expedition Highlights

Horsepacking in remote wilderness areas
Adventurous alpine experiences
Navigation, orienteering, and wilderness travel skills
Wilderness decision-making and communication skills
Experiencing abundant wildlife and ecosystems

Expedition Description

This wild and unique expedition introduces students to the art and traditions of horsepacking and the long history of the relationship between humans and pack animals, while traveling across some of the most beautiful country in Southwest Montana. Students will learn how to care for, manage, and pack horses and mules for travel on mountain trails while forging a bond with an individual horse across the10-day expedition. As part of the core MWS curriculum, participants will work to develop leadership and team-building skills and strengthen a personal connection to wild places. Students will also learn and apply Leave No Trace®land stewardship principles and communication skills, and gain a new understanding of Montana’s ecology and human history. This is a physically challenging expedition and students should expect long days in the saddle. For more information about MWS core curriculum and expedition progression see Expedition Life

Expedition Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Teamwork and communication skills

Learn positive communication skills with diverse group members to create a healthy community, build trust, and make sound decisions in the backcountry together
Develop an expedition philosophy, apply it to the course, and understand how it can transfer back to the student’s home environment

Safety and wilderness based decision making

Backcountry hazard evaluation and risk reduction guidelines and tools
First aid awareness for backcountry settings: identification and treatment of common backcountry illness and injuries
Learn to collaboratively make decisions in remote environments that prioritizes individual and group safety

Conservation Ethic

Use basic observational and interpretive skills to demonstrate an understanding and respect for the natural environment
Discuss the history, facts and potential solutions to pertinent environmental and social issues affecting the wilderness in the expedition area
Reflect upon and discuss the conveyance of wilderness conservation ethics into personal life and build a capacity for commitment and stewardship to wild places

Backcountry camping and navigation skills

Use safe backcountry kitchen practices to cook nutritious meals on a camp stove or fire
Demonstrate an ability to select an appropriate campsite and set up a shelter while minimizing the impact on the ecosystem
Understand and demonstrate how to stay healthy, warm, and comfortable in the backcountry
Understand and demonstrate techniques for camping and traveling in bear habitat
Use various navigation and route-finding tools and methods for on and off trail travel
Travel efficiently in the alpine environment using map and compass skills

Technical Skills

Horsepacking Skills

Learn how to care for animals appropriately
Learn to properly pack and adjust a saddlebag for horsepacking
Become competent in horse travel in alpine environments
Travel off trail and discover unpopulated areas of the Montana wilderness
Develop essential skills for extended travel in the backcountry

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Horsepacking

expedition