Camp check: Evening horse care on the Quiet Miles

The best rides are not made in the miles. They are made in the quiet checks that no one sees. This is my simple evening horse care on the Quiet Miles in an easy checklist that you can copy and use.

At home and on the road, our evenings follow the same gentle pattern. Water first. Hay next. Salt where they can reach it. I run a hand down each leg, feel each hoof for heat, and look for new scratches hiding under the hair. I check halters and lead ropes, gates and latches. I look at eyes and bellies and the way each horse stands.

Some nights it is quick and simple. Other nights it takes a little longer. Either way, the goal is the same. I want Floki and Lagertha to end every day knowing that someone paid attention. That someone noticed if something felt off. That camp is a safe, steady place.

These small routines are one of the ways I keep the long ride from feeling too big. I cannot control the weather or every sound in the dark. I can control fresh water, good hay, and a calm hand on a warm neck. I can make sure the gate is latched and the fence looks solid before I walk away.

On the Quiet Miles this evening horse care checklist is as much for my mind as it is for their bodies. I move in the same order every night so I do not rush or forget things when I am tired. The steps are simple. Look. Listen. Touch. Water, hay, salt, feet, fences. When I follow that pattern I can walk away from camp feeling calm and ready for whatever the next day brings.

This Trail Break is a small word search built from some of those evening habits. If you have horses, you may have your own version of this list. If you do not, you can still play along and think about the many quiet ways we take care of the animals who trust us.

Print the page or take a screenshot and mark the words as you find them. Words may run forward, backward, up, down, or diagonal.

Trail Break 2: Evening horse care word search

Prefer a printable version? Download this Trail Break as a PDF

Word List

• GROOM
• HAY
• WATER
• SALT
• HOOF
• BLANKET
• HALTER
• LEADROPE
• CHECK
• BRUSH
• FENCE
• BUCKET
• LATCH

U P J G P F F G Y B U C K E T
N P U F S K I A C D B R U S H
K B N M R L H U J I E J O W K
B A Z H O O F H N A C E D P G
F L B L A G H T Q G P I M J Y
A L A Y Y Z R R P O R E T A W
W X M N Q Z C O R O C T P S K
U D W P K S O D O I V S Q A C
J E B U N E A U R M K T W L H
H E P N V E T S T S S Q B T E
A M E Y L I T B L W I W K H C
L H F L R G I L V F E B I C K
T O K E C N E F W X K G Q T O
E V G I I Y R A P D G X B A A
R Q Y J M F T O K W F D Z L U

If you like this Trail Break, you can find more puzzles collected on our Trail Breaks on the Quiet Miles page.

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures: “Campfire” by Amber Oliver.