We always have good meals at camp but I am getting tired of the usual sandwich, chips & cookies saddle bag lunch.  What do you carry for your lunch?

I like to take sardines and crackers;  apples or bananas.  Also the gatorade and water.  Found some smoked albacore tuna in a pouch that is really good.  I carry either a zip lock bag or a plastic container with lid to put my trash in so it doesn't mess up my saddle bag.  The plastic container also is good for keeping my crackers from getting smushed.

Also the individual pop top cans of fruit cocktail, peaches, pears etc.  At the grocery, we are always on the alert for stuff that will pack well.

Oh yeah...my hubby LOVES beanie weenies. We put them and a spoon in a ziplock and then use the ziplock for the trash. Of course, they do make him rather...er..."musical". He tries to blame it on the horse but we all shout, "IT'S NOT THE HORSE!!"

RIDE ON!

We always pack some jerky with us, also if we happened to barbeque chicken the night before in camp, we always try to cook enough to take cold chicken with us the next day.  I also use those freezeable ice packs in my saddle bags to keep cold things cold.  The fruit cups and trail mix are also good.

We live in land that has so many choices of food. I've tried all of the above.

This weekend while deer hunting, I took a chunk of gouda cheese and package of sliced lunch meat, a couple of apples and bottled water. I could eat a slice of cheese, a slice or two of smoked turkey, put the rest away for later in the day. As I've gotten older, I've started to shy away from the fatter hard meat.

I like the V-8 juices. Not so much sugar and I seem to crave the salt if its hot and I've been sweating.

Jerky, the various powerbars, some licorice are often found in my bags.  I often take a bunch of Pistachios or sunflower seeds and pick at while I ride.

As mentioned the various tuna flavors that come in sealed foil bags are easy to pack.

If you have a small stove and water you can make a lot of meals out of a premix bag.

Yea vienna sousage and beanie weanies make me tootie.Darn dog

I stopped in a local mexican resturant today for lunch and was reminded that I often stop and buy their breakfast burritos. These are TWO HANDED burritos, made with potatoes, egg, bacon or other breakfast meat, some Pico or salsa. They usually cost me $2.75-$3.00 depending on what I get in them.

I have them roll them up in tin foil. They fit easily in the saddle bag.  If I stay over night and have a fire, I can lay them in them in coals and warm them up and remelt the cheese.

Well aren't you full of yourself tonight.   I don't think that anyone has mentioned having to have food for an hour ride or carrying lots of junk food.  Its healthier to eat small meals or snack throught the day then to starve all day then and gorge yourself when you do eat.  That is just asking for health/weight problems. 

Perhaps you enjoy going out for a day/overnight ride like people are talking about and not having anything to eat for lunch/dinner/breakfast, I don't. 

We don't "do" endurance but when we pack lunch it is because we plan to be out 6-8 hours;  which means 20 plus miles;  alot of which is up and down and sometimes wicked footing.  We are out for the day with the horses, not racing and not training (except that which occurs any time one rides one's horse).  When we ride out from home it is for 4 hours and we do not pack anything except the er kit.

I have ridden with Rose and she can attest to the fact that we are not "lollygaggers". I trailride for recreation and to enjoy the beauty of nature God has provided us. The colors of fall, the spring flowers popping up, the deer, creeks and waterfalls...   We do not ride "bridle paths" for an hour, we ride steep hills with rocks and water - country God made just to hold the world together. It is not a race to see how fast you can get back to the trailer, it's an adventure with challenges for me and my horse.  Yes, we stop for a break midway through (we're usually out for 6+ hours) and yes, I carry some snacks for me and my horse. NO ALCOHOL...I don't believe in drunk driving whether it's a steering wheel or a set of reins.However, I don't mind a small "toddy" around the campfire.

As for being overweight...I'm a little teapot - short and stout. I've ridden the same SSH mare for 8 years now. She is fit and very well muscled. I am also  certified in equine massage and I check her often. She is in excellent shape!

Lunch or no lunch, slow or fast, heavy or slim......

RIDE ON!!!

Food addiction?????  Now why would you say something like that?

 This isn't meant to sound sarcastic, but,I hope you don't pass out from not eating something on your training rides then. At least something on the ride, if you look at my website, which most of you have, you can see I don't mess around on the trails either and they are harry in spots and strenous alot of the times, but a lunch stop for an hour is nice.

F2 Cowpony's Corral

http://www.freewebs.com/cowpony01/

I don't know any endurance riders personally,We see them on the trail on a regular basis while we're riding along or stopped for a snack but they've allways been in to much of a hurry to talk much! Usualy they'll just zip on by with a quick hello, gotta-go. Thats great for them and I'm sure that they enjoy themselves. As for myself, I spend way to much time hurrying when at work or doing errands to enjoy making my trail riding like my job! I'll just stick to my slow pace and take a little time to look around on the way! We sometimes take a bottled water and on the longer rides maybe some spam spread and crackers.

                            ,Ardly

Longrider,

I hope at retirement age I still have that kind of energy to want it fast at work and at play. Sort of effects me in a different way though. I've had jobs for the better part of my adult life that where/are fast paced and I've took a disliking to them over time.When it comes to riding time I'm ready to unwind and relax with some slow riding and looking around.Enjoy the fast pace all you can and hope for you a enjoyable retirement as well when that time comes!

                                  ,Ardly

Wow, this thread is starting to look like some of the messes I started on horse forum.  Dwight you all are definitely not lollygagers, but that is not to say lollygagging is bad.  Actually you all ride like we like to and we are soooo looking forward to the next gathering.

I look at my horse and see my friend, not a business partner.

Now back on point, I'm getting a little hungry, think I'll go raid the icebox...oh yes, here's homemade pimento cheese and some chips and some pickles (sweet of course) ................................

Longrider,

Hey thanks for being cool! I can see your point definately on pain in the stomach from eating while endurance riding, kina like runners and those side cramps from water, been there done that, on horse and running. I like to see the pics. of the endurance rides, they are really neat, I would love to do one someday, I think my gal would be a good candidate, she is always doing something of the strenous sort, wether looking for cattle in the mountains, or on the ranch, to finding a trail on the highest ridges of the sierras.

Good luck on your rides!

would like to see pics of ya!

Absolutely. All of our horses are our good friends. Can't say that he's my best friend as that title belongs to my wife of 46 years.

For those too worried about what you carry,travel light! Just eat what you find,pine cones,leaves,dandelions,bugs,although that burrito sounded good,maybe some chorizo on it too!

That would make the bugs go down easier.

Warm it up on the coals,wash it down with some filtered cold spring water.

Where is this burrito place?

I suppose endurance riders have to keep the load as light as possible and have their meals provided for them at the end of the ride?  Are there lunch breaks?  When you are training, do you bring something in a cooler to eat when you are done?

Trail riding, I try to always have something along to eat because I have felt shakey at the end of a ride and I don't keep my horse at home.  I board my horse a ways away from  a source of food.

For search and rescue missions we cannot assume that we will be fed, but sometimes agencies supply food.  I participate in grid searches as well as hasty searches and they can be more mentally exhausting than physically exhausting.  A grid search would be the opposite of an endurance ride, I imagine.

Anyways, I need to keep nourished to stay sharp.

   We make turkey meatloaf sandwiches which are  wonderful out on the trail.  Ingredients include chopped veggies (brocolli, carrots, mushrooms, onions, spinch, etc), oatmeal instead of bread crumbs, and a couple eggs, & top with catsup.  They fill those cravings for those of us that like to stop and eat and enjoy the scenery.

   I also buy the store brand oats & honey granola bars when on sale and give to my horse at lunch along with some carrots.  After all, he's the one doing the work.

Ain't a damned thing wrong with it!

Cloud9 - I want to go riding with you!  Maybe I am a lollygagger afterall!

We always pack in / pack out. I hate seeing trash on the trail. I even put my cigarette butts in my pocket.  And I have been known to pick up other peoples' garbage at rest stops.  Leave it a little better than you found it...

RIDE ON!

I'm with you!

We have taken a wagon and mule to our trail area near the house, and picked up everything from old mattresses, to dirty diapers! It seems the more folks from the valley who move to the desert, we get the slobs. Too D..m lazy to pay their trash bill, and figure if there is no one living on the trail it is ok. Guess what, ALL the land belongs to someone, and most is PRIVATE property. Our beautiful buttes and sand hills have been destroyed in places by discourteous dirt bag/dirt bikes, slobs with beer cans, and clowns with their lack of two brain cells. Soooo... it seems to be up to us riders to try and make a dent in the destruction.

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