Home again—has a nice ring to it. We’ve been gone since the middle of November, so to be back in the house is a comfortable feeling. On our travels, we meet many new trail riders and most of them have questions. Top of the list is, “How do we find places to ride and camp?”

With today’s information sources, it’s much easier than when Garth started out. Then, it was almost word-of-mouth, passed from campground to campground. Now, not only is there much more information available, but also many more campgrounds.

Garth and I use several resources when planning a trip. One, you’re holding in your hand—The Trail Rider. You can use articles, ads, and the “Where-to-Ride-Guide” to help plan your trip. All the directory listings have phone numbers or Web sites. Travel writer Janine Wilder has a newsletter with travel information (www.horsetravels.com; 208/863-0080).

Trail-riding books are another good resource. We use several to find places to stay while we’re on the road. I like to plan our route out a few days before we leave. First, I write down all the overnight-stabling places along that route, including the phone number. Then I mark on the map where each one is located. We prefer to travel only about 300 miles each day, so I make a note of the places close to where we plan to stop, then call to let them know when we plan on being there. I also have a few backup places just in case we have to stop early, or one of the other stops doesn’t work out.

The books we keep in the truck to help us find such places are Dick Beck’s Horse Motels International (888/468-1302); US Stabling Guide, by Jim Balzotti (Lariat Publications, 800/829-0715; www.jimbalzotti.com); and the Nationwide Overnight Stabling Directory, by Janice J. Nelson (Equine Travelers of America, Inc., 620/442-8131; www.overnightstabling.com).

For information on outfitters, public lands, and other trail information, we like Saddle Up! by Ute Haker (Avalon Travel Publishing; I found a used copy on www.barnesandnoble.com—or go to www.amazon.com).

For a reference guide of more than 1,000 places to write for federal horse trails and horse-camping information, get Trails, Trails, & More Trails, by Bonnie Davis (510/657-5239; www.extendinc.com/twohorse). You can also order other books on trail riding from this site, plus separate books on riding in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The Internet is also a great source of information. My favorite Web site is: www.horseandmuletrails.com, which is for trail riders by trail riders. Chuck Olsen hosts this site and posts information for free. It covers the whole United States, and has travel, camping, and trail information. I just wish it had maps! Sometimes, I have a hard time finding where the campground is located in a state. I also like Horse Motels International (www.horsemotel.com). This site specializes in overnight camping and stabling for your horse, but some of the places do have trails.

If you’re going south, check out www.flahorse.com, which has information and tips on trails in Florida. It also has links to state parks in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina. All state parks have Web sites now. To find one, just type in the name of the state and add “State Parks” or “DNR” (which stands for Department of Natural Resources). For example, enter (Ohio State Parks) or (Ohio DNR) into your search engine, and go from there. Of course, sometimes getting any horse information off a government site is like pulling hens’ teeth—but if you’re persistent, it can be done.

You can also try the state’s horse council Web site—many times it’ll have trail information. Just type the name of the state—for example (Indiana Horse Council)—into your search engine. If you don’t have a computer, go to your public library; most of them have computers, and someone there can help you with your search.

And finally, I’m always willing to help you plan a trip. Just send me an email or letter (see the contact information below), and I’ll share what information I’ve gathered. And check out our Web site: www.garthandkathy.com

Garth and I are back in New York for the summer and hope to put some New York trail miles on Garth’s new foxtrotter. A trip up north to Otter Creek and the nice, sandy trails will be perfect to see how Rex and Kit are going to gait together.

Tip: When the water in camp is a long carry back to your horse, put a large plastic bag in each bucket, then use a truck or wheelbarrow to carry the buckets to the water source. Fill up the plastic bag inside each bucket, and tie it closed. Then you can haul the water back to your horse without having it slosh all over the place.