Ep. 078: Expert Horse Tips and Essential Gear for Trail Riding with Jodie Morton of Green, Gold and Blues

Episode Notes

On this part two episode, co-host Katy Starr continues her conversation with long distance trail rider, Jodie Morton of Green, Gold and Blues about:

• One item that she will never, EVER leave home without for a trail ride
• Her process for planning a safe and successful trail ride on big trails
• A brilliant strategy she uses with her horse Thelma, to make elevation gains the most efficient

Riding horses cross country has taught her she can do things she never thought were possible and just how much goodness exists in the world when you ride in a saddle. Join us for some vital trail riding tips before you hit the trail for your next horseback adventure.

Have a topic idea or feedback to share? We want to connect with you! Email podcast@standlee.com

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Are you struggling with your mental health and need help? Please reach out now:

Beyond Blue in Australia

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in the United States

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Helpful Tools Recommended by Jodie:

• ~6:41 – Garmin inReach
• ~31:46 – AllTrails and Gaia
• ~33:22 – Cairn Cartographics

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Connect with Jodie on social platforms and her website – 

• Instagram – @greengoldandblues
• TikTok – @greengoldandblues
• Facebook – @greengoldandblues
• YouTube – @greengoldandblues
• Website – https://www.greengoldandblues.com/

Episode art image credit – Chance Jackson

*Views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Standlee Premium Products, LLC.*

Read full episode transcript

Katy Starr (00:00:01):

Hi, I'm Katy.

Dr. Tania Cubitt (00:00:02):

And I'm Dr. Cubitt. We're going Beyond the Barn. Come join us on this journey as we bust equine and livestock nutrition myths, and interview some of the most intriguing experts in the country.

Katy Starr (00:00:15):

We'll go behind the scenes of how premium Western quality forage is grown and brought to your favorite farm and ranch retail store. We're so glad you're here.

Katy Starr (00:00:28):

If you missed our previous episode, episode 77, we chatted with Jodie Morton of Green, Gold and Blues about her mission to break the stigma on mental health in rural communities through riding horses. As we continue our conversation, Jodie shares more about how she picks her trails, her must-have gear on long rides and practical tips for those wanting to venture out on their own horseback trail ride. 

So we talked a little bit about this before in the previous episode, but I would love to kind of give our listeners a little bit more insight into your trail riding experiences in this episode. So what was it like preparing for and riding the Bicentennial National Trail (BNT), which you said is now the National Trail, in Australia? What was that like for you? Because I think it was, the experience in and of itself was different from your experience with the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) and even how you prepared and did that one. So what was that like?

Jodie Morton (00:01:26):

Yeah, preparing for the BNT was completely different to preparing for the CDT. First of all, this was my first long distance ride, so I didn't have any of the experience to kind of lean into on this one, like I was able to do for the CDT. In saying that, I learned a lot on this one. I learned a lot of what I like to do and I definitely learned a lot of what not to do or what I do not like to do. So my BNT ride, I had a team of three horses. So I had a main riding horse and then two pack horses and I would switch them around. I had my main pack horse, who was always my pack horse except for one day when I was able to give everything to someone else and they dropped it at the end of that day.

Jodie Morton (00:02:14):

So I was able to ride him that one day. But the reason that he was always my pack horse and something that has become really, really important to me now in hindsight, is that he was my fastest walker. And so he walked faster than almost any other horse that I've had. And the reason why this is a problem in this particular case is that when you've got pack horses, like you can't trot your pack stock because if you've got them loaded up, then having that load bouncing up and down on their back is going to make them sore really quickly. And so my other two horses that I had, if I had been riding him and leading, they would've had to trot to keep up with him. And so I couldn't have that happen. So he was always my pack horse. because I know that no matter what I did, he would just keep it like a nice smooth, fast walk.

Jodie Morton (00:03:06):

And I had two other horses. But another thing that has now become really important to me in long distance rides is just having horses that are willing and able to walk out. Because if you think about it, if you've got a horse that is going to walk out at three miles an hour and then you've got a horse that's going to walk out like Thelma did once we got really fit, and she was just crazy about getting to the end of the trail every day. She walked out almost five miles an hour, which is crazy. But if you've got, say a 15 mile day and you've got a horse that walks at three miles an hour, you're going to be spending five hours in the saddle. If you've got a horse that walks out at five miles an hour, you're going to be spending three hours in the saddle.

Jodie Morton (00:03:51):

And so at the end of the day, that faster walking horse is then going to have an extra two hours of rest and grazing, which is then going to be able to help you maintain, you know, weight and condition when you are doing these longer rides where you're out on trail day in, day out. So getting ready for the BNT, I had an idea of what I wanted to do. So I like, I dried all of my food for the trail beforehand. So we had dehydrators and that was a lot. I thought if I dehydrated this and this and this, and then I could pick at the end of the day what I wanted for food, it was all very fancy. I had a lot of stuff that I ended up carrying that I didn't need. Yeah. So I was learning a lot of stuff getting ready for the BNT that I then didn't have to learn as much for the CDT.

Jodie Morton (00:04:37):

And on top of this, the BNT, I was relying a lot more on paper maps, whereas the CDT, I had an app that had my little red line and I was able to look at my blue dot and make sure that I was on it. Whereas at that point in time, the BNT had guidebooks, I think it was like 12 in total. So I had my guidebook and then I'd be like, all right, I'm done with that guidebook. It's time for the next one. And some of the directions in there for keeping to the trail were a little bit outdated. Gosh, it's been years now since I've looked at them, but I think there was one day that it was like, okay, you're going to go for, you know, however many miles and then there's going to be like, you know, a wood chip pile turned left at the wood chip pile. And so it is not really something that's a really permanent factor . 

Katy Starr (00:05:24):

Not a good landmark pretty much. 

Jodie Morton (00:05:26):

Yeah, I got really confused a couple of days doing that. So that was, that was definitely an experience. Am I glad that I did it a hundred percent? Would I want to do it again at this point in time? Mm. Not really .

Katy Starr (00:05:38):

It's really cool though that you got to have such varying differences between those trails. Like the fact that you can say that you used guidebooks to get yourself those, you know, 600 miles that you did versus getting to the Continental Divide and using, which I bet was so valuable to have that app to be able to just know where you're at following a dot. Like, but you did the, you did the other way though. And I think that's something that's really interesting and cool that you can say. I've done it both ways. I didn't just, it's kind of like, I don't know me saying this, but it's kind of like using a smartphone now with GPS. When I was a kid like we had paper maps that you kind of had to use that to figure out where you were going. And now kids these days have no idea what that is. Like they could never do any kind of navigation. So I think it's kind of cool that you can say that you can do that.

Jodie Morton (00:06:28):

Yeah. Is it a skill that I've retained over time? Mm, probably not. But ,

Katy Starr (00:06:34):

It's like riding a bike. You just jump back on ,

Jodie Morton (00:06:36):

I don’t know about that. I did, I did also have my Garmin inReach. So I did have a GPS in case I got lost and I had a couple of points that were mapped out in there. So I did have that as a backup. I didn't really use my garment for navigational reasons as much. The inReach does have the ability to send messages, like satellite messages. So I was using that to kind of like keep in touch and socialize more than anything. I did have a button that like let mom and dad know at the end of every day that I'd made camp, everything was fine and everything was dandy and the, what I used it for the most was actually tracking my mileage. And so I would start it at the start of almost every day or a couple of days I forgot and it would show me my elevation and how far we'd gone.

Jodie Morton (00:07:23):

And so if I knew that I had say like a 12 mile day or in Australia, I was using kilometers. But if I had a 12 mile day, well probably more realistic, closer to 20. But then I could be like, all right, cool, we've done nine miles. Like I should have about three left to go. And then that was kind of what I would look at and what I tracked all my mileage with. So there was that too, but I mean, I wasn't entirely paper. I did have my backup like yeah, I want to be clear about that. But a lot of it was more paper.

Katy Starr (00:07:54):

Yeah. It's probably good though because especially you've talked about how you, when you traveled, you know, obviously there was limitations with means of being able to protect yourself with any way, by way of wildlife or poor interactions or anything like that. And so being able to have a source of being able to reach someone if you need to, I think it was really good that you, you know, that that that's available, that that exists in our life. I think that's great. Or injuries or snake bites or you know, any of that fun, that stuff that you just never know what could happen kind of a thing. So another thing that I noticed was different for you was on the Bicentennial Trail, that was something that was kind of like almost like an extended, like you packed with you pretty much everything that you needed. I know people occasionally met up with you at certain points and things like that. And with the Continental Divide Trail it was, you almost had to break that into segments the way that you did that and like utilizing like water caches and stuff like that at times. And so that was a little bit different for you as well.

Jodie Morton (00:08:56):

Yeah, so the BNT, I did a literal start to finish point A to point B and because I had the three horses with me instead of one or two, I definitely had a lot more that I could carry. So at my first resupply wasn't until 28 days in. So I'd been out on the trail for four weeks. And even when I got to that point of resupply, I didn't need it . I still had so much food I just resupplied because that's where I'd organized to resupply and did that. But yeah it was a very, very different experience. Australia was a really good place to have multiple pack animals and it was nice because I was able to kind of like distribute the load and make it a lot lighter than I would've otherwise. Did I need three? Probably not. But was it kind of good to start out with while I was learning what I did and didn't need in terms of my gear?

Jodie Morton (00:09:48):

It was fantastic and yeah, you're right along the CDT it was very different. I, like we said before, because of the snow, I didn't have the luxury of just going point A to point B and being able to plan that way and especially once I went from two horses, so my riding horse and a pack horse down to one horse like I did the last time, I had to change up everything and do it very, very differently. But I think that's also just a couple of the things that you have to roll with when you're out on trail and you have to adapt to changing situations and circumstances. And it was a lot easier actually living it and having to do it at the time and just being like, well this is it. You don't have a choice. You have to figure it out. As opposed to having the time when you're off trail to analyze it and be like, well what if, what if, what if? Like when you're in the moment you're like, I’ve just got to do it. It's amazing what you can do when you don't have a choice.

Katy Starr (00:10:44):

I am so glad that you said that because I heard you say that in another interview and I actually wrote it down because I was like, it’s sitting right here , I was just like, I just love that you said that because it's so true. It's so true. When you're in a situation like that, sometimes you can feel like your hands are tied and like you're like I cannot do this. But your mental, right, we talk about, you know, how important it can be sometimes in any kind of situation, right? It could be with what you're doing. It could be if we're in like sports, it could be in our daily lives, it could be you know, with families. But like, you know, having your physical health is important to be able to prep you for some of that stuff. But we don't often talk about the mental aspect of it because sometimes our limitations are a result of just what we tell ourselves we can't do. And if we just break out of that like it's amazing. It's amazing what we can actually do.

Jodie Morton (00:11:35):

Oh yeah. So many of our limitations are self-imposed and I found that out more than ever when I was out on trail because I'd always told myself, well you can't do that or horses aren't capable of that. And gosh, I remember there was a couple of sections but one in particular where I was filming and I was in Colorado and I just came to this point and it was just pretty much just a rock face. It wasn't like smooth sheet rock, it was had a lot of traction to it, but I still had the video. I came up and I was like, ohhh, I just stopped the video straight away, because I was like, what are we going to do here? This isn't doable. And then I hopped off and kind of started going like navigating down it and Thelma came down that like it was easy.

Jodie Morton (00:12:23):

Like she's like no big deal. What next? And there were so many moments like that on trail being like, well I told myself that she wasn't able to do it and I was the one that had I been given the option or in an, in a situation where I'd been on a day ride and I knew that the trailer was behind me, I probably would've been like, you know what, I don't want to tackle that. Let's turn around. And then out on trail I was like, well I'm two days ride from the trailer behind me and I am two days ride to like my end point in front of me. Like I’ve got to figure out if this is possible. And yeah, she just walked through it like it was absolutely no big deal. Like she just watched her footing and was like, oh yeah, like foot here, foot here, foot here.

Jodie Morton (00:13:03):

All right cool. Now what? Having these experiences with her and like looking at what she has been capable of and just how much of an effort she has to put in to be able to do all of that, that's really reshaped what I expect from a trail horse as well. And obviously taking into account their experience. But that's one of the things about having Saké along last summer, if I was riding Thelma, I would pony Saké and so she's already had the experience of navigating through all of this terrain that we are going to eventually do under saddle. And so she's already learned that this is no big deal and Thelma will go through it like no big deal. I think that was the first, my very first ride outside of the round pen on her. We got up to a creek and she's like, I don't like that. That one I ended up helping her, like guiding her through and helping her.

Jodie Morton (00:13:49):

I got my feet wet and then I hopped back on and after that we like went through the creek backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards and it was completely fine. We've never had an issue since. But on trail there was a really, really deep ditch that we just had to get across last summer and there was water in the bottom of it and Thelm just looked at it and just kind of like popped over it like no big deal and just stood on the other side while Saké figured it out and then she popped over it. And it's just really cool to be able to give the horses that experiences and just keep it as like a, this is not a big deal type thing. And I think sometimes I was the one that was making it into a big deal where otherwise it wouldn't have been.

Katy Starr (00:14:23):

Yeah. That's so awesome. So you talked about this briefly in the last episode that we chatted, but you've done some bridleless riding in the back country, which I mean, I'll be honest, it sounds a little intimidating. So what kind of made you do that and how often do you do that?

Jodie Morton (00:14:41):

So to start with like riding bridleless was never a goal that I had. It wasn't something that I was really working towards. Like obviously as a horse person I'm always trying to get my horses like lighter and more sensitive and so that we can work on feel a little bit more than just direct aids. And that's something that I really enjoy playing around with. Like how small can we make an aid so that it's still very clear and gets a response. But I've kind of just been playing around with Thelma and then there was one day that I was riding in the Bob Marshall with friends and I was like, all right, cool. Like I'm going to, I'm going to just try this. I'm in a safe place. I have people here that are going to be able to help me if you know anything comes, comes undone.

Jodie Morton (00:15:23):

And yeah, it was great. Worked out really cool. It is not the way that I would recommend it, again I'm going to be a huge hypocrite on that. But I mean if I was doing my time again then I would definitely have a separate neck rope and then just ride her on the neck rope and then have my reins as a backup. I wouldn't immediately be like, oh let's just try this one day . But that's if I'm going to be completely honest, that's how it came about. And then I've kind of found since then that I really, really enjoy riding bridleless because it takes away my ability to take shortcuts, if that makes sense. And like I really need to be kind of a lot more in sync with my horse and I really enjoy that feeling. I think Thelma really enjoys that feeling.

Jodie Morton (00:16:08):

I know Saké really enjoys that feeling and it's been able to get me to be a lot lighter with my aids as well. And like I mentioned before, just be able to kind of ride like a little bit more off feel rather than being super direct. And I guess noisy is probably a better way of putting it. Like rather than being really loud with my cues, it allows me to kind of get a lot quieter and I think it's really improved my riding at the end of it because yeah, I don't have that backup that sometimes I might automatically go to and just be like way too strong with it. I don't know, it's kind of just become a thing.

Katy Starr (00:16:43):

I think that's really, I think that's really great. It shows that you have a really great relationship with them to be able to do that, so that's awesome. What tack and gear do you use when you are more on like kind of a daily trip and then when you go for some of those longer ones, do you have certain things? You said that the bicentennial was very much a learning process for you to learn what you probably didn't need. So you know now going through all of that, what would you say for your daily rides that are your go-tos and then for those long or extended rides are also your go-tos?

Jodie Morton (00:17:17):

For day rides, I just like to have pommel bags and a cantle bag. So just like very minimal. I'll always carry first aid stuff. So I'll always have banamine with me and I'll always have vet wrap and just the basics in that respect. Usually snacks is what goes in my pommel bags as well. I have one friend that whenever we go out we seem to have just made it a tradition that we will go and get McDonald's breakfast and get just a ridiculous amount of McMuffins and just put them in our pommel bags and just snack the entire day. , I also like to, unless I'm, you know, down in Arizona and I know that the sun is going to be out for like the next month straight, I do like to carry a, like a slicker or a rain jacket, especially in Montana because Montana you can start out and the day is going to be absolutely beautiful. 

Jodie Morton (00:18:08):

In the afternoon, you're just going to be absolutely pelted with rain and in a massive thunderstorm. Even if it's beautiful blue sky in Montana, I'll always ride with a rain jacket or slicker. And on the longer rides of course like everything is going to change because then you're not just carrying what you need for the next couple of hours, you're carrying what you need for the next couple of days. I'll have my camping gear, my tent, ground sheet, sleeping bags, sleeping mat, pillow, change of clothes, like food, camp stove, my picket. So when I was single packing Thelma, the way that I had her at night is on a picket. So I had a ground stake that went into the ground and then I used to take my bridle apart because I would ride with a bridle and a mecate. So I would completely take that apart and then use that as my picket rope.

Jodie Morton (00:18:56):

And so there's just a lot more to think about when I'm doing longer rides. Everything is very, very deliberate and everything has its space according to the way that it fits. So we do a combination of tetris and balancing, because I need everything to be balanced in terms of weight as well. And one of the things that I also do carry when I'm doing my longer trails, which I will never ever leave home without is my trail saw. So I, yeah, I had, oh gosh, there were a couple of days on trail where I was doing, I was averaging one mile an hour because there was so much deadfall that I had to cut through. 

Katy Starr (00:19:33):

That was in Montana, right? 

Jodie Morton (00:19:35):

Yes, it was. Ooh. It was a lot. The section in the Beaverhead Deer Lodge National Forest, yea that was, that hadn't been cleared by trail crews yet.

Jodie Morton (00:19:45):

And there was one day that we did 41 miles that day. It was the biggest day we ever did. I was exhausted and the last five, I think the last six miles took me five hours because there was so much deadfall and it was a huge, huge day. I'm so glad it was, that was the day I got snowed on really badly. So it was the longest day of the year, which was really handy because I got in really late and I'm so glad it was so light so late. But there was one tree that was blocking the trail and I knew it was the last tree that I had to cut through before I was able to kind of go around the next forested bit because I was watching on the maps and there was some open area to the left of the trail that I was going to do instead.

Jodie Morton (00:20:26):

And oh gosh, it was, there was a log completely over the trail. I could not get around it either way. Couldn't go above it, couldn't go below it. Like I had to cut through it. And it was one of those logs that I couldn't just cut through it once and push it. I had to cut through it twice and I was so exhausted that I was on foot because there was no point in hopping back on Thelma every time I cut through a tree because there was going to be another one. And I looked at it and I had my saw in my hand and I like just sat on the ground and stared at it for a good 10 minutes and I was too tired to cry and just, just stared at it. And both my horses were there behind me just like looking at me being like, okay, taking a break.

Jodie Morton (00:21:11):

We're cool . And oh my goodness, I was just wrecked. And I finally got through it and I was so careful because I'd almost pinched my saw. Because when you're cutting through wood, if it moves it can like pinch that blade. And I was so paranoid about making sure I didn't do that. I was like cutting a V and putting enough room for my saw to go in and then putting a large rock in that V above it so that no matter what happened, like the tree couldn't collapse in on itself. Yeah. 

Katy Starr (00:21:41):

I bet you had muscles sore that you hadn't used a while after that day.

Jodie Morton (00:21:46):

Well see that that was at the end of that section where the very first day of that section I'd been cutting through and doing like one mile an hour at the start of that too. That was a consistent deal for that entire area. From Butte all the way up to Helena. But yeah, no, I was just like deeply, deeply tired. I was so happy to get to the trailhead that night. I was so happy. .

Katy Starr (00:22:11):

Oh I bet. What do you feel like has been your most memorable trail to ride and why?

Jodie Morton (00:22:17):

Everything. Everything I've done, like the BNT was the best thing that I'd ever done. And then after the BNT, every section of the CDT that I did was then the best thing that I'd ever done. So, oh gosh. In terms of most memorable, I don't know, there's so many sections that are memorable for different reasons. There are sections that are memorable because I did something that I'd never done before and I thought wasn't possible. Or there are sections that are memorable because I was just dragging my jaw along the ground the entire time because it was so beautiful. Or there are sections that are memorable just because they was so hard and you just have the best feeling of accomplishment afterwards of physically being able to get through it. Or there are sections that are memorable that are just because you're like, that sucked so …

Katy Starr (00:23:05):

You're like, well I'm glad that's over.

Jodie Morton (00:23:07):

Yeah, there was one section in Colorado and I'd just come over a 13,000 foot peak and there was a huge storm coming in and so I'd just gotten over that and I was really, really excited to start descending because I just wanted to get down and away. You know, you like, you don't want to be on top of a mountain when you have lightning. And I'd gotten down and it was really rocky, but nothing that Thelma couldn't handle. And then I look ahead and this huge rock slide it had like completely taken out the trail. And so I had a thunderstorm behind me where I would've had to go up and over 13,000 feet again and I'm like doing that. But then in front of me, I had no trail and it was just a boulder field. And yeah, so that wasn't fun. I actually left Thelma to try and find a way through that would be safe for her. And she started jumping boulders and they were like moving around and I, no, that was not fun. That was not fun. But I mean she just in true Thelma style was like, yeah, cool. All right, what next? 

Katy Starr (00:24:07):

Like, I'm fine. I don’t know why you're so worried.

Jodie Morton (00:24:11):

I was stressed as an understatement. I was stressed and she was there being like, oh you, you almost left me behind there. Like what were you thinking about that? What are you doing , . And yeah, so that is definitely memorable because it was really stressful and I'm pretty sure I made some phone calls was like, that's not stock friendly. That section is not okay. Let's not ever do that again.

Katy Starr (00:24:34):

Just so you know, noted for next time . 

Jodie Morton (00:24:37):

Yeah. So am I ever going to do that section again? No . But it's really memorable.

Katy Starr (00:24:43):

So of all the trail rides you've done, you've done so many and you've encountered so many people. What are some experiences that you've had with those that you've met along the way that are just, you're never going to forget about them?

Jodie Morton (00:24:55):

So many. So the views in the mountains and the back country is stunning, but it is truly the people that make or break an experience. And I have just had so many instances of just strangers being so incredibly kind. I'm trying to figure out which one I am going to get into first. There's so many. So on my very, very last day of the trail, I did want to keep going. So I finished in Grand Lake, which is was really, really great because Grand Lake was really close to that ranch that I'd been working at in Colorado when I was younger. The last day that I was there, I was trying to figure out where I was going to camp for that night because the plans that I had had just fallen through. So I'd organized to stay somewhere with my horse and that accommodation was no longer available.

Jodie Morton (00:25:44):

And so , I was on my phone, I was riding, I think, it was like the last six miles and I had service, which was rare, but I was making phone calls trying to talk to campsites. And my truck and trailer was, you know, I think it was three and a half hours away or like five or six days ride back. So I didn't have the option of just trailering to a campsite somewhere at this point in time. And I ran into this couple that was on the trail and they were just chatting and they're like, hey, what are you doing? And I told them and they're like, that's really cool. And I said, I was looking for somewhere to stay and they said, well give us your number, we'll call you if we come across anything. I was like, yeah, cool. And I ended up getting a friend that was in the area, they ended up coming and getting everything sorted out and picking me up.

Jodie Morton (00:26:31):

But that couple called me later that night and was like, are you okay? Did you make everything alright? And I said, yes I did. They're like, how are you getting back to your truck and trailer? I was like, I have no idea. . And so they said, well we're going up and over that pass tomorrow, do you want to lift? And I was like, I would love a lift. Thank you. They ended up going an hour and a half in the opposite direction to where they were supposed to be going that day to make sure that they took me back. Which is like adds up to like a three hour deviation from their trip. And they stayed with me. They initially left and then they came and circled back around and I was like, oh gosh, did I forget anything? Like is there anything you need?

Jodie Morton (00:27:09):

They're like, no, we saw what we saw what truck you have. And we wanted to make sure it started before we left . I was like, thank you so much . I mean just things like that. Or when in Wyoming I ended up coming off trail in a different area than what I thought. And Isabelle is the owner of the bar that we came out at. And , I got out there, I had wasn't supposed to be there, had no idea where I was. Ended up in Jeffrey City in Wyoming, which is, you know, a bar, a pottery shop and that's pretty much it. And I think they have a post office somewhere. There was this guy coming out of the bar and I had nowhere to hitch my horses. And I was like, I don't know what to do with this. And I was just like, hey.

Jodie Morton (00:27:53):

And he's like, do you need help? And I was like, yeah, I really do. He is like “Australia!” And he's like, what do you need help with? I'm like, can you just hold my horses? And I just like put the lead ropes in his hand, walked into the bar, was like, hey, I don't know where to put my horses. Is it possible just to like throw them out the back on this grass? She's like, of course. And this was like 4:00 PM I hadn't eaten yet that day. And this guy, Dusty was his name. He came out the back, held my horses while I set up like all of the electric fence and was like, all right, toodeloo, good luck. And all I could think about was the bacon cheeseburger that I was about to have as soon as all my horses were set up and I was good and got them untacked.

Jodie Morton (00:28:26):

They were happy, they were fed water, everything. And I went back in the bar and was chatting to Isabelle, she was getting me a cheeseburger and all of a sudden like Dusty rolls back up with four of his kids because he was like, they wanted to meet you and they brought me the hugest plate of chicken fried rice. He's like, I knew that you said you were getting a cheeseburger, but the kids just wanted to make sure that you weren't hungry and we understand that you're doing this. So we brought you Tupperware as well in case you don't want to eat it tonight. So you can put it in Tupperware and then have it later. And it was just the absolute sweetest. And then that night Isabelle kicked me out. She's like, all right, so there's a there's a church down the road. They offer accommodations.

Jodie Morton (00:29:05):

Get out of here, I'm going to look after your horses. I will make sure that they're fed and watered. Go have a shower, relax, have a sleep. I don't want to see you here before this time in the morning where I'm going to make you breakfast . And so, it was just the sweetest. So between like Dusty and his kids making sure that I had enough food and her being like, go away. I'm going to look after your horses for you. Go and like rest. It was just the sweetest. So I don't know, people are so great and I think it's really easy when you kind of see things on social media or watch the evening news to just think that people are bad. But people are so good. And I think the easiest way to lose your faith in humanity is to watch the news. And the easiest way to gain it is to do a cross country trip like this because you're just bound to come across so much kindness. Not saying that there aren't bad people in the world right there, there's definitely the full spectrum, but from my experiences, like the vast majority is so, so good.

Katy Starr (00:30:01):

Yeah, that's so cool. Those interactions are just knowing when you're out there and needing somebody, they don't even know you, like at all. But they were willing to step out and help you and go out of their way. That's a, when you're rolling around in those kind of rural communities, that's what really reminds you that you're in a place where people look after one another and I really love that. So aside from obviously your big trips that you did with the Bicentennial Trail and the Continental Divide trails, how do you go about picking and finding your trails? And you know, I, you've briefly mentioned before that you kind of have like an Excel sheet that you work up for planning and logistics. But what is that process like for you and how do you pick your trails that you like to take on? 

Jodie Morton (00:30:52):

Yeah, so the Excel spreadsheet of death is really for like my long trails when I really know, need to know exactly what's happening and just like mile by mile and all of the resources because when I'm doing day rides, I mean I will always go ahead and look and see if there's going to be water on the trail and plan accordingly. I always bring water in my trailer so we've always got water for the horses before and after. But I mean depending on what we're, what rides we're doing that day, if it has a water source or not on the trail, I mean that'll change what I do. But mostly for my trail research, I know that a lot of people like to just have a quick and easy answer. But unfortunately there isn't a quick and easy answer. I will spend hours upon hours, upon hours just trolling through Google searches.

Jodie Morton (00:31:42):

I'll use, you know, apps like AllTrails or sometimes Gaia, but most of the time it's literally going to be looking up an area trying to like looking at seeing what that land is. Like if it's national parks, I'll go to the Parks website. If it's like more forestry service, I'll see what maps I can find. So a lot of it unfortunately is just a whole bunch of grunt work and putting the time in to find it. I find that apps like AllTrails are really good to see kind of like what's in the area, but they don't always have the information that you need regarding stock. So some of them might be marked as stock friendly and that's all good. But then there are some that are open to stock that are not marked as stock friendly. And then there are some that are marked as stock friendly that I've kind of gotten out to and just been like, yeah, no. So I try and do as much background research as I can possibly find and like I go into people's blogs online. There was one that I found one time that was super helpful and I have never been able to find it again. Like I had to restart my computer, lost all my tabs on my Chrome browser and I have never been able to find that blog again. And I think about it a lot . So it's…

Katy Starr (00:33:01):

They must have done a good job on that writing and …

Jodie Morton (00:33:05):

Oh yeah. And I can't even remember the name so I can't do any of those specific search terms. But yeah, a lot of it is just sitting in front of the computer like for hours on end and going through maps. In Montana I really, really like this map company called Cairn Carto. I can't, I can't say it with my accent. C-A-I-R-N, Carto, C-A-R-T-O . But it sounds very different with like the American versus Australian accent on that one. But yeah, , their maps are phenomenal. I love them. They've got the topography on there as well as like the mileage in between each stop. So I just really, really enjoy those in terms of paper maps and the National Geographic maps I use a lot as well. 

Katy Starr (00:33:51):

Awesome. I am curious because you often go out on a lot of these trails like Glacier National Park and places like that that are very remote. Have you had any kind of like wildlife encounters? How do you prepare yourself for that?

Jodie Morton (00:34:05):

Oh gosh, yes and no. I mean have we seen critters? Yeah. Have we had any like encounters that are super memorable? Not really. So I mean we've run into bears on trail, both grizz and black bear and we've run into moose. Like there was one time I was kind of moving out a little bit trying to catch up to a friend because he was hiking and I was riding and so he went across the hiker bridge and I had to go around to the stock crossing and so I was kind of like trotting out and kind of like came around the corner and there's a big bull moose there and I was like whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And kind of like pumped the brakes turned around and just, you know, like gave it more space. I scared it as well because we'd just kind of like come around a little bit of a blind corner and it kind of, it's like whew. And then it was in a creek, it just kind of like went back to eating and chilling. And then I turned back around just to just walk normally Thelma didn't care. I stopped her to just like have a look and see what was going on and she was sitting there being like, can we go already? Can we go already?

Katy Starr (00:35:04):

What are you waiting for ?

Jodie Morton (00:35:05):

She's looking at like the moose and just not caring at all. Moose has looked at me and just been like, I'm going back to eating. I'm sitting there and I am the most concerned of anyone in this situation. , Thelma is fine, moose is fine. I'm like, I don't know about this, I don't like it, I'm not going to do it. I ended up circling back and finding my way around like more of the hiking area to give the moose more space. A lot of our wildlife encounters have been like that really. There was another instance when I had Thelm. I was riding Thelma, I was ponying Saké and we just came across a black bear that was climbing a tree and Thelma saw it, looked around and we just watched her climb the tree. She was bored and just kind of was just waiting for me with like, you know, her ears were just like kind of like, you know, the half back relaxed.

Jodie Morton (00:35:50):

Like she started taking a little nap. Saké was a little bit more interested in what was happening up the tree, but she didn't do anything. She kind of like just got her head a little bit high, was watching it and just stood next to us. And then I just was watching seeing what it was doing and talking to it of course because I always talk to the bears, be like, hey bear , what's going on ? As long as they know . Well and I think one of the big things is just making sure that they know that you are there. Because when you get in trouble is when you kind of like surprise. And it was like that and yeah, it was just going up the tree doing its thing. I just moved forward with the horses and just kept walking along the trail.

Jodie Morton (00:36:30):

When we moved it kind of went in the opposite direction and then on the way back, like Thelma knows everything. So on the way back she was like looking around in the area where we saw the bear. Not in any panicked way, but she was just kind of looking in the area to see if it was there. It wasn't. And then, yeah, we just kind of like moseyed on forward and again, like we spoke about already. Saké does get a lot of her confidence from Thelma setting the example and so that's good. Saké looked in that area as well, but just kept her head low was like, all right, cool, whatever. And then kept going. What else, we did run into a, just a smaller grizzly in Glacier as well. On one of the trails we just stopped. I talked to it, I had a friend behind me as well. Thelma got impatient again and just kept wanting to move forward . And we kind of just, yeah, talked to it, waited until it went up off the trail and then just continued on. So I haven't had any of those wildlife encounters that you'd see on social media where everything's just going or

Katy Starr (00:37:30):

That you would assume could happen. Yeah, yeah.

Jodie Morton (00:37:32):

Like I haven't heard anything but things just go haywire. Yeah.

Katy Starr (00:37:36):

That's good. That's good though.

Jodie Morton (00:37:37):

Aside from that, I've been very close to wolves. So when we're coming out of the Bob Marshall, you could see that there'd been wolves coming through that trail very, very recently. Like all of those tracks were very, very fresh. And I do have one photo somewhere coming out of the Beaverhead Deer Lodge in that Butte to Helena section. And I've got Thelma's hoof next to a fresh wolf track and they're almost the same size. So it's, it's crazy. 

Katy Starr (00:38:06):

Oh I saw that picture. That was huge. Yeah, that was huge.

Jodie Morton (00:38:10):

Yeah. because Thelma doesn't have like teeny tiny, itty bitty feet. Like she's got decent sized feet and that track was yeah, pretty close to being as big as her hoof. So yeah, I know that they're out there. Haven't seen them. Heard them. Definitely heard them. Same with lions. I'm sure that we've gone past a ton of mountain lions that they've seen and I haven't seen.

Katy Starr (00:38:29):

Oh and mountain lions are so sneaky, like in so many situations they're there and you don't know it because they just stalk and yeah, it's interesting with mountain lions for sure. Thelma seems pretty chill. Is there anything that gets her like nervous or riled up or anything ever?

Jodie Morton (00:38:46):

If I feed her straight alfalfa, she turns into a, a fire breathing rocket donkey . But aside from that, yeah it's funny because some of my horses are really sensitive to that and some aren't like Avero, I can feed him alfalfa like all day, all night and absolutely zero change. Thelma just reacts to it. But other than that, I'm just trying to think about what might get her really upset. And there's not much, like I get so many comments on social media and we'll be riding and someone's like one plastic bag and you're dead. Or like one snake and you're dead. We walked over a snake in Idaho and neither Thelma or I realized it and my friend behind me was like, you just walked over a snake and like oh whoops. And same with plastic bags. I think I have had so many plastic bags around them, both of my horses run towards them because they think that they're treats.

Katy Starr (00:39:37):

Yeah. Well and every horse is different though too. Like I think it's interesting that, I mean social media, right? So people are quick to make assumptions about things, but like as much experience that you have had on the trail and as much experience that Thelma has done that with you. Like at some point it just becomes something that is just part of who you guys are and what you do and it's just a very normal part of that.

Jodie Morton (00:40:02):

Yeah. And I'm trying to think about any time where she's had a serious like moment and I can only think of one time where she did spook and that was when we were riding along and we were just walking, but it was relatively fast and I just, I didn't see it. She didn't see it. None of us saw it but there was just a huge bird on the side of the trail. Wasn't like an eagle or raptor or anything. I want to say it was something like kind of vulture like, but it was really big and it was just sitting on the side of the trail. It must've been like getting into something and out of nowhere it just took off. And so this huge thing just like rose up from the ground kind of like just to our left. And she saw that, I saw that and both of us were like whoop.

Jodie Morton (00:40:48):

And she kind of just spun around and took like one step and then just stopped. And that's been the extent of it. That's all I can think of right now. The only other thing that she does that I love and don't love at the same time is when we're on long trails and she knows. So she knows the faster we get to camp then the more time she has to rest, like the day is done. And so when we're on the continental divide towards the end of it and in the Colorado section, oh my gosh, she would get so hot in the mornings that sometimes she would be so ready to go, that I would have to do groundwork in the morning just to get her to stand still so I can get off and oh get on, sorry.

Katy Starr (00:41:27):

Really?

Jodie Morton (00:41:28):

Yeah. And I had talked about how I'd planned out all of my campsites to a T on that Excel spreadsheet of death. I'd been like, this is a campsite option, this is a campsite option and this is a campsite option. All of that went out the window because by the time we were in Colorado and she was really getting into it, I just had to look at my elevation gains and be like, okay, when are we going to have a really significant gain next? And I would camp at the bottom of that because in the morning she was so fiery that she would just have to go and we got up there so fast like there were some days where I just kind of like let her lope it out. And even by the end of the day she was still like going, I was trying so hard to like kind of bring her back a little bit and yeah, she just gets super, super into it when we're out on trail to the point where sometimes I would like her to just like, you know, relax a little bit, just chill and she is on a mission .

Katy Starr (00:42:24):

That's a good strategy though, the way that you plan that out with camps and stuff like that. That's very, very good. Just shows like really getting to understand and learn and know your horse. That's so good.

Jodie Morton (00:42:33):

It was also out of necessity,

Katy Starr (00:42:37):

Going to have to do this. Yeah. Okay. We're going to switch gears just a little bit here. But who would you say in your life has been your greatest inspiration?

Jodie Morton (00:42:48):

That is such a good question and also such a difficult question . Because I just, there's so many people that have had such a huge impact on my life and the way that I do things. And like there are people that I know and people that I don't know as well. For example, obviously like my grandpa had a huge impact on my life. He was the one that first took me for my riding lessons and he supported everything to do with horses. And so he was huge. He's also like one of the coolest people that I've ever met. Like he was an aerobatics pilot as his hobby and a doctor and was just yeah, absolutely incredible. And he was the one that introduced me to Sir David Attenborough. And I would always watch like wildlife documentaries when I went to, when I went and visited as a kid.

Jodie Morton (00:43:38):

And then obviously Sir David Attenborough is just the passion. Talking about like animals and wildlife was really what fueled my passion. And then going into passion, you literally cannot talk about being passionate about your cause without talking about Steve Irwin. That might be like really cliche coming from an Australian being like Steve Irwin is one of my all time idols. But truly just the passion that he had, it just like was all of him. Like it radiated from him whenever he talked about like anything. And so I think if I could one day get back, because that's kind of, I was never at his level, but that's how I felt when I was first started Green, Gold and Blues. I was just so excited to share everything and I was so passionate about my cause and then kind of like we talked about earlier, that got stripped back a little bit with everything that I went through and I'm just kind of starting to find it again.

Jodie Morton (00:44:33):

And it's finding yourself again after losing yourself is just one of the best feelings ever. I can't really describe it, but coming back to that and being able to talk again and finding my words because I lost my voice. I wanted so badly to talk about mental health for those years. And it's like the words were gone and they could not come and the desire to speak about it was there. I just could not put it into English. Even just watching some of his videos now, like even nowadays and seeing just the way he sees the world in that lens, it's really inspiring as well. I mean I have so many friends that are inspirations as well. I mean obviously Gillian who has ridden the PCT and the CDT with her horses, she is one of my best friends as well. That is always just constantly a source of inspiration.

Jodie Morton (00:45:21):

And there were so many times on trail where I was thinking I can't do this. Like I don't know if this is physically possible for me to do. And then in the back of my mind I'm like, Gillian's done it. It's possible. Anything's possible. She's been here, she's done that. And so she is also one of my really, really big inspirations. But I have a laundry list of people that have like shaped me as a person and horses like we've spoken about too. I would definitely have to include a number of horses on that list too. But it's going to get too long. Otherwise I'll be here for the rest of the day.

Katy Starr (00:45:52):

. I love that though. I love that you've had so many people that have made such an impact on your life. That's such a good problem to have. It's not a problem. It's great. It's so great.

Jodie Morton (00:46:02):

I need to write them all down one day and give them the proper credit. Just everyone. It's going to be a book in itself.

Katy Starr (00:46:08):

. What is the most important thing that horses have taught you in your life so far?

Jodie Morton (00:46:14):

I think this is such a hard one to explain and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it justice or not, but what horses have taught me that I think is the most important is feel. So being able to do something without directly doing it and just getting everything like so small and so subtle. It's just the coolest feeling when you can almost just think and then be so in tune with someone that they respond. But also I think horses have really called me out a number of times on who I am and where I'm at. And like we spoke about with Saké, once I finally kind of like leaned in and just trusted her and was like, let's just go with it. Her giving that back so much has changed so many things because horses will call you out. Like you can tell yourself that you're doing something or feeling a certain way and they don't care what you say.

Jodie Morton (00:47:11):

They're just going to react to what you're bringing to the table. And that point in time and yet they . They have humbled me and made me more honest about myself more times than I can count. I'll come in, I'll be like, I'm fine, everything's fine. We are going to do this. They'll be like, are you sure? Or to the like on the opposite side of things, I told myself so many times with Saké that I can't do it. Like I cannot do it. I can't. And then just started riding and she was like, we are good. Everything's good. And I still remember that moment of just like letting down and just having, I was holding all of this tension. There was one ride where I'd gotten back on and one of the friends that I was riding with, I was so stressed because I was carrying all of that past what I'd been told in the past.

Jodie Morton (00:48:00):

I was holding onto all of that negativity that had been thrown my way. And the person that I was with, literally as we were riding, made me do breathing exercises. Like that's how tight I was and how scared I was. She wasn't doing anything. She was like maybe just getting a little fast because she was excited to get out. But he made me do breathing exercises and I ended up just turning around a little bit later in that ride and just opening her up. First time ever doing it confidently. And I still remember that moment of just get, letting all of that tension go and just finally relaxing. And she showed me exactly what type of horse she could be once I did that. She was chill. I was chill. And I think, I know it's again a little bit of a cliche, but horses are such a mirror to who you are. 

Katy Starr (00:48:53):

Yeah. I'm really glad that you shared that story because it was one I actually kind of wanted to ask you about because I remember that when you shared that moment about the first time, just feeling like basically very free with Saké. And so it was very, it was a very impactful on me when you shared it. And so I'm glad that you were able to get to that moment with her. It was probably a very much a turning point for you and your relationship with her, I'm sure. 

Jodie Morton (00:49:18):

Oh, huge! Because yeah, I was, I was hanging on to so much of what I had been told in the past about me, my horsemanship and what I should be should and shouldn't be doing with her. So I'd been told, like we said, like every time you touch her you make her worse. Like you should just sell her like you're going to ruin her. You've already ruined her. And I was just hanging onto that so hard that I was implementing everything that somebody externally had said and I was hanging onto that and putting so much of that into our relationship that I wasn't listening to her and what she was telling me and oh, she was telling me, it was like, I just want to go and do cool things and party. Like I'm here. I'm not doing anything naughty. Like I just want to go. And I wasn't listening to her.

Jodie Morton (00:50:01):

I was listening to him. That was huge. And that post, gosh, I think I wrote that more eloquently than I'll ever be able to speak about it . But that post got such a huge response for other people that have been in the same situation that had been told from external people or influences how they should or shouldn't be doing things or how they shouldn't even be in the industry. And so many people kind of reached out and was like, thank you for that. Because I felt that way as well. I've been told that I'm not enough and I've since gone on to do A, B and C or because of this, I'm now going to try harder and try again. And so I think that was one of the scariest posts I put out. I looked at that till 1, 2, 3 o'clock in the morning and I edited it again and again.

Jodie Morton (00:50:52):

And I almost deleted the entire thing a couple of times. Because I mean, telling people that you're scared, especially when you've done something like ride the Continental Divide, with another horse to turn around and be like, hey, I have this horse that's never done anything to me, but I'm absolutely terrified to do anything with her or get on her. Like that was really intimidating to put out there and just say that I'm really, really uncomfortable. Because what you want to do when you have so many people that look at what you've done is you want to be like, everything's great, everything's fine. I never have any issues because that's like my ego talking. That's what I want to tell people is going on. But I can't, you can't lie. And being honest I think helps more people than lying about it does. Well not even think, I know being honest with what's going on with you when you do have your own issues and shortcomings is going to be so much more valuable to people because it's not realistic to see someone just go from strength to strength to strength to strength. It's like people struggle. And I think it's really important to acknowledge when you're doing that as well, even if it's uncomfortable and embarrassing but so worth it. 

Katy Starr (00:52:04):

Oh yeah. Well, and success does not exist without struggle. Without failure. Like it, it does not exist. And I think people who maybe kind of have things handed to them in a way where that doesn't exist, that in the long run they're probably going to end up kind of just falling out just because the struggles is what, that's what makes you stronger. That's what makes you grow. So there's a lot to that.

Jodie Morton (00:52:27):

Yeah. And the way that I kind of talked myself through that as well was not good. because I knew that I was holding onto things that I shouldn't be and I just mentally could not get past that block. It took me a long time to physically take that next step. I knew what I was doing. I knew I was holding myself back and it wasn't fair on like my horse either. And it took me such a long time to finally get back in the saddle. But it, I think I also needed that time to kind of separate myself from that past that was holding me back. And it would've been so much easier to just be like, I'm just getting on the horse. And if you're from the outside, like that emotional side doesn't exist because you're not holding onto that baggage. But for me, I knew that I was holding myself back.

Jodie Morton (00:53:14):

I knew I was holding my horse back and I just could not physically take that step until I was ready. Which again came almost gosh July. It was the end of July when that happened. And I had left that situation at the start of August the previous year. So it was almost an entire year before I started to feel like I had the potential to work with horses again. Which is kind of crazy. But it took a long time. But everything works out. And like you said, the struggles like made it even better. So when we did start riding again, and I think my third ride back on her was when as we ended up going bridleless out in like the Bob Marshall or like Lolo National Forest, I will forever remember that day. Everything just seemed like it was in sync and it had finally fallen into place.

Katy Starr (00:53:57):

That's so awesome. What's on your bucket list for trails?

Jodie Morton (00:54:01):

Gosh, I have so many. I actually had a really big list of trails that I wanted to do last summer when I was living out of my trailer and traveling around and the combination of working full-time, because I was living in my horse trailer and I still had my full-time job. So I had like, you know, a generator and I had starlink and as long as I had power and pretty much I had internet so I could work for my trailer. But I did end up getting stuck in like my home state of Montana for a fair while because I ended up staying with friends. I came in and I was like, I'm going to stay here for three days. And then pretty much two months later I was like, I should probably keep doing some stuff like, and exploring. But we were just having way too much fun.

Jodie Morton (00:54:40):

But I have a number of places on my list that I didn't get to go to last year. So the North Cascades in Washington is right up on the very top of my list. Idaho, like the Sawtooths, Nez Perce, Frank Church Wilderness, all of that country just is something that I am so impatient to get into. And I don't know if this is the year, it might be, it might not be, but that type of country is something that I cannot wait to explore. Same as Oregon. I actually haven't been to Oregon yet. I have been to every state on the west of the Continental Divide except for Oregon. And so I would very much like to get in there. And of course the Sierras in California. I really want to be able to go and do the John Muir Trail and sections of the Pacific Crest Trail, especially after talking to Gillian. All of these on my bucket list as well as there are a couple of places in Canada that I would love to get in and explore as well. I have friends up in Canada and they've just shown me some phenomenal country. So all over North America, there's so many. 

Katy Starr (00:55:47):

There's so much yet to be explored even though you've done so much.

Jodie Morton (00:55:51):

Gosh, I feel like I've barely touched the surface as well, which is the crazy thing. And I also did have plans to get into New Mexico. I had a trip planned at the end of last year and then it kind of fell through at the last minute. So definitely getting into New Mexico as well is on the list. Just everywhere. Just everywhere in the west really.

Katy Starr (00:56:11):

Right. Well, and the West provides so many ample opportunities too with all the public land and, and everything. What are some of your favorite Standlee products that you use and how do you use them?

Jodie Morton (00:56:25):

Well, it's It's really funny when you like did reach out to me because I was like, hey, I use that. I use that anyway. And I know that that wasn't the initial intent because we kind of wanted to get out and share the story. But I actually use Standlee a lot, especially when I need to go and cross like state lines and get into, you know, like national parks where I need to have certified feeds. And so I actually use the certified pellets a lot because I just know that that's something that's going to be okay within those restricted areas. And I also use the compressed bales a lot, especially when I need to save on space because like when I am traveling around, even if it's just like within a certain area, gosh, it's just so much easier to move one of the really teeny tiny bales and know that I've got the same amount of hay than it is to, you know, get one of the really bigger ones that take up more space as well. Yeah. Especially having, like, knowing that I can prove that it's certified is just so valuable for me because it takes out so much worry. And then also I just know that I'm not going to have like weeds in there and I just know what I know what I have in my trailer, so that's, it's more like a peace of mind a lot of the time as well.

Katy Starr (00:57:38):

I love that. When I found out that you use Standlee, that was kind of like just the little cherry on top . So , it's, that's awesome. And I'm so glad that we can be there for you in all of you, you know, your journeys and travels and the trips that you make, so that's awesome. 

Jodie Morton (00:57:54):

Yeah. Surprise! You didn't even know that when you reached out.

Katy Starr (00:57:58):

. I love it when that happens. What advice would you give to any of our listeners who would like to start, you know, trail riding like you do? I think people that are interested in doing, you know, trail riding, they might do like a day trip or something like that, but let's say they wanted to do more of an extended one like you have done in the past. What advice would you give to them to kind of help encourage them and give them the confidence to go out and do what you've done?

Jodie Morton (00:58:25):

There's so many different aspects to this. So in terms of the horses and getting your horses ready, if you're planning on going solo, then I think, you know, it goes without saying that. Just make sure that your horse is comfortable riding out alone and practice and get all of the skills necessary that you would need really, really dialed in at home. So if you're going to be using, you know, electric fence for a containment method when you're out there, then set it up at home because if they happen to get out or something goes wrong, you don't set it up properly. It's a lot nicer trying to figure that out at home than it is in the back country. Same with highlining. If you're going to be highlining your horses, get them comfortable with it at home. So then if anything goes wrong, you are already there. You have all of the resources you need, you're contained for one. And so prepare your horses if you want to hobble train them, do it at home, .

Katy Starr (00:59:19):

Right.

Jodie Morton (00:59:21):

And then practice at home or somewhere really local. So if you're going to be setting up your camp, like you're going to do this so many times if you're doing overnight trips or extended trips and you're going to get to the point where everything that you have has an exact place that it needs to be. And because that's not only going to be making sure that you have the right gear, it's going to be making sure that you have the right gear in the right place. Because not only is this going to be really important for balancing your loads and making sure that everything is evenly weighted, but if you need something in a pinch, you need to know exactly where that thing is at that point in time. And it's always got to be there in that place. And so if you get used to setting up and breaking down camp somewhere closer to home, then you're going to “A”, realize what you need and what you don't need. And you're also just going to be able to get into that routine of putting everything exactly where it is. Everything's going to kind of be familiar when you're out there because there's so many unknowns when you're out on trail that you don't want to add your own camping set up to that list of unknowns. 

Katy Starr (01:00:28):

Right. Okay. And how can our listeners stay connected with you after this episode?

Jodie Morton (01:00:35):

So I mostly hang out on Instagram and so that's going to be Green, Gold and Blues. So color green color gold and then, and “a” “n” “d” Blues with an S. And then I also have a TikTok account, but I update that more sporadically. Instagram is really where I spend a lot more of my time and I get a lot more in depth and personal.

Katy Starr (01:01:02):

Excellent. Well, and we'll be sure to link your page in the show notes, so if anybody wants to catch up with you and see you and what you're doing and on your journey and maybe they want to be a part of the whole mental health kind of advocacy aspect of it, that that'd be a great place to be able to connect with you on. So for our listeners, we thank you so much for being with us on this episode. It's been so fun to talk to you, Jodie, and sharing all of your fun experiences, what you've been doing, why you've been doing it, and giving us some moments to be able to live a little bit vicariously through you and your adventurous soul, which has been so much fun. So thank you for sharing that with everybody and taking us along with you. Thanks for being here today.

Jodie Morton (01:01:48):

Oh gosh, thank you so much for having me. It's been the best conversation.

Katy Starr (01:01:55):

Thanks for listening to the Beyond the Barn podcast by Standlee Forage. We'd love for you to share our podcast with your favorite people and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite listening platform. Until next time, keep your cinch tight and don't forget to turn off the water.