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It also pays to have practiced riding bare back. If you have to run, you may not have time to saddle up and will be fortunate enough to grab your rig. It’s like riding at a trot without posting. You will sit full on the back where the saddle would be, back straight up, allowing the body to become one with the horse’s up and down motion. Moving to the canter or full gallop is easier. Your body must be fluid with the horse. Running away, then collecting yourself, and returning on foot to take back gear might work and might save your animal. An undefendable situation requires retreat, even if you have to leave gear behind.

You might think that, if you have a gun, none of those things matter. First, let me say that we have a duty to preserve God’s creation. In most cases that includes all the people you come in contact with. We should not be planning the demise of others, even if attacked; we should make the greatest effort to do no harm, but some people need to be stopped. We often must forgive them for they know not what they do, especially if they don’t know where we live.

Now, as is made clear by Christ, is not the time to turn the other cheek, but most bad outcomes can be avoided, and you don’t want to give up your animals or gear. Most people will probably be unarmed and don’t know how to properly use arms, so being capable of evading and throwing off attackers can often serve you best. If the wrong people take control, then hunting silently will be an essential skill to learn.

If you want to use a rifle or shotgun, you need hands free. Teach your horse how to respond to your legs and head only. Even if you attack another mounted opponent with sword ax or pole, you need hands free control. Remember to make your body big at the right moment to scare your opponent’s mount. (You do this with arms out and chest big, trying to psychically puff yourself up. Animals sense this and shy away.) If he can’t control his mount, he can’t actuate any weapons delivery system against an attacker. Keep your legs soft and steady. Slight signals from your legs and controlled turning of your head to desired directions is enough to let your horse know what needs to be done.

If you are in a situation where you have to take on the role of mounted infantry then you need your choice of 308 battle rifle. I am sold on H&K. I am used to them and know them well, so the HK91 is the choice there. If I had my druthers, I’d have the G3/MP5/shotgun combo. Again, weight and room for gear is always a factor. I advise against full auto in most circumstances, especially on horse. It wastes ammo, using precious storage space, and is usually not effective. The basic idea is using HK91 for long distance, HK 94 for 50 yards out to 10 yards, and a shotgun if you are overrun. Bird shot is great as a deterrent in many situations as well. For 25 feet and in closer, use double aught and then whatever. I don’t go in for bayonet, but I have trained with it. It feels too out of control. If it comes hand to hand or if you can get at them fast enough, carry double knives with the longer blade in your dominant hand.

I am fortunately ambidextrous, so I keep the 91 in the left scabbard, shotgun in the right, and 94 in what is essentially my lap. I shoot rifle left handed, pistol right, and shotgun with both. For archery, I use composite bows. (I have a beautiful Cossack style 85lb bow made by a Japanese Boyer) and can shoot right and left handed. I have to keep my arm up by practicing two or three times a week, shooting 100 to 200 arrows each session, as it’s somewhat of a perishable skill.) I have not tried this weapon combo on a long distance run, but I have no problem with a full day of archery.

One scabbard and a concealed pistol used to be acceptable. In today’s politically correct world, it’s better to do all this on your or a friend’s property, hidden from plain view. Fortunately, I am by a hunting club with a large tract of land that I have full access to. I have direct access from my property to the club, so I can go out for a day or more all geared up. Still, you don’t know how it will go, until you are out there doing it. Do a little bit less than you think you can handle. Don’t flaunt what you’ve got.

Let’s talk more about gear.

If I don’t know where I’m going to end up, I carry:

• a 5-gallon collapsible water bag with spigot, BPA free. It’s not wise to travel with horse without a good idea of where to find water.
• a halter and lead. These are important.
• hobbles that are comfortable to your horse.
• collapsible water bucket.
• a horse blanket. If you are out for a week, your horse’s coat is not too long, and the temperature is not too cold, you might be able to get away without this. However, if the coat doesn’t dry out by nightfall, you will probably need this.
• a half to one pound of grain per day for horse. Oats are a great food source; you can make a mash in the watering bucket. By weight, they go a long way. You have to experiment with your horse to see how he’ll respond to grain for a week, with strong daily exercise for the week. Watch their weight and temperament. Are they alert on day six? Most horse people can figure this out for themselves.
• a sleeping pad. I just use this blue dense foam I used to get at Lowes or Home Depot. It’s only 3/8 or 1/2-inch thick. Wrap that around your choice of sleeping bag or blanket when packing. They sell expensive pads that radiate back your body heat that you might like better.

In addition to this, I have a box of natural fiber saddle pads from India. These are inexpensive, useful, and wear well. I put two under the saddle for long distance and can position one further back if I have to put gear behind the saddle.

Here is more on the bull fighting saddle:

I put Fritz in front of me, pretty much on my lap. The saddle has a raised bar, I guess you would call it. This bar is padded and covered in stitched leather, which works well. He just settles in and finds his position. I have to keep him on normal terrain. Hills are okay to have in the saddle too, but when going up a mountain with steep grades there’s no room for him and the ride is too choppy. I’ve never even thought about a jump with him in the saddle, but I have practiced pistol going over jumps.

For pistol shooting, I just take all weight off the horse’s back with one hand in control of the reigns, allowing his neck full freedom. My finger remains outside the trigger guard until firing and right back out after shot. The weapon always points away from the horse. Start with a paint ball gun. Then graduate to the pistol of your choice, aiming and dry firing. Next, practice with small caliber and work your way up to what you are comfortable with. I wouldn’t recommend it for most. I just wanted to learn to do so in case I get trapped in that situation. Collect the reins when on the ground as soon as can be, gun up and facing away from horse and rider. It’s not the safest thing you could do, but I have never had an incident. This is a try at your own risk activity and probably not for most, so beware, or caveat emptor. If you can’t be responsible for your own actions, don’t act.

Figure Out How Much Weight Your Horse Can Handle

If things head south, and you think you might have to use your horse under stress at some point in the near future, keep his weight right and work his chest. A firm horse is one you can rely upon. Using a soft horse for a strenuous endeavor is not fair to the horse and is a safety hazard to you. Every horse is different. A horse with bad conformation (bone structure) can’t have much expected of him; a swayback isn’t a long distance choice. You have to have a good idea of how they function/feel best. Most preferable is a horse who can’t wait to go for a ride.

Once you’ve developed an honest assessment of what you and your horse are capable of, it’s time to figure out how much weight the horse can handle. A day trip away from home and a day back should enable you to figure out what is fair for your horse. Obviously, you should already know your horse. If you are not truly in touch with what your animal can do, don’t assume anything. Man, know thy horse! You can build most average horses into the shape for many tasks, but this may require the time to get him there. Having an idea of what you’d like to expect from your horse is probably a good idea before asking it of him.

I guess it should be mentioned that you need to know yourself as well. How does your back hold up and your legs on long rides? Potassium prevents a charley horse. Know what sustenance you need to ride. How little can you get by on, in terms of food and water? It’s better to keep everything simple. Would you be able to forage? How do you feel if water intake is somewhat restricted, or do you know where to find water all along the way? Once in the high desert between Santa Barbara and Santa Inez, it got unexpectedly hot. Fritz and Cloud got most of the water. I had to wait.

Define the mission. Do you expect resistance? Do you need to hide from road blocks? How hard up for food would most of the people be along your route? If you are traveling in a group, have you formed a rally point plan, as in, if attacked and split up we meet up one mile back on the north side of the trail or road 200 feet in from the road/trail. Your emergency rendezvous point could be closer. You must determine what you are up against.

That leads us to weapons. If things aren’t too bad and you know your route, probably your choice of handgun will probably be enough. If things have led to looting, I would want something like an HK 94 on my front. (I’d use a 3 point sling carried in the lap/ab/chest area depending upon what is comfortable to access with a collapsible stock, though you might shoot better with a 2 point sling or something of your own invention. Use whatever works for easy access and comfortable carry. A one point sling will allow you to completely detach your weapon. Know what works for you. In addition to the HK 94, I’d also want a pistol on my side.

I am an iron sites type. Use whatever you like, but make sure you know how your gear performs in the elements. If it pours, you ride. In snow, (there’s no greater peace than riding while it’s snowing) you might get tricked and think your electronics will be fine. After eight hours in the saddle, who can say. A long arm that’s not too long and easy to access can provide quick suppression fire so you can dismount and find cover; this is an essential, in my opinion. A pistol may be good for this, depending on your skill, but I would not bank on that.

I don’t know how my horse will act if fired upon. Around the noise, he’s fine. He feels my mood; I don’t know how he’ll act when I’m hugging the ground trying to pick targets while finding cover. How he will choose to act is difficult to determine. I would hope he’d run from the gunfire and stop a fairly reasonable distance away. I can’t tell until it happens, and it’s hard to drill. I would hope to push him in the right direction before sending him off and dropping to the ground. I can’t say how we’ll react in such a situation.

Fritzy gets keen and one pointed, zeroing in on the attacker. He knows how to crawl until ready to attack, but practice is not the same as reality. So who knows. Training must always be fun. When someone acts badly, a bark, low growl, and then concentrated stare is his response so far. You can’t know how any animal will act when it happens, even the two-legged kind. Fritz is level headed enough to wait for a command before acting, which is fine for the real world. I don’t know how he’ll be if he has to decide on his own. I hope we never get to that place.

If people are starving, they get dangerous, even irrational. They may become amoral. Others live by the rule of God. Clearly Genesis states to make your meat of the fruit of trees and herbs, yet man found the excuse to eat all sorts of things. Daniel would rather die than eat pork. Now an Imam has stated that holy warriors can eat the flesh of their enemies if food runs out on the battlefield. I don’t think so. Who knows what people will do depending upon the circumstances. Some will be more easily corrupted. Who knows what the imam of Milwaukee, Detroit, or Minnesota is telling his people is allowed by a fatwa. I just don’t know, but it doesn’t sound too Halal/Kosher/righteous to me.

The righteous, conscience-oriented people are not who we have to worry about under most circumstances. The fanatic who does not follow the 12 commandments is a greater threat than you might imagine, even if they swear religious commitment to God and His law. The law will just not change at our convenience. Let us hope our mettle is not tested. Atheists claim humanism as their saving grace and morality; look at China.

What is all too clear, is that it is better to bug in, to hunker down, and not leave the security of your homestead or castle. However, who knows what life will throw at you. You may be forced out of your safe domicile to rescue others, to put an end to evil, or to preserve and protect the Constitution. Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition.

If things go amoral, then I would want a 12 gauge in a scabbard on the side of my saddle, in addition to all else I have. You will need a rig (vest, MOLLE set up for mags and ammo that you are comfortable with). I recommend a Portuguese bull fighting saddle. It is the best all-around battle saddle. The European-made ones are better than the Brazilian ones. It locks you in for repeated shotgun use, enabling you to keep a firm seat and control of your horse.

You can hunt boar with lance easily. For lance, cup your palm under the lance, resting the lance on the forearm, above and outside the elbow. When you strike your target, your arm falls to your side. The lance is away from the arm, stuck in the target. Practice on hay bales first, then a round archery target, and finally on target animal forms. The lance should be 10′ or longer, and can be an 8 footer. If you have to hunt silently, the saddle lends to proficient lance use and gives perfect form for archery with a quiver on your side. The lance is also a combat weapon. (See youtube: Victorian cavalry drill, and “tent pegging” at Fort Rinella from Lindybeige).

I used to be able to take 12 good shots a minute at a full gallop, though I haven’t paid attention to what my time is lately. With a quiver on both sides of my waist, I can shoot targets on both sides, ahead or behind, thoughtlessly with precision. I use thumb rings on both thumbs. I don’t wear the Grecian form. Believe it or not, they are made of sterling silver, replicas of one found on an English renaissance era shipwreck; proving that most modern archery is tainted by ignorant presumptions of Victorian era pretenders to the art, who were in all fairness trying to piece together a forgotten art. (There are plenty of archers better than me who do just fine shooting Grecian style, to be fair.) I have even seen the gravestone of a Roman horse archer depicted using a thumb ring.

I shoot from the chest, don’t aim or at least even spare a thought about aiming. You can only carry one lance, so the arrow helps finish off the target, if need be. I generally practice on targets up to 50 yards distance. (There isn’t a good youtube video on horse archery, but you can get a poor idea of what it is by watching the ones listed.)

With the bull fighters saddle, your leg contact with the horse is full for complete control of the animal. He knows what you want, with the slightest of signaling. It locks you in for jousting, and keeps you solid if someone tries to pull you out of the saddle. You must be able to control your horse without your hands, if you hope to survive. (Remember, keep heels down!)

The ankle comes up a bit as the knee goes down a bit allowing for light pressure from the knee. I sit straight when I want him to sidestep to the left, using the pressure of my entire right leg to move him to the left (kind of a light full leg squeeze with the leg bent at the knee) and my foot gently tapping in the direction I want to go. My head turns to the left with this command when I want him to turn left, with my hips creating forward motion, and lightly kneeing him to the left, while using my shin, foot, and ankle to bend him into a good shape for the left turn, all while shooting arrows. These prompts should be so subtle that most people on the ground will not notice them. That keeps you friendly with your horse. Trust between you and your animal must be effortless.

The same applies to long gun, or if you want to shoot pistol two handed. Learn and practice the techniques of control with legs and body signals other than the hands. People rely too much on their hands and reins these days. Develop a system of signals with your horse. Dressage was designed for the horse soldier, but most have not been exposed to the method. You can develop you own technique and commands. Most important is what works consistently. Find the point where the ride is smooth before you fire. At this point, I don’t even think about it.