Well, I made the plunge and picked up two experienced mountain horses. One is a 11 yr old saddlebred and the other is a 6 yr old quarter horse cross. They are both geldings with good dispositions, and stand about 15-1, 15-2 hands. The saddlebred is the better of the two, so I'll probably use the QH X to pack with. He is the "follower" anyway. They came as a package with tack for riding included, so now I just need to pick up a sawbuck, boxes, and rigging.