As far as antivenom goes, doctors don't use it
unless they feel that the patient's life is in danger (the bite was on the face
or the patient is allergic) because it often causes worse symptoms than the bite
itself, often anaphylaxis. Not to mention that hospitals often only have one
dose on hand. It is needed so infrequently that it expires before it gets
used.
As far as bites that don't cause problems, only 1
in 4 bites injects venom. Several factors come into play here. If the snake was
planning ahead to bite you (ie mistook your foot for something yummy) there
will be venom. If the snake is younger there will be venom because he doesn't
know that he can't eat you so he tries to kill you. An old snake knows that you
are too big to eat, so he just wants to scare you off. If the snake just
finished hunting and injected several small animals, there may not be venom left
to inject you or your horse.
Now for some interesting statistics: and sorry
folks, I don't remember the source, only that it was in a lecture by a very
knowledgeable physician that collects this type of data.
Most poisonous snakebites:
-occur in men
-occur with alcohol involved
-are not the first bite for the person
-occur in the south
I will not comment on the above for fear of
offending some southern, beer-drinking gentleman that has been bitten more than
once.
Ride safely, and remember that the odds are on your
side.
I got bitten by a copperhead once, with just a
tiny open area on the ankle. Didn't even get sick. And no, I did not shock
myself.
