Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Weeellll, Honey sure fits that profile. :0) BUUUUt, now I know why she 
freaks (and Rascal spins when brances fall  on the trail ), when things fly 
through the air above them . I was out a couple evenings ago feeding and 
blanketing late after Wed. night church and dinner. I'd checked the radar to 
see if rain was coming as there had been some drops on my windsheild on the 
way home, I notice a slight green bank around Rome  and Ala. heading this 
way. I thought , ok, maybe waterproof sheets, but I got an hour or so.. Now 
I have to take my flourescent lantern out to do this . Our floodlight lights 
the way to the barn, but there is no power to it. So I get outside and 
notice a wind kicking up, "funny there wasn't and wind . .good thing I 
decided to not wimp out and stay inside." Got to barn, Called "Dinner " and 
everyone comes trotting in. I open the 3 stall doors and Champ eats under 
the shed roof as his stall is being rehabbed.I close the doors dump the 
beetpulp and feed and start to blanket Champ first. I notice wind getting 
stronger. He chows down and could care less. I see the trees across the road 
whipping sideways, I hear a roaring sound<"what the heck. . . " I hear small 
branches coming down on the barn roof, I hear branches cracking as dead tree 
limbs and trees start to fall.I head to Scouts stall, hoping to get his 
blanket on before he is done with his beet pulp. He is pretty steady guy for 
a 2 year old. I get in stall, but can't lock it from inside ,but it binds so 
the door can be closed from inside and is usually tight unless one os us 
gives it a good push.I toss his blanket over him and move to start puttting 
the syrcingles on , when the door is torn open by the wind, Scout spooks 
goes flying out of the stall with the blanket undone on him, it falls off 
right outside the door. Honey and Rascal are on the other stalls pushing at 
the doors sayiing "let us outtta here!!" Scout is over by their stalls 
standing against the barn, wanting to get in with them (Champ goes on with 
his eating). I go  and try to coax him back, he goes over by Champs shed, 
but won't go in stall. Wind is roaring, trees on 3 sides of their paddock 
and our little woods are whipping as only southern pines can.I finally take 
his feed bucket and take it to his nose , then he follows me to his stall, I 
try again with blanket. Luckily Scout is very trusting. He has no problelm 
this time with me blanketing him .I get it down fast and go to Rascal and 
Honeys stall. I squeeze in making them back.Rascal was ready to leave, but 
he was ok, just very alert and antsy. Honey did back , as I asked her, but 
every fiber was taunt. I veeerrry slowly with lots of calm words managed to 
get her blanket on.Wind died down. My son said he heard it inside. We looked 
up the radar, the front I saw was 60-70 miles away , had passed us while I 
was outside.He said that may have been a tornado in the air or a downburst. 
I know the winds were at least 40-60 mph.
 But now I know why they freak at falling stuff on them! They are 
surrounded by 40-60 foot  pines on 3 sides. We have a small wooded section 
they can get into. I have seen branches in their paths and even had some 
fall near me one day. Now it all makes sense. These horses live with 
'falliing tree monsters' no wonder they 'scoot' when something falls our of 
the sky on near their backs(like sideways saddles) .  Fast reflexes are a 
survivial skill in their  lives.:0) So they aren't idiots, they are 
survivialists.   Laurie


> From: rides2far@xxxxxxxx
> To: SteelSideDown@xxxxxxx
> CC: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [RC]   Mace
> Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 11:27:56 -0500
>
>
> > While riding, I carry pepper/OC spray.  You can purchase it from the
> > local > Walmart, the stronger version from a police supply store.  It
> works
> > on people,  dogs, bears, basically any offensive creature with eyes.
>
> I used to carry a little can of that. One day there was a yellowjacket
> next in the trail and I tried it on them. Boy were they ticked off.
> Didn't seem to faze them  much. The bad thing about it was I expected it
> to shoot out in more of a stream. Instead it spread out into a very wide
> fine mist...making it very easy to drift back on me, my hands, etc. Every
> time I touched my face it stung. I doubt it went over 18" out in front of
> the can when sprayed...so if you're going to spray a bear, check the wind
> first so you don't just mace yourself and end up fighting a bear *and*
> blind. >g< If I were especially worried about it I'd get the kind of
> spray the meter readers carry for dogs. It shoots out a long way in more
> of a stream like hornet spray. The best defense against attackers is a
> horse that shies at the slightest provocation and the innate ability to
> sit it. Trying to grab me off my horse would be like trying to fight
> Bruce Lee. Anywhere they grabbed, we'd no longer be there. :-))
>
> Angie
>
> ________________________________________________________________
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