Re: [RC] LA Gumbo Ride-horse lost for 29 hrs found - Barbara McCrary
We always have drag riders on our 75 and 100
mile rides. Each pair of riders do one segment, the longest being 35 miles. The
primary reason for having them is to remove all flagging and signs, but rider
safety and communication are other good reasons for having drag riders.
Subject: [RC] LA Gumbo Ride-horse lost
for 29 hrs found
This was overall a good ride. And no
problem for barefoot horses. It was fine until my horse stepped into a
sink hole in a puddle. The hole is caused by 4 wheelers competing to
see who can send up the highest mud wave. AND THE 4 WHEELERS THINK THE
HORSES MESS UP TRAILS!! He fell down twice and on the second
fall he went side ways and gravity threw me into the 3+ ft mud
sink. Instead of going to camp which was in sight, he went back
up the trails at 90 to nothing. No stopping him. We had
just ALMOST completed the first 20 mile loop! We tried to track
him on foot. Guess what-they walk much faster than we do, yeah right
like no one on this site knew that??? Luckily I found his tracks and
saw that he doubled back onto the main trail. Then it was impossible
to track him over the many horse tracks on the trail. The hope was
that he would hear the other ! horses finishing and follow in.
NOT. So there he is out there fully tacked with my almost new Passier
dressasge saddle!!! DANG. He was paniced. Don't know
if he will ever cross a puddle again. He took off at 11am and he was
not found until 430pm the next day. Tack was ok. The sissor
style reins clips had opened on one side so he was stepping on the other
side but was found in a area of old grass and was eating. He was not
far from the main trail route. A very nice young lady,
Lucky, loaned Fred, the ride manager, and me a horse to ride.
Fred went one direction and we went the other direction. After riding
at a walk for about 2 hours in the vicinity where I last found his tracks,
we heard a snort in the distance. Our horses had spooked at deer about
an hour before and then spooked but we could not find anything that would
have caused the spook. So we walked off trail and tried to think li!
lke a horse who would be hungry by now. And it worked. We walked
slowly toward the sound of the distant snort and found him and he just
looked at us. We dismounted and contnued walking toward him so not to
spook him. He was standing on one of the reins but did not try to
avoid us and seemed happy to be found. It was a 2 hr walk back to
camp.
On hindsight, I am wondering if there should be
a ride team, ie horses, to assist with lost
horses/riders? Horses tend to find each other and their
sense of smell and sight and other senses are better than ours. As my
horse is not herd bound from being a stallion for 6+ yrs and living alone he
is fine for riding but when he leaves he doesn't look for other
horses. HOWEVER, this is only the 2nd time he has done this.
This is only the 2nd time I have left the saddle. Yes, more and
different training is in store.
Competetitve trail rides yrs ago had what they
called drag riders to help with problems. I am not saying that
would be needed but as all the other riders are trying to compete then
there are no horses for search and
rescue.
After a horses was found dead last yr(another
ride and different site), it might be something that needs to be
addressed.
ALSO: tack choices in case your horse is
lost is another subject.
Mary
Ann, bruised but unhurt as mud is quite soft but the water was cold after
getting out.
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