Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Brings to mind the one time I tried picketing a horse to a log.  Sigh.  I
was camping with my boyfriend in a high mountain meadow.  My friend picked
out a huge log, I had a one-leg hobble which was brand new, really stout
leather, and I tied my gelding to this huge log in the meadow so he could
graze.  This horse was an old style, very sweet, very gentle outfitters
horse, a QH 9 yr old gelding, Buck, that I thought had "seen it all."  Well,
he hadn't been picketed before like that.  My mistake.

All was well, until he moved the log while grazing. When the log moved, Buck
saw it out of the corner of his eye, and panicked.  He took off, dragging
that heavy log across the meadow at a full panic gallop, a log that neither
myself or my boyfriend could budge.  He ran off down the trail, the log hit
the first trees and something snapped.  I figured it was Buck's leg.  I was
horrified, my boyfriend just stood there and kept saying "Oh no Oh no Oh
no," until I said STOP IT -- go after him!  He took off and I followed, with
a halter and lead rope.  I found the broken hobble on the trail right at the
edge of the trees where the log had hit.  It was torn cleanly in half.  I
tracked the hoofprints going down the trail.  It looked like he was
traveling fine, so I had to assume his leg wasn't broken...  About 3 miles
down the trail, we found him -- he was stopped at a gate and fenceline.  He
had a few scratches on him, and was still wild-eyed, quivering, and
breathing hard.  But, otherwise ok.

I couldn't believe he dragged that heavy log, and in the process the heavy,
thick, new leather hobble broke, it tore right across.  Thankfully, Buck's
leg was fine.

It was a lesson learned, though.  From then on, Buck was tied to a picket
line and I never tried picketing him by the leg again.

Carla Richardson
Colorado


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