Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Ranelle is right, once is all it takes.  My husband and I had our "once" this past weekend.  We've used electric fences for 9 years without an incident...our horses respect, even fear, the electric tape.  And we've always tried to camp where there is the least chance of other loose horses running through our pens.  At a ride this past weekend, however, we arrived on Thurs. evening, only 2 other rigs there.  About 15 min. after all was dark, something spooked our 3 horses badly, they blew out the pens, and bolted.  Unfortunately, my gelding Sundance, who is the most easily panicked by stuff hanging off him, was dragging the tape.  When we tracked them down, he had a deep puncture in his chest...next day we saw where he had charged thru/over a large pile of dead cedar trees in his panic.  We got him to a local vet clinic around 2 am, where he spent the weekend, and was finally able to travel on Monday.  Our vet expects him to recover...slowly, but should recover.

 

We debated tying to the trailer Friday night, but thinking it was a freak thing, perhaps something had been blown through the pens in the high winds Thurs. night, and Friday night being calm, we let the horses have the pens Friday night.  Same thing...about 15 min after all was dark, the other two bolted out.  We finally realized the problem was probably that we were camped next to an old abandoned truck and two old abandoned travel trailers, and raccoons or something were likely coming out to get the horses' food.  Sat. night they were double tied to the trailer and the lights left on over them.

 

We're now shopping for hi-tie systems.  Yeah, we might go another 9 years with no problems (provided we avoid camping next to abandoned vehicles occupied by critters), but we're not going to risk it.  Panels aren't really an option, as we always take at least two horses, since we both ride, and often take 3 or 4 horses if it's a 2 day ride or more.  That's a lot of panels.

 

Our horses do respect electric pens.  But any horse, when panicked sufficiently, *will* blow through them.  The horse that ran through them the second night was a 6-year veteran, very steady, doesn't spook or panic easily.  But whatever came out of those vehicles scared him enough that he was getting the heck out of there.  Interestingly, we put him back in the pen (supervised) for a bit on Sat. afternoon to let him stretch his legs after being tied to the trailer all day, and he just stared toward those old vehicles and trembled.  So we tied him back to the trailer.

 

Dawn Carrie, Texas

 

On 3/13/08, Ranelle Rubin <raneller@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Donna,

I, too have used elect. corrals for years, and MY horses have always been fine...HOWEVER..all it takes is one loose horse and your is TOAST! At one ride about 5 yrs ago, a bunch of wild pigs came through camp and there were loose horses everywhere..elect cord scattering camp like confetti! I would not use one at a ride ever again.. I now use steel panels..and sleep better. Will likely install a High-Tie on the offside of my trailer for those times when I don't want to carry the panels, or I bring an extra horse, as it would be difficult to install two sets of panels on my trailer with the drop down windows.

I still carry my elect corral for camping where I want to create a turn out on grass while I am awake, but not at an organized ride or while sleeping!

My first portable charger was given to me by a rider who spent two days looking for his horse after another horse crashed through the elect corral and "freed" his horse.

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. ~ John Wayne

Ranelle Rubin, Business Consultant
 

http://www.rrubinconsulting.com
Independent Dynamite Distributor
raneller@xxxxxxx

530-885-3510 home office
916-718-2427 cellular
916-848-3662 fax

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From: skyhorseranch@xxxxxxx
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [RC] hi ties and loose horses
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:57:48 -0500

Can a horse lie down and sleep while tied to a hi-tie?
 
I've only been to a few rides and so far haven't bought a pen or other device. I've tied to the trailer, and I've tied to a picket line when trees were available, and to a permanent tie-pole. My horse (Peruvian) was able to lie down tied to the picket line and even the tie-pole. I'm planning on using an electric pen in the future, my horse has a great respect for anything that looks like electric string. My junior rider's Arabian paced when on the picket line and he seems to do best just tied to the trailer.
 
As for loose horses, we've had our fair share of loosy gooseys. At our first 50, the Arabian got loose during the night but only went as far as our neighbor who found him and tied him back up. Culprit was wrong type of lead rope. Next 50 mile ride, when my horse was on the tie-pole and her horse was at the trailer we had an interesting time. First nite nothing happened as I recall. Second nite we came back from the ride awards and my Peruvian was standing 10 feet away from the tie-pole staring at it. He was just standing there in the gravel road not moving. We think he got his leg caught and he pulled loose, the rope slipped off the tie ring, and he was contemplating that scary tie-pole. He was still attached to the lead rope. Didn't go anywhere! For a few hours he was wary of the tie-pole but eventually accepted it again and laid down at nite. Then in the morning I awoke to some noise. The Arabian was loose again and was playing with a stepping stool outside my tent. The Peruvian was just watching him. I think we have good horses and obviously a houdini who plays w/ his rope and another who doesn't care to run about and leave his buddy.
 
As for everyone else, I've seen loose horses running rampantly at nearly every ride. Luckily ours seem to be "yard trained" and very mellow.
 
Donna