SPOOKY RATTLESNAKES

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

SHERI THOMPSON 1cowgirl@mciworld.com
I am looking for any kind of advise to help my horse get use to rattlesnakes on the trail.  I had an accident a few months ago when we were trotting down the trail.  I rattlesnake rattled in front of us so I stopped to see how close it was and it started to slither back up the hill as it rattled.  I guess my horse had never seen a snake and with that loud rattle and movement my horse tried to turn around with her rear to the down side of the hill and as she stepped off the side we rolled about 20 feet down the hill.  Everything seemed ok but as I let her loose so she could get her footing to get back to the top where other horse's were she took off running and ran home which was about 6 miles crossing 2 canyon roads in the process.

We have come across several more rattlesnakes since that time that have rattled and she has what I call a panic attack.  I have been avoiding small trail with cliffs because of this but the other night it was cool and dark and I did'nt think any rattlesnakes would be out so I decided to go on a skinny ridge trail and while going up a pretty steep hill a rattlesnake rattled from down the hill and my horse paniced and started backing down the trail and then pivited around on her back legs and started heading back down the trail.  I don't know what would have happened if the side of the mountain wasn't on the other side of us, we possibly could have gone down the other side of the ridge like before.

Anyway, if anyone has any advise as to how to get a horse unafraid of a startling rattle of a rattlesnake please let me know.  Fire roads can get pretty boring.  Thanks.


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