Re: [pct-l] Horses, Mules etc, al

["R.J. Baynum" <rjbaynum@nidlink.com>]

horses are funny that way, you just have to understand them, like the
way people understand about cats... spooking the Horse could not be to
healthy to the horse and or rider...
Maybe the the Horse had a bad experience with  a certain Backpacker, who
"does not tolerate mules or horses" , a thru hiker maybe? hmmmm..
R.J. 

Karen Elder wrote:
> 
> :It seems that every time horses or mules come up this list goes non-linear.
> : I resemble this remark myself.
> 
> :-)  Yes, I know what you mean.
> 
> At a gut (and nose) level, I do not enjoy hiking through horse, mule, dog,
> human, or any other kind of shit on the trail. However, as long as each of
> these are on a section of trail where they are legally allowed to be, I
> defend their right to be there. If you don't like it, do your work as a
> citizen to get the laws and regulations changed. If you don't at first
> succeed, repeat to yourself until you feel better, "I live in a democracy. I
> believe in the constitution." Then continue with more and different efforts.
> 
> (Speaking of human shit on the trail, once, hiking in the Presidentials in
> the White Mountains of New Hampshire, my husband came upon a guy squatting
> literally on the trail taking his morning dump! Seconds later a ranger came
> by and gave the guy a ticket!! Rarely do we enjoy such instantaneous
> administrative satisfaction on the trail!)
> 
> However, I have frequently been amazed at the things horsepersons riding
> horses in the backcountry will say. For example, in Colorado last summer, a
> young woman riding a horse leading a bunch of tourists on horses, was
> extremely unhappy with my presence on the trail. She explained that her
> horse was afraid of backpacks today; that when she was saddling up her horse
> that morning, she noticed that he was displaying a fear of a backpack that
> someone was carrying nearby. So, basically, I should have not been there, or
> if I *had* to be there, I should push my way far from the trail through the
> underbrush so her horse wouldn't be spooked. Excuse me?!? I had backpacked
> something like 300 miles to get to that point -- she had been riding for
> maybe an hour. Tell me, horsefolks, why someone would ride a horse that is
> afraid of backpacks on a backcountry trail? Anyway, I moved as far away as I
> was willing to and waited for her and the five others to go by, wondering
> exactly how much control those completely inexperienced riders had over
> their mounts.
> 
> I'm also always extremely fascinated by the thought process that leads to
> horsepersons saying that I should not move to the side of the trail above
> the horse because the horse might get spooked and slip and fall down the
> lower side. So, what, I should move *below* the horse so it might get
> spooked and slip and fall on me? It's a theory.
> 
> The question that I often find myself asking is how on earth horses were
> used as transportation in the exploration of this country when they seem to
> be scared of every damn thing. Some friends who have horses had to walk them
> *backwards* past some llamas, because they wouldn't go past if they could
> see the llamas!
> 
> Karen
> 
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