Re: RE: Re: Re: gophers

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

This is just idle musings (so nobody get all in a twist over it, please), but I wonder if anyone actually knows *first hand* of a horse that's had their leg broken from a gopher hole?  I do hear people talking about a friend of a friend that heard a story about a rancher whose feed dealer talked to a brand inspector that thought he'd remembered something about it.  But you also hear 'information' about all kinds of other crap that way, and it's still crap.  **I've** never heard from anyone who could say, 'my horse put his foot into a gopher hole and broke his leg'.  I can think of several people on this list that have some pretty rough range that their horses live in and they learn pretty damn quick about watching their feet and balancing themselves against a trip.  For that matter, maybe twelve years ago, I was riding one of my horses down a bridle path where a museum was putting in landscaping and had neglected to fill or flag a deep hole---12" across and maybe 16" deep straight down.  A BAD hole, and Mikey put his lead foot right into it at a hand gallop.  His whole shoulder dropped as his foot went down, but even at that speed, he pulled his foot out and although he stumbled and went down, THAT was because his idiot rider was coming out of the saddle and he got all tangled up in his reins.

 

Of course, that doesn't mean every horse would react exactly the same way, but I sure have visions of horses scampering all up and down the rocky hillsides at Kat's and Bob's places and wondering why they arent all dead.

 

Just some thoughts that don't mean nuthin.

 

Susan G

----- Original Message -----

From: Marlene Moss

To: 'Susan Garlinghouse' ; 'Carolyn Burgess' ; 'Scott & Dede Johnson' ; 'Ridecamp List'

Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2001 7:49 AM

Subject: RC: RE: Re: Re: gophers

I don’t like torturing animals in any way either, but I think I would prefer that one to putting down my horse to a broken leg.  I have to trailer to ride, even though there is about150 open acres next to me, just because of the gopher holes.  I’ll walk and maybe a careful trot in our pasture, but that’s it. 

 

I wish my cats could keep up with them – but unfortunately, the coyotes are keeping up with the cats instead.

 

Marlene

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Susan Garlinghouse [mailto:suendavid@worldnet.att.net]
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2001 8:30 PM
To: Carolyn Burgess; Scott & Dede Johnson; Ridecamp List
Subject: RC: Re: Re: gophers

 

What an agonizing way for any creature to have to die.

 

Susan G

----- Original Message -----

From: Carolyn Burgess

To: Scott & Dede Johnson ; Ridecamp List

Sent: Friday, March 16, 2001 4:41 AM

Subject: RC: Re: gophers

 

Spearmint chewing gum.  They love the stuff, but can't digest it, it blocks their intestines and they die.  My dad used it with great success, but it was in a small yard (1 acre). 

 

Carolyn Burgess