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Re: [RC] Mace - Truman Prevatt

I read in the Baltimore Sun when I was up one time on business that more people "mace themsleves" than the attacker. If it is windy - don't use it. If you only partially disable an attacker the attack will probably be much worse. If you disable yourself - you're dead meat.

People  who use it professionally are trained in how, when and when not to use it. I'd never spray that stuff off horseback - even the stuff used for dogs by the post office since even a stream will have vapor and that vapor can fly back in your or your horse's face. I don't think a horse would react very well if he got mace in his face.

When you read the fine print on a can of pepper spray sold for bears ( we were in WY this summer and I was looking at some at Walmart) it says it is not 100% effective. The ranger at the FS station told me the same thing. We opted out of pepper spray  - relying on common sense and vigilance instead.

Truman

rides2far@xxxxxxxx wrote:
While riding, I carry pepper/OC spray.  You can purchase it from the 
local > Walmart, the stronger version from a police supply store.  It
    
works 
  
on people,  dogs, bears, basically any offensive creature with eyes.  
    

I used to carry a little can of that. One day there was a yellowjacket
next in the trail and I tried it on them. Boy were they ticked off.
Didn't seem to faze them  much. The bad thing about it was I expected it
to shoot out in more of a stream. Instead it spread out into a very wide
fine mist...making it very easy to drift back on me, my hands, etc. Every
time I touched my face it stung. I doubt it went over 18" out in front of
the can when sprayed...so if you're going to spray a bear, check the wind
first so you don't just mace yourself and end up fighting a bear *and*
blind. >g< If I were especially worried about it I'd get the kind of
spray the meter readers carry for dogs. It shoots out a long way in more
of a stream like hornet spray. The best defense against attackers is a
horse that shies at the slightest provocation and the innate ability to
sit it. Trying to grab me off my horse would be like trying to fight
Bruce Lee. Anywhere they grabbed, we'd no longer be there. :-))

Angie

  

Replies
[RC] Mace, rides2far