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RE: [RC] Riding amongst wildlife - Libby & Quentin Llop DVM

 Here in NY the white tail deer (hooved rats) are a bit of a problem. Where
we are in open farming country the population is estimated at 25 (corn fed)
deer per square mile. Nearer the cities, in the treed suburbs where hunters
cannot go , the population is in excess of 70 (Garden and shrub fed) deer
per square mile.
 We fox hunt. It is common for the field (mounted followers) to number 60
to 80 horses and riders. The field follows the huntsman single file. This
makes quite a long line. When hounds go into a woods (draw a covert) the
deer understandably want to leave and are sometimes blocked by the field,
which is often galloping. Sometimes panicked deer try to shoot through the
gaps and there are collisions. The horses are usually OK, but are sometimes
badly injured when the deer is an antlered buck. When my son was little, his
12 hand POA collided with and rolled a small deer.
 The other wildlife we see riding, but not so close, are foxes and coyotes
of course, and beaver, porcupine, possum, skunks and raccoon. Seeing the
last three in the daytime is not a good thing as they are probably rabid.
Libby

-----Original Message-----
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of
heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, December 17, 2004 11:36 AM
To: mad1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: tprevatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx; dabneyesq@xxxxxxxxxxx;
ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [RC] Riding amongst wildlife


Where I live there are lots of deer (muledeer and whitetail), elk,
moose, wolves, bears, cougars and an assortment of smaller stuff like
lynx, fox, fishers etc.  It's unusual not to see something when we ride.
 My endurance horse who doesn't like to share his food with anyone, has
adopted a little whitetail doe and he will let her share his hay and
beetpulp.  I don't worry about wild life on the trail, what I worry
about his how many little whitetail butts I'm going to see sticking out
from under the hay tarp when I drive in the yard at night!!

LOL!  Sounds like our house!  I have a picture taken last winter taken out
of my office window of mule deer standing in the back of my feed truck,
eating the partial bales left there.  We've been blessed with an open
winter so far, so I am still able to leave bales next to where they are
being fed, but once snow hits, we have to thoroughly tarp everything, even
hay that is up on a truck or trailer, or the elk and deer munch right
through it.

My broodmares, however, are not as tolerant as your guy--they chase the
elk and deer right out of their pasture, so when we free-feed big bales,
those are safe... <g>

My horses likewise aren't much concerned about wildlife out on the trail,
unless, of course, something explodes out of a bush right under their
noses.  I've been unhorsed once by a deer that remained in hiding until we
were practically on top of her, and got my back popped pretty thoroughly a
few years back when a big buck jumped out of the bushes and nearly ran
into my horse.  But here, I'm far more concerned about hitting them on the
highway--the road to town from here is nicknamed "deer alley" by those who
live here, and this time of year, it is normal to see multiple road kills
on any trip to town...  <sigh>

Heidi



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RE: [RC] Riding amongst wildlife, heidi