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My gelding still does a spinning/bucking full body sweat panic, when he 
catches a cholla in his tail and then slams it onto his butt.  I have had to 
load him in the horse trailer so he couldn't get away and then gone to work 
on him with 14 inch needle nose pliers.  Otherwise, you can leave the pokers 
in for a day or two and then pick them out by hand, cause they soften up.  
The horse won't freak when they are softened up.

Just be sure to examine their fetlock joints carefully.  I found a sahuaro 
spine in my mare's fetlock joint and had to soak it for a few days after I 
pulled it out.

Sheila



As Winston Churchill said, "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the 
saddle."  As Shakespear wrote in Henry V, "When I bestride him, I soar, I am 
like a hawk; he trots the air, the Earth sings, when he touches it; the 
basest horn of his hoof is more musical that the pipe of Hermes."





> From: irmurphy@xxxxxxx
> To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [RC] Leg Protection in Cactus Country
> Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:02:24 -0400
>
>
> The only sure protection from cactus is to stay out of them!? I've found 
> that boots only make the problem worse and offer a new material for cactus 
> to catch on.? (in fact boots can catch cactus more quickly that the horses 
> legs.)? With that said there are many miles of trail free from cactus in AZ 
> to ride so you'll just have to be observent to any cholla that have been 
> carried onto the trail.
>
> I've also had many experiences where my horses and myself have had the 
> unfortunate experience of getting stuck on cactus.? We even had one baby 
> who sniffed a cholla, it got caught on muzzle, then she tried to rub it off 
> on the hindquarters of the horse I was riding, made for an exciting ride.
>
> If you cactus stuck on you or your horse first move to a cactus free 
> location, this will make removal less of a challenge when the horse jumps.? 
> Second, carry a comb or pliers.? I recommend pliers as the comb is never 
> fine enough for all the different spines you can encounter.? Use a stick or 
> rock to remove if large pieces of cactus get caught on your horse, do not 
> grip the cactus, then remove the remaining stickers.? Finally, if you 
> encountered prickly pear you see finer hair like spines that will stay 
> stuck in you or your horse, these are difficult to see if your horse has 
> his winter coat so look closely, these are whe the pliers make it easier to 
> remove.?
>
> Irene Murphy



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