Re: Info request on bogs

[Dbeverly4@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/2/99 9:39:09 PM Pacific Standard Time, Zaronica@aol.com
writes:

<< 
 If my horse willingly takes me into a bog and can't get out I am getting
 another horse.  I have forced my horse into some dumb places but I have never
 had my horse take me into a mess he didn't know how to get out of. Lovell
 
  >>

Interesting point (about willingly going into a bog).  I've been really lucky
I guess, because I've seen horses get into those horse-eating bogs, but never
experienced it myself.  The only way I've seen the horses get out is by sheer
physical strength, they just keep fighting till they free themselves.  I was
with a friend when his horse got stuck in a bog covered by a couple of feet of
water.  The horse was quietly drinking at the edge when another competitor
came a long and jostled the horse into the bog.  My friend jumped off  and got
out of the way, the horse proceeded to struggle and wasn't able to free
himself.  He slowly gave up.  My friend ended up holding his horse's nose
above water until several other riders arrived and we all started yelling,
waving crops, slapping the water, etc. to get the horse to try again.
Luckily, he did and was able to free himself.  Not through anything we could
do to actually help him (there didn't seem to be any way to help), but through
his own struggling.  It was a horribly scary thing to watch.  In this
situation it wasn't the horse's fault that he ended up in that bog and it
almost cost him his life.  He ended up with some rear-end stiffness, but in
the long run was perfectly o.k. (amazing).  I'd love to hear some suggestions
on what you can do in this type of situation to really help the horse.  We
just couldn't think of anything, except not letting him give up.

Sylvia