Carrying your rifle on horseback...

[marshall2]

Interesting article from the '50's...
http://www.mouseguns.com/blast/hosses.htm

[mete]

And Elmer Keith always said - when you get off the horse always take the rifle with you since you never know when he'll decide to roll on the ground !!

[HighValleyRanch]

I own an arabian mare, and used to right her everyday around the mountains near my home. She is a great horse, but as arabians can be, UNPREDICTABLE!! Sort of like riding a time bomb, that you never know when it will go off. She was steady, but spooked easily at certain things. One of them being mountain lions, animals she could not name, and bears.

So i wisely figured that I would not be carry a rifle in a scabboard. I figured that if we came upon a big cat or bear, she would probably buck me off, and head as fast for home as possible. So I carried a sidearm, strapped in, so when I ended up on the ground, facing the wild critter, I might have something on me!

Never came across a bear or cat, but got bucked off a few time (bareback) and rarely lost her, but had some wild tangles trying to calm her down on some encounters. There was a wild ram that lived in the mountains. He never was sheared, so he looked like a walking boulder with wool hanging down to the ground. Although we owned a ewe who was buddies with the Jenny, the arab didn't recognize it as such and freaked. It took about a mile of walking with her to calm her down.
For this reason, I always prefer a sidearm to a rifle. Not only that, I'm a better shot with pistol than rifle, believe it or not!

[Capt. Charlie]

Arabs are great horses if you want to look flashy. They're smart and fiesty, and they do give a great ride. They're also probably the best endurance horses going, but I don't like using hotbloods on trail. You just can't relax for a second, and that makes for a long day in the saddle. My old Saddlebred mare (RIP ) was as solid as a rock. She spooked at nothing. I remember times I rode late into the night and clouds would cover the moon. I couldn't even see the ground, but I just dropped the reins and she got me home, safe and sound, every time. I really miss that old mare . But about the guns, one way to keep them from rolling is to teach them to ground tie. And it's a little extra work, but if I'm going to be dismounted for any length of time at all, I unsaddle. That gives them a little break and helps with cool down as well.

[Bravo25]

I used to ride drag on a wagon train. I was given a green broke mustang that came out of Montana. This horse was named Psycho, and it was appropiate. Every flower, or piece of trash that blew around he would, jump, buck, stumble, and bolt in to traffic. No way would I even put a saddlebag on this nightmare. It was fast paced waltz every morning just to get atop this critter. 2000 mile ride, and I loved seeing the country, buy I am sure I would have enjoyed it a lot more from the back of a good trained Quarterhorse.

[Sulaco2]

We just had a Lt had to retire, got bucked off on the trail in White Pass in WA. Broke his neck, jaw, nose and lost teeth!! His group was so far back in that he had to ride out!!! Never get near a hayburner if I don't have too!

[Capt. Charlie]

Never get near a hayburner if I don't have too!

Well, riding does have it's risks, and some breeds are flightier than others. Trail horses should be picked based on temperament and stability, and older horses usually make the better ones, but nothing is more important than training. There are basically two schools of thought when it comes to training, the old school, cowboy way of "hard breaking", and newer ideas presented by guys like John Lyons, Monte Roberts, etc., that go with soft training. The old school used to apply to the bigger cattle ranches in the west where you simply didn't have time to really work with a horse. They were green broke by bucking them out, and then usually left alone until a drive, and... they were a handful. It was simply a matter of dominating them, but there was no trust or bond formed. Guys like Lyons took advantage of a horse's herd behavior and instinct to form tight bonds with each other. They learned to interpret body language, and to communicate, after a fashion, and become a "herd buddy". It takes a lot more time and patience, but trust and a bond are established, and the results are well worth it. I've been an avid horseman for over 40 years. I started out the old school way, and saw many a time when my horse went North and I went South . Then I learned and started round pen training, and I'm now a believer! A horse that trusts you trains easier and spooks far less than one that doesn't. I guess it's a lot like being military brass. You can cuss, threaten, and brow beat the men under you, and they will obey your orders. They'll give you, oh, say, 80% of what they're really capable of, just enough to keep from being cussed at. Or, you can take your time, prove yourself, and earn their trust and respect, and they'll give you 110%, willingly. Same works with horses, and that extra bit of training can prevent that broken rifle, or a long walk home.

[T. O'Heir]

"...Never get near a hayburner if I don't have too!..." Exactly. A truck doesn't need constant attention and high priced vets. Put it away wet and it won't get sick. Nor does it bite or kick or roll around on the ground on top of your rifle for no apparent reason. No daily feeding, brushing, watering, etc, etc. And the saddle doesn't need constant attention either.

[Capt. Charlie]

A truck doesn't need constant attention and high priced vets. Put it away wet and it won't get sick. Nor does it bite or kick or roll around on the ground on top of your rifle for no apparent reason. No daily feeding, brushing, watering, etc, etc. And the saddle doesn't need constant attention either.

Yeah, but that's all part of the fun, and trucks don't have auto pilot. Ya can't let go of that wheel, but you can drop the reins & relax on a good horse. .

[20cows]

...and the smell of leather.

[clt46910]

Yes, the smell of leather....

I love to ride but one of the worse riders you ever saw. I am the poster child for bad horsemanship. I always ask for the horse that is too old to run and too fat to jump. It really helps if he knows his own way so I do not have to guide him...

Use to have a couple saddles that set on saddleracks on my enclosed front pouch at one time. Complete outfits I got a good deal on from a guy that was getting a divorce. Never had them on a horse. Wish I still had them. Gave them to an old girlfriend that trained horses. She could never teach me to ride very well either, at least not horses....

[Capt. Charlie]

I'll go one further. The smell of horses. I find it rather pleasant, kinda earthy, but I guess that's something only another horseman can understand.

[HighValleyRanch]

+1 on that one, Capt!

[azredhawk44]

I would love to have a couple of horses, someday. In high school, we had an acreage and let the neighbors keep their horses in the pasture. I was around horses a lot, rode every now and then, was always around that smell... It was good stuff.

I hadn't been on a horse for about 10 years, until about 3 weeks ago. My girlfriend and I went horseback riding up in Sedona for fun.

I would imagine that horses make hunting a lot easier, since you can take them back somewhere that trucks can't go (or atv's for that matter). That, and they are just pleasant animals for the most part. I've had a few buck every now and then, but it's not really that big of a deal. I've never had any take a dive and start rolling in the grass with me on it, though. Never dealt with a spooked horse, either.

I'm sure I've got lots to learn, but at some point in the next 10 years or so I'd like to have a horse or two.

[itgoesboom]

I have always loved riding horses, and I would love to do a pack in hunt on horseback.

Unfortunatly, a couple years ago I developed a severe allergy to horses. My eyes get real red, scary red really, and I can barely see. It's a miserable condition.

Hopefully I can figure out a solution so I can ride again....

I.G.B.

[Capt. Charlie]

See a rheumatologist. They can desensitize you with a series of shots of highly diluted "essence of horse". It works, although it does take a little time, & will have you back in the saddle in no time. Horses have become such a passion with me that I think I'd say "goodbye cruel world" and flush myself down the commode if I couldn't be around them any more. (Yup! Even more than GUNS! )