lange1
.30 Stingray
Posts: 238
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Post by lange1 on Oct 7, 2012 19:02:34 GMT -5
As a kid working on my Dad's cattle ranch I had an appaloosa that I could shoot my 45 blackhawk from without getting off, and was used to dead critters since we'd find dead steers now and again. But he definitely did not respond to voice commands, the thing was pretty strong-willed. Never tried shooting a rifle from that horse's back other than a 10/22.
Another horse that my Dad told us boys not to ride pitched me 18 feet in the air when I shot the 45 off his back. At the shot he took off at full throttle and I made it about 20 yards before he ejected me. I did not let go of my blackhawk when I landed even though I got the wind knocked out of me.
I was pretty horrified as the thing ran a couple miles through an alfalfa field filled with prairie dog holes and was about to cross a highway before my brother could catch him. I had a long walk back the corral, thing wouldn't let me back on and had real wild eyes whenever I got near it after that.
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dmize
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 2,834
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Post by dmize on Oct 7, 2012 19:35:12 GMT -5
Personally I have NEVER had a "happy" experience with a horse. It far easier to just walk.
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Post by subsonic on Oct 7, 2012 20:11:00 GMT -5
Personally I have NEVER had a "happy" experience with a horse. It far easier to just walk. You just haven't been around well trained horses. They can be very good. The ones that spend 99% of their lives standing around in a field eating are not good for riding. They need to be worked and messed with regularly to be useful and well mannered. |
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dmize
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 2,834
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Post by dmize on Oct 7, 2012 20:15:09 GMT -5
Ill just take your word for it Sub.
In my experience horses are like women,kill or mame you in a heartbeat and never have a clue as to what you did wrong.
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Post by sixshot on Oct 8, 2012 0:02:10 GMT -5
A well trained horse or mule is an amazing animal & if cared for properly they will take care of you for many, many years. There are lots of them out there, if you get a bad one, don't try to make a good one out of it, move on to something you can bet your life on, because thats exactly what could happen.
I've rode them out of Idaho's Selway country in total darkness, in rain storms, snow storms, etc, when I couldn't see 2 feet. Some of the trail is blasted out of solid rock. We would just kick our feet out of the stirrups & trust that the horse could see. You could hear the water several hundred feet below, one step & both you & the horse were dead.
Several times I saw horses or riders get hurt in there, not a place for a colt.
One time we were packed in several miles at a place called Thompson Flat, really, & there were 3 other guys there & they had one horse between them. Every thing else they had packed on their backs or that one horse. Two of them were from Browning Arms, the other was Ron Kolpin from Wisconsin. They had killed a bull elk, we had 2 bulls down & I was going to make a trip out with a load of meat, I took 5 horses. One of them wanted to take part of the elk out with me. They loaded half the bull & the antlers, about 2 miles down the Selway River their pack slipped under the horse & one of the horns went through the foot, breaking it, we were on a bad part of the trail.
After tieing up my packstring I walked back to help, I was standing between the horse & the river, when I cut the rope to get the weight off the horse it kicked me & I landed in the river, it wasn't deep & I wasn't hurt but I did limp for several days. We lead the horse back up to Thompson Flats & shot it behind the Forest Service cabin.
I stayed an extra day & packed them & all their gear out, the 2 guys from Browning sent me 2 pair of Browning hunting boots & Ron Kolpin sent me 2 of his finest gun cases. I had been in there 17 days. Our group took 2 more bulls.
Dick
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Post by 2 Dogs on Oct 8, 2012 7:31:13 GMT -5
I personally have never shot a gun while in the saddle of a horse although I have ridden a great deal in my life. Im quite sure my older brother has, matter of fact, the guys who know him will tell you there isnt much he hasnt done off the back of a horse. I did have quite a spirited mare we called Dolly for awhile. Definitely not your typical horse, too much horsepower for the inexperienced for sure. Anyway, there wasnt going to be any shooting off her back. Everytime I tried to condition her to gunfire I ended up walking back from wherever I was. I try to learn from being dumb. The first time I tied her off and shot she sat back and busted the reins and took off. The next time I tied her off with a rope she sat back and broke the mesquite tree branch plumb off. I remember my brother saying that he would tie a rope under her tail that would get her to quit setting back on her haunches like that but we never got around to it.....
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Post by subsonic on Oct 8, 2012 10:08:08 GMT -5
Try riding a horse down a switchback, down a mountiain, on a trail you've never been on, on a couple inches of snow, while it's sleeting, and too dark for you to see. On a horse you've never ridden.
That was unforgettable!
This was just about my 10th time on the back of a horse.
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jwp475
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,101
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Post by jwp475 on Oct 9, 2012 3:33:13 GMT -5
Personally I have NEVER had a "happy" experience with a horse. It far easier to just walk. You just haven't been around well trained horses. They can be very good. The ones that spend 99% of their lives standing around in a field eating are not good for riding. They need to be worked and messed with regularly to be useful and well mannered. +1....... A smart good mannered well trained horse is a pleasure. An ill mannered horse that does like human companionship and/or the task at hand is a trail wreck waiting to happen |
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Post by salmonriver on Oct 20, 2012 21:59:22 GMT -5
I too have successfully uncompleted shooting from horseback. Many years back my buddy and I took a couple of his cayuse friends out bear hunting. Since we were packing our side irons I asked my buddy if the horse I was aboard could be shot from. He looked at me quizzically and said " sure". Later that morning as we were crossed an open saddle a coyote jumped out at close range. Spinning around in the saddle I cut loose at him with my ruger 30 carbine. Now some of you know the 30 carbine is not ever to be shot without hearing stops. This can also be said of the equine ear, as I was instantly hanging over 4 feet of nothing and gravity pulling hard . Limping to my feet and clearing the dirt from my ears I asked " I thought you said he could be shot from" ? His reply " my 22 don't seem to bother him like that" Moral-- ASK MORE QUESTIONS
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Post by Ranger499 on Oct 21, 2012 1:51:21 GMT -5
Growing up riding on the ranch, I would often shoot jackrabbits from the back of my mare Elly with my Single Six. She didn't really like it and she'd jump a little, but never, ever tried to plant me. Of course trying to get her to cross water, even a little one foot wide creek would regularly get me airborne, with her doing her best impersonation of the Wyoming Cowboy logo -  She was scared to death of water . . . horses are funny that way, you never know what'll scare the snot out of 'em . . . Shooting from the back of a horse I don't know is probably a recipe for a dirt sandwich . . . . |
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Post by Seasons44 on Oct 22, 2012 22:18:56 GMT -5
I know nothing about riding horses and shooting and I live in horse country, but I thought most of you would find this interesting,
I worked a job in NYC near one of the stables for the carriages, it was a oil cable line coming into a static line, but the trenching that needed to be done had to be blasted, the bedrock is just to hard to drill and split. Well we blasted with the horses in the stable with no issue, and they were across the street,.
Like said, I think it comes down to conditioning, But I know nothing about this, just thought you would find it interesting
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Post by sandhiller on Oct 23, 2012 10:49:13 GMT -5
Grew up spending my summers at my grandpa's place in Nebraska. The "cousins" were always kept supplied with horses to break in the summer when we were not giving horse rides at a church kids camp. One of my cousin's and I were riding to colts and were packing 22 pistols. I had a S&W Model 18 and he had a Ruger autoloader. He asked me how a person can teach a horse to shoot off of it. I, being the fun loving idiot I am, said like this, pulled my revolver and cranked a round off in the air. Action started right off the bat and I got my horse leveled out in a deadout run which was no problem since we had lots of room and finished off the rest of the rounds in the cylinder. My cousin's horse was in hot pursuit and I saw him finally get his pistol out and start shooting. Horses finally decided there wasnt anything going to eat them and we came to a stop. My cousin finally started to see the humor in the whole thing and could laugh about it but I will never forget the look on his face when I pulled the trigger on that first round. We both decided that if your horse ain't trained for it that second shot is pure luck if you hit what your shooting at. Man that was a great way to grow up, guns, horses and likeminded family.
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