Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting an other horse accident

Been thrown , been tossed , been slammed. I once had a buddy with a fast Tn Walker that no one would ride so I took the hundred dollar bet and saddled up.

It was like a jet taking off , that [bleep] put in in low then medium then high, the wind literally was whistling in my ear in about 1.5 seconds. I have ridden a pretty fair amount and have owned several varieties of the critters but never have Ifelt the Gs being put on my arse like that by a horse.

It was a hundred yard run to the end of the paddock area. I swear that sum bitch applied the brakes took a hard right as he aimed me at the biggest post on the fence, squatted low and bucked me right in to that damn post at about 25 miles an hour. Somehow I didn't get broke up to bad. I took my hundred bucks. That sum beech was evil I tell ya or maybe I reckon he was in some pain but didn't show lame or I would have never got on him. Then he again he did have an evil eye.

I like a tall mule for that type of trip anyhow. Sorry about your buddy, glad he healed.

No Razz - I've been on this site off and on for years - had to re-register - after I moved and changed e-mail servers several times. This hunter has been going to CO probably over 30yrs. so he knew about the horses being wild. Anyway not getting much out of this post other than negative feed back so I'll say so long for now. Dave

and you expected, what?

Horses can be dangerous for sure, but if you show them you're in charge and not afraid of them they normally behave pretty well. The exceptions don't last long, sometimes even getting a bullet to the head. BTDT.

I couldn't imagine not owning hunting horses, and have used them to get mulies, elk and 1 moose out, but you do have to accept the dangers associated with them.

I've got a busted rifle on my wall from a bad horse wreck, but I am pretty sure it saved my leg from getting broke.

If you don't want to hit the ground really hard then ride a short legged horse

Colorado law shields outfitters and horseback riding companies from liability due to accepted risks of the activity. Riding horses is inherently dangerous, especially in mountain terrain. I've been in a horse wreck and paid for it with broken ribs. It was my own damn, stupid fault. This was my own horse - very trained horse - that got spooked because I got stupid for just a minute.

LOL! I don't consider that a luxury. I grew up on a ranch and my dad was a 100 percent horse guy. I did the team roping/calf roping thing etc., etc. I frickn' hate those hay burners!

They are great to pack out meat, but as long as I can do it, I will hunt of foot. I realize their worth for pack-in outfitter camps, though.

I took horses elk hunting one time and had a belly full of dealing with them.

I would venture to say that most outfitter horses are about as tame and mountain savy as you can find-but they are still horses!

My boy and I were leaving elk camp one year north of Hayden, Co. There were search and rescue people all over a big horse camp. It had started to snow heavily and the hillsides turned to mush. I told the kid that is what happens when you hunt with horses on greasy slopes. It got the point across of how dangerous mountain hunting is.

Had a local here who years ago took mules out to Colorado for certain outfitters to use. He said they really liked them for that kind of business. So mules never caught on?

Sounds like you need to take a hard look at donkeys or llamas. You do the boot work while they haul the load. Llamas cost a fraction of what horses cost. They can haul 80lb so 3 can pack out a boned cow, 4 will handle a bull. Those 4 will eat about as much as 1 horse. They're more sure footed than horses and easier to handle.

Horses are something you either love or hate. There isn't much in between. They are probably about one of the dumbest animals on the farm. Pigs being one of smartest. Donkeys are not far behind though and crossing one with a horses raises that IQ quite a bit. However, people who typically have problems with a horse, can't get it done with a mule and for sure, they would not fair well with a donkey. You have to be bit smarter than the animal you are going to work with

I have rode mules in some country that a lot or people would not even walk in and in some deep snows, slippery mud, etc. Litterally trusting my life to them. But then again ,I have had them trip over their own feet on flat ground.

Not every horse mule is suited to every task though and a good roping, cow horse might not make a good hunting horse.

I sure get lot of entertainment from guys binging their wive's or girlfriend's good arena horse to the mountains elk hunting

I like the idea of llamas. They are super-cool. Mules beat horses, in that they are not going to go where they don't feel safe. They won't do it! Lots of good outfitters use mules and have it together. A good mule is a thing of beauty.

I don't have enough hard hunts left in me to buy the llamas and all the gear that goes with them, just for a few days in the montanas.

Nothing like hunting with a horse or mule on a big game hunt. Most outfitters 100 % of the time tell you to ride horses or mules prior to your trip. Advice well given but not always heeded.

WyColocowboy said "Colorado law shields outfitters and horseback riding companies from liability due to accepted risks of the activity. Riding horses is inherently dangerous, especially in mountain terrain. I've been in a horse wreck and paid for it with broken ribs. It was my own damn, stupid fault. This was my own horse - very trained horse - that got spooked because I got stupid for just a minute."

I was one of the original posters on this thread but since I am from Georgia and so is the person that started it so he needs to be aware of this. Georgia has a similar law as to the one Colorado has. So does Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida that I know. Probably the other southern states do also.

Virtually all 50 states have the "equine liability laws" in effect. As long as the operator of the equine business has the appropriate signage in place and the participant signs a waiver the operator is in the clear.

So what you are saying most of us don't have a high enough IQ to handle mules, therefore we resort to horses?

I figured that my llamas added a good 5 years to my elk hunting career. I just can't backpack elk quarters like I used to. I use them for more than hunting, though. I love summer pack trips. Just getting to a lake 3 or 4 miles back for a couple nights is great. They're much easier and safer to handle than horses. The only drawback is that you can't ride them.
Once you learn what to look for, they're pretty cheap. It's not hard to pick up a good one for under $100 if you watch Craigslist. Equipment? CL is your friend. Good used tack can be found pretty cheap.

I'd just as soon shoot and eat a horse than ride it.

[quote=roundoak

So what you are saying most of us don't have a high enough IQ to handle mules, therefore we resort to horses? [/quote]

I sure have met a lot of folks like that, at least the ones that can't seem to get along with a mule.

I have been using/riding these critters for almost forty years and I can't remember once when after a horseman started riding a good mule that they ever went back to riding a horse.

A fella that gets along good with a horse, usually has enough savvy to get along with a mule as long as they take the time to figure out the big mental difference between a horse and a mule. Most won't though and that is where they get into trouble. In addition there is big difference in handling a pack mule vs using one for a saddle mule.

But you have seen these guys that have trouble with any horse they have ever own. Those types have snow balls chance in hell of getting along with a mule.

That's funny right there!

I have seen it happen many times. Several years ago I was in the mountains bear hunting and stopped by an outfitters camp to visit and see if they had seen any bears. They had just loaded the pack string (mules) and was getting ready to head into the back country. As I was talking to the one outfitter his partner was climbing onto his horse, as his butt hit the saddle the horse exploded. He dropped the leadrope for the packstring and was hanging on for dear life. But after about the 6th jump he parted ways with the horse in a nice big ark through the sky landing on his hip on the graveled parking lot. Now this gentleman looked to be about 60 so I was figuring that I was going to be calling lifebird but he layed there and finally got up limping but unhurt. The funny thing was the packstring never moved, they just stood there and watched the whole thing.