Retired Mounted Border Patrol Agent in El Paso, Texas(actually Anapra, NM)..Shot off horse back a few times...returning fire from train burglars....our horses went out to the range with us for quarterly qualifications. Stood tied behind the firing line... after the first few volleys it was no big deal to them. Al least as amazing about our ponies was how quickly they figured out the job...a group of aliens, all from the same town, would be traveling North. We would be working the sandhills West of El Paso, at night. Horses trailered...when a sensor hit went off, we would trailer to the "catch area" and get mounted...other riders would get in behind the group...the aliens had been on the road for days so they smelled pretty ripe...Just let the horse "have his head" and like a bloodhound. you could walk right up on them...occasionally they would scatter...and one by one the horses would sniff them out...way easier to spot them with your eyes 9-10 feet off the ground too ! Shot a pretty good Mule Deer using the saddle as a rest...with a single round from a ...I'll stop here before I incriminate myself...
Our horses always let us know when they scented game. A smart hunter always watches his horses ears. They will often point directly at a deer or an elk, or another hunter.
