---- susan cooper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The nice thing about living in such > a rural state (where 85% of the state is BLM meaning > owned by the government) is that you can primitive > camp anywere,<
Oh wow. . . That would be SOOO neat. > But if you are afraid or don't know how to tie to a > trailer, then you will never be able to do that.< Susan, is there any rules on the BLM land about portable corrals? Quite a few places here in Michigan won't let you use them. I always used a high line as opposed to a picket line. I'd have the line tied to it just long enough that the horses could lay down beneath if they wanted. I used the stretchy, bungee-type leads to secure them to the highline. I also put "stops" in so the horses could walk around between the stops on the highline. I know a lot of people don't like the bungee leads, but they always worked really well for us. Of course, you don't have trees to tie between out in the desert, do ya? : ) I saw a product once that was a pole that attached to the top edge of your trailer and you connected your horse's lead to it overhead (like a high line). It looked like it might be a pretty good solution because it afforded the horse the advantages of being on a highline but you didn't need trees. Darn -- wish I could remember the name of it. . . > There are horror stories in every aspect of horse owning. Yup. One person's comfort level might seem horrifying to another. One person's methods or reasoning as to the how's and why's of doing something a certain way be great for them and their horses, not so great for someone else. And I guarantee, no matter how cautious and conscientious we all try to be, there's always some circumstance or situation we haven't thought about, which may render the way we'd always done something really bad! I try not to get myself too wrapped up in what *could* happen because I don't think I'd ever do anything with my horses except put them in padded stalls, the way my imagination works. : ) >I've x-rayed people who have been killed on horses - usualy their dead-broke >horses at that. Never X-rayed anyone who's been killed on horses, but plenty that have been hurt, and you're right, 9 times out of 10, the patient reports it was a very familiar horse where they were doing something routine. Things happen. We have to accept that when we decide to A) own horses, and B) ride them. It's a little daunting at times. . . For example, I want to put in a track system this summer and leave my horses out on it for the bulk of the day for the excercise, grazing (in Eitill's and Mystic's cases) and the psychological benefit(s). But I will need to put grazing muzzles on Soley and Rocky. I've used these, but only for an hour or two at a time when I'm watching them like a hawk. I am so afraid they might get caught on something (or some other weird occurance -- hey, they're HORSES). I have break-a-way halters on the muzzles, but then again, for Rocky especially, the muzzle coming off would be it's own disaster as he would likely founder. Anyway, I'm still mulling the best way to proceed with this idea. Anyone out there leave grazing muzzles on their horses unattended? -- Renee M. in Michigan
