My horse would probably go into heart failure if that happened to him. He is terrified of stuff in his blind spot, and a turkey would qualify as seriously SCARY stuff!
I can believe it. The last time I went on a trail ride, the horse I was riding shied like crazy because of a frightening stick next to the trail. I asked the guide if she thought it was alarming because it looked like a snake or something, and she said No. This horse proved her correct by later freaking out over a scary rock. (These horses spend a LOT of time on that trail...it made me wonder if the horse shied every time it saw that rock, or if it's just random).
I can't imagine what that horse would have done if a turkey had fluttered up.
My horse would probably go into heart failure if that happened to him. He is terrified of stuff in his blind spot, and a turkey would qualify as seriously SCARY stuff!
Make sure you point out where his blind spot is to me, if I can make it to Del Mar. I have an uncanny ability to end up in that blind spot and scare horses (and other things) without having any idea that's what I'm doing.
Where I grew up, there were grouse.. lots of grouse. They stay still, well camouflaged in the grass/brush until the horse is about to step on them, then they take off and sound like a helicopter right in front of the horses nose...
They startled me more that the horse most of the time though!
Unless you walk up to him and pat him on the chest or shoulder with a plastic bag, he's fine!
Walked into his stall with a baggy of treats one day and his nostrils flared and he whirled away from me. He STILL won't let me near his shoulder or face with a plastic bag.
Funny story about his blind spot--we gave him a carrot with the top greens on it one time, and he freaked out about the greens and ran paniced circles around his stall until they were gone (into his mouth, of course.) He's actually a lot better about this stuff now. I always say they grow up at around age 8. He's 9 now, today as a matter of fact :D
Don't worry, Mary. Unless you walk up to him and pat him on the chest or shoulder with a plastic bag, he's fine! Not sure we're going, though. He's come up sore on his right front. Having the farrier out today who is also a vet so we are going to make some changes to his shoeing (back to what he had before two weeks ago) and check his suspensories. If it's a suspensory, I'm SCREWED! :(
Gotta love the bush hiders! I remember my Grandpa hunting grouse in Eastern WA when I was a kid.
Around here, there are wild peafowl that hang out EVERYWHERE. Including way up in the trees. I won't even attempt to trail ride here on my big chicken because I'm afraid a peacock will drop down in front of us and scare the bejeezus out of him.
If you can't make it to Del Mar, then I'll just come up there! It's not that far. We can go have lunch at Bubba Gump's or something.
We have wild peacocks in Fallbrook - NOISY things, they are.
Walked into his stall with a baggy of treats one day and his nostrils flared and he whirled away from me. He STILL won't let me near his shoulder or face with a plastic bag.
Funny story about his blind spot--we gave him a carrot with the top greens on it one time, and he freaked out about the greens and ran paniced circles around his stall until they were gone (into his mouth, of course.) He's actually a lot better about this stuff now. I always say they grow up at around age 8. He's 9 now, today as a matter of fact :D