Horse wrecks

[Pony Soldier]

The worst wreck I got into was early in the elk season with my favorite horse. It had rained for a week before I got there, and then it froze. I was taking an old USFS trail from the bottom. Everything in the trees was fine but I stepped out into the open I could tell by the sound that the ground was frozen. The horse took about three steps and suddenly his feet went out from under him and we fell. I stayed on him in fear that if I jumped off it would tip him over the edge. He tried to get up and fell again and rolled over on top of me. He went over the edge after crushing my ribs and went down the hill like a rocket. I finally got up after a minute when I could breath again.

My cork boots allowed me to go down the hill after my horse without falling. The shock kept the pain at bay while I went down. My horse was under a pile of downfall and I had to cut him out with a hand saw. I got his head up hill and got him up.

My brand new rifle had a 45 degree bend in the barrel and the stock was kindling. I led him down the hill a half mile to the trailer and by chance an outfitter stopped and helped me pull the saddle and load the horse.

I drove back to my house and dropped the gun off with my gunsmith. Then I headed home to my ranch and help. The road was so rough going through Missoula, I had to stop to let the pain subside.

I had to fill up in Deerlodge and it took me 20 minutes to get out of the truck, fill up and go back to driving.

I made it to the ranch, did first aid on my horse, and stumbled into the house. My wife didn't get home till four hours later and take me into the hospital.

I hunted the rest of the season - painfully but didn't get to sleep in a bed for three months and was scared to sneeze for 6 months.

 

[Tobe_B]

That’s a hell of a wreck. Glad y’all came out alive on that one. It’s not a matter of if but when will the wreck come and how bad. I’ve got a few good ones that still play in my head. I almost cashed it in completely a few years ago taking a few new animals up a particularly challenging trail getting ready for the packing season. I’d opted to ride the mare that’s in my profile picture, her first trip up that route. We got to a set of bridges and my buddies mule wouldn’t cross them, only thing my mare is concerned about is heights, so I stepped out front and off we went. Got to a hairpin turn on a ledge, when you come around the corner the trail just kind of disappears. The ledge is about as wide as your stirrups, rock wall on one side and cliff/river on the other. She saw the trail vanish and went to backing up, her back feet went off that cliff and she lunged forward and spun around. My buddy looks at me and says “well this isn’t ideal”. I stepped off against that rock wall and flipped a rein over her and spun her back around and led her down that spot. To this day, that’s one of only two places I’ve ever stepped off and led a horse.

 

[Pony Soldier]

When I first started, I was exploring a trail up a creek bottom and met an old packer coming down. In the ensueing discussion he told me he had packed into camp one night ten years before and on steep section of the trail, a herd of elk boiled off the hill and went through his pack string of 7 horses and took them over the edge into the creek. The water wasn't that deep but trying t straighten that mess out in the dark was a hell of a challenge and then leading his string up the creek for 1/2 a mile to get back on the trail just ran shivers down my back.

 

[Tobe_B]

The outfitter I worked for told me about a pack string that went over the same ledge I almost did. Dumped eight head fully loaded in the river. Nothing but scratches on any of them. My biggest fear packing is sending something over a cliff. And there’s plenty of them.