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Can a bear outrun a horse?

My husband made this claim last night. I don’t believe it. He insists that this is true. I mean in general, not a really fit bear racing a an old or sick horse.

So I turn to you the horse experts. I just want to know for myself because once my husband’s mind is made up he pretty much sticks with it.

Thanks very much!

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by vineyridge:

Unfortunately the book didn’t list mooses, bison or hobson. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, I’m a lot like the bear: pretty quick in a sprint (especially when they prey involves spaghetti or brownies), but when I’m all fat and in my winter coat, I’m toast. No staying power at all.

I think it depends on the bear…Grizzly bears can sprint upto 60MPH!

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
-Socrates

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>) A tireless
runner, the moose, Alces alces, can outrun a horse, but its main defenses are its front
hooves, with which it can deliver powerful kicks, and the male?s enormous antlers. A
blow from a bull moose?s rack can kill a wolf and will drive off a grizzly bear, and sparring
between two bulls can be fatal. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Moose Pics This site says Bison (when angry) can outrun a horse.

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<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bigbay:
Okay, wait. If a horse’s top speed (granted a fit racehorse) is 45 miles per hour and a bear’s is 30, and a horse is obviously better suited to keep this up over a distance, through trees, etc, where do they get it that the bear can outrun the horse??

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Because Seattle Slew, Affirmed & Alydar can hit 45 mph; our horses CAN’T, even though it feels like it to us.

However, a “motivated” horse might get close to that speed for 300 yards if it’s running in terror from a bear. An angry bear would probably be a good motivator.

I’ve (thank God)never come across one but I’ve heard foxhunters tell of it and some say the horses cannot STAND bear smell and they will freak out & bolt at the smell and/or if they see one. Someone once said the smell is similar to pigs and their horse reacted the same and DID NOT LIKE pigs.

Officials are reportedly considering banning hobson from racing for life. “Eating one’s competitors is a very serious infraction,” noted one race official.

hobson barely qualified for the final, beating out an angry (but lame) bison in the preliminaries.

Film at eleven . . .

“The man is only half himself, the other half is his expression.”

– Emerson “The Poet” (1844)

The final obstacle in a trail trial I competed in last year (placed 4th in my division) was an “abandoned” campsite. A tent, chairs, benches, a backpack tossed on the ground, a rock encircled campfire, a large igloo cooler, and… a REAL stuffed bear, rearing up on its hind legs with paws spread.

To get the desired “0” score (low score wins), the horses were supposed to walk quietly by. Well, yes, the horses knew it was not a “live” bear. Mine walked quietly by (though he did give that bear a loooooong look) and got his “0” score. Once I was past the “penalty zone” I looked back at the judge and said, “Frankly, if I were on a horse and saw an angry bear, I would hope the horse would get the hell out of town as fast as possible, not walk quietly past it.”

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>When moving at an all-out run, the black bear has been clocked at 30 mph. This is an animal that can outrun a horse over short distances and can weigh up to 500 pounds. The black bear is also a very good climber and swimmer <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Brown bears are extremely strong and have good endurance; they can kill a cow with one blow, outrun a horse, outswim an Olympian, and drag a dead elk uphill.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>If you surprise a grizzly on a trail and the bear does not immediately either charge or flee, start speaking to the bear in a firm but calm voice, while slowly backing off. Avoid eye contact with the grizzly. Do not scream or yell at the bear. If the bear is approaching, and it�s still a considerable distance from you, climb a tree if you can do so quickly and quietly. But remember, a bear can outrun a horse <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>In spite of their weight and short legs, a bear can outrun a horse for about 300 to 400 yards. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Friendship is Love without his wings
-Lord Byron

who would win?

My money’s on the moose.

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hobson:
Maybe they’re assuming that the horse is carrying a 200-pound tourist, and the bear is real hungry?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I SWEAR TO GOD if I’d had soda in my mouth I would be cleaning it off the screen! Good one Hobson!

  • someone help me, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!

A Wyld Eyed Devil who believes, wishes do come true and amazing things can happen!

They can smell a PB that is in a tent, under a sleeping camper, in a sleeping bag…
And believe me when the bear comes asking for the power bar, he doesn’t say please!

Hang on-all the northerners are hogging the geography of this question.
Now for the southern aspect-what about gators?
I have heard that gators can be pretty darn fast on a straightaway, and I know when I was living in FL, that I heard of the occassional breeding farm losing a foal to a gator when they wandered too close to the canal.

And don’t think my horse hasn’t gotten the bear question answered: if confronted by a bear-dump your rider as a sacrifice and gallop away to your barn while bear dines on human

Any WHY do these questions remind me of my algebra teacher?

If a bear going 30 miles an hour confronts a horse going 20 miles an hour, who gets away first-notwithstanding the moose who shoots between them at the halfway point doing 40 miles an hour and being very mad…
AND NONE OF THEM ARE ON THE TRAIN

My husband made this claim last night. I don’t believe it. He insists that this is true. I mean in general, not a really fit bear racing a an old or sick horse.

So I turn to you the horse experts. I just want to know for myself because once my husband’s mind is made up he pretty much sticks with it.

Thanks very much!

Bears are quick! I’ve watched about a million documentaries on Discovery and PBS, I fully believe a bear could outrun a horse.

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Everythingbutwings:
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>When moving at an all-out run, the black bear has been clocked at 30 mph. This is an animal that can outrun a horse over short distances and can weigh up to 500 pounds. The black bear is also a very good climber and swimmer <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>In spite of their weight and short legs, a bear can outrun a horse for about 300 to 400 yards. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Okay, wait. If a horse’s top speed (granted a fit racehorse) is 45 miles per hour and a bear’s is 30, and a horse is obviously better suited to keep this up over a distance, through trees, etc, where do they get it that the bear can outrun the horse??

“This is not a vacation, it’s a quest: a quest for fun.”

Save the Peeps!

Friendship is Love without his wings
-Lord Byron

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by stegall:
If a bear going 30 miles an hour confronts a horse going 20 miles an hour, who gets away first-notwithstanding the moose who shoots between them at the halfway point doing 40 miles an hour and being very mad…
AND NONE OF THEM ARE ON THE TRAIN <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Stegall, this is because bear, horse and moose are ALL faster than Amtrak.

Did you know that mad moose sink small boats?

I believe that it would depend on how far they were running, and of course the size of the bear and horse. I have heard that bears can sprint at 40mph, which is roughly how fast the grade 1 horses run. I am not a bear expert, so hopefully someone else will reply. Nor am I a horse expert…

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Everythingbutwings:
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Brown bears are extremely strong and have good endurance; they can kill a cow with one blow, outrun a horse, outswim an Olympian, and drag a dead elk uphill. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
AND drag a dead elk uphill?? Oh my! LMAO!!

-Anne, the owner of a PrettyFilly and a WildArabianStallion-
“Change is inevitable…except from a vending machine.”