I was riding down a dirt road alone and a man drove up next to me, pants down and “flogging his mule.” :eek:
Quick sand.
We were riding through a trail system a couple months after storms had passed through. Fences had been knocked down and parts of the trail destroyed. Had no idea we were off the known trail until we finally got out. Was riding along and all of a sudden my feet were on the ground. I kid you not, it was that quick. I was bareback, stepped off my horse and didn’t sink in. He was up to his belly. It took a long time getting him out but he finally lunged forward and wrapped his legs through a downed tree and miraculously pulled himself out uninjured. But my poor guy was so scared every time the sand shifted under his feet, it took a really long time just walking him to the hard packed part of the trail.
It was about 10 years ago, but I can still remember every moment. Can’t explain how thankful I am my BFF was there and that both of our guys were incredibly bonded to each other and just generally quiet, level-headed mounts.
ETA: the ground looked bone dry, like a normal, sandy part of the trail. No standing water , or any indication that the sand was still saturated. I know better now.
The worst ever, an emu. When some people realized they were not going to make a million dollars on them a few got dumped then were reported stolen for the insurance.
We were trail riding and there were two in the woods. My young horse was fine but my husbands horse had a come-apart. Dai had never even ridden my horse but we swapped mounts to get back home. His horse jigged for four miles, snorted for three and a half, and was exhausted from looking for the big chicken all the way home.
A policeman with his gun drawn, one suspect on the ground, and the policeman yelling at the other one to get out of the car with his hands up. We just came around a bend and there they were. Turned and left as quickly as we could, took another route home and kept listening for gun shots (there weren’t any).
Years ago ostriches were popular for breeding and someone set up a farm right next to the trail. Those things are huge and mean and charged the fence when we rode by. A second trail further away was quickly made but we still hand-walked the horses past that spot.
Pretty tame, but a kid on a loud, illegal, dirt bike on our very suburban trails. My horse was very young, a tad under 3 yo and an Arab. The wonderful BO out with me was a cowboy on his team penning quarter horse. He said, excuse me ( after my horse calmed down enough), picked up his reins in the direction of the bike and said “Get that cow” and they were off to catch him. I’ve never been so impressed by a horse as that guy and his “dead head” ol quarter horse!
Black bear. Really not that scary since it didn’t care about us, but my mare (who had been telling me it was up there but I wasn’t hearing her) and I made a quick retreat.
As a kid, encountering the high school running team all jogging toward us sent my horse into the scariest bolt ever. Stopped short at (but thankfully not in) a barbed wire fence. I learned to use a pulley rein at a young age thanks to that horse. Came in handy when he ran onto the carnival midway at the county fair.
[QUOTE=spotteddrafter;7166722]
The scariest thing my super rock-steady horse has ever seen is this medium sized boulder along the one trail. She spooks at it every. single. time. She does the whole side step, snort, big hairy eye every time. [/QUOTE]
The arabian gelding I ride has a thing for boulders too. Really? The only thing on the trail that hasn’t moved since the glaciers retreated and you’re afraid of that??
A clattering, clanking, towering over your head, logger’s truck.
Many things!
For me, the scariest thing was a group of people (illegally) target shooting in the woods. I got such a bad vibe from them when they saw me, I sent my mare into a full-out gallop to just get out of there.
For that mare - a moose on the trail.
For my little Ottb mare, who wasn’t scared of much, a pig did it. We were about to cross a creek when we heard rooting and snorting. I only got a fleeting look at it, because my mare did a swift turn on the haunches and we were leaving at full speed before I could say “wait”, but it was definitely a common pig, not a wild one.
With my current Ottb, who, as much as I tried to train her to be, is decidedly NOT a solo trail horse, I never know what will set her off:
Boulders. A lone, escaped rooster in the field. Wooden bridges. A person on skis, or with walking poles (before she realizes it IS a person). Mostly, big rocks and boulders, tho.
However, she’s fine with trucks, turkeys, deer, bikes, dirt bikes, ATVs…
[QUOTE=UlysMom;7181220]
Quick sand.
We were riding through a trail system a couple months after storms had passed through. Fences had been knocked down and parts of the trail destroyed. Had no idea we were off the known trail until we finally got out. Was riding along and all of a sudden my feet were on the ground. I kid you not, it was that quick. I was bareback, stepped off my horse and didn’t sink in. He was up to his belly. It took a long time getting him out but he finally lunged forward and wrapped his legs through a downed tree and miraculously pulled himself out uninjured. But my poor guy was so scared every time the sand shifted under his feet, it took a really long time just walking him to the hard packed part of the trail.[/QUOTE]
Holy Cow! I think I’d be scared to take a walk on the sand for the rest of my life too!!
A sled dog team staked out on both sides of the trail with barely 4 feet of room to walk between them, baying and howling and straining at their ties.
Not scary to my friend and I, but definitely scary for my new to trail riding horse… as in his first time off the property with me. He was a good sort, a New Holland Amish throwback saddlebred. His eyes were ready to pop out of his head and you’ve never seen a neck arch like that!! but he never took a bad step and my more seasoned mare followed suit.
Hello from a newbie 
I went riding on my beloved, late QH gelding GP one lazy summer day. I loved to go out bareback and trusted this horse with my life, so we zipped out to the river, went for a swim, hung out on the bank, and then moseyed home.
I was holding my boots and half chaps in one hand, and was riding him on the buckle with the other one. I was staring around at the pretty trees and bright blue sky, daydreaming my way through the walk home.
Then, all of a sudden, GP stopped, sat back on his haunches, and spun like a reiner. He took off like someone had lit his tail on fire. I haven’t a clue how I stayed on, but somehow, I did…and I managed to pull him up one handed (and didn’t drop boots or half chaps, amazingly enough!). I turned him around just soon enough to see a bunch of deer go crashing through the woods away from us. GP, who wasn’t really afraid of anything, ABHORRED deer with a burning passion. I’ll never forget that ride (among many other exciting rides on that funny beast)!!
Scariest thing for my horse was, um, well, gas.
Picture this: mature gelding, good in the arena but very green on trails. He was from Texas and I bought him in Virginia. The first time we walked into the scary woods, he jumped at every squirrel moving through the dry leaves. He jumps at a close by squirrel, the movement jiggled me, and a little “PBLAT” escaped, which spooked him again and made me giggle. Anyway, we were on a roll now, so it was PBLAT, spook, giggle; PBLAT, spook, hehehe; PBLAT, spook, HAHAHA…until, finally, by the grace of God, he stopped reacting and everything settled down both equine and intestinal.
Now, I can truly say my horse is PBLAT broke.
Now that’s funny!!!
[QUOTE=LarkspurCO;7181197]
I was riding down a dirt road alone and a man drove up next to me, pants down and “flogging his mule.” :eek:[/QUOTE]
Eww. I had a guy do this to me years ago when I was walking to a friends house. Blech.
Not really scary, but a baby bear came bounding toward me and my dog back when I lived in VA. The bear must have mistaken my sable grey dog for another bear and bounced toward us. The dog took off after it. I turned around and got out of dodge. Baby bear means momma bear and I did not want to take a chance. Luckily, my dog came running back right away when I yelled for him.
Drunken Irish brush cutters in camouflage gear and chain saws. Front horse spun up and around and lost its rider. My horse spun around after it and took off after it but fortunately I stayed on.
A yak - my horse was convinced it was a mutant bear/cow.
A rabid raccoon. We saw it last year on our way home from a ride in The Laurels, stumbling toward us in broad daylight. The horses were great but we opted to turn around and find another way home. At one point the only way home looked like jumping a large cross country fence. I think at that point I would have taken my chances with the raccoon, lol:)
In one trail ride:
For my 8 year old OTTB? The two yellow lines in the middle of the street. He jumped it like a 2’6" x-rail… Then bolted away from it when his hind feet hit the ground… The giant puddle to follow was almost as scary.
For me, age 15, first horse, first trail ride? We ended up about 10-20 feet away from the new tracks they had laid down. You’d think that late afternoon/early evening on a Sunday, Amtrak wouldn’t have anything going by. Yeah… Ok.
Oddly enough, the 2 - 20+ yr old QH’s we were with bolted into the woods and my guy just stood there like, “What, it’s a train…” And then, “OH MY GOD I’M ALONE! AAAAHHH”
