BS: Can Horses Swim?

Subject: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 12:28 PM

Heloo, can horses swim, i know dogs can, but waht about horses?

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 12:29 PM

yes john, horses can swim. some enjoy it - others do not. they use water therapy (excercise mostly submerged) sometimes on race horses who have been injured.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 12:31 PM

thanks.john

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 12:40 PM

Not only can horses swim, they can dive off of diving boards. Well... Sorta... Horses have no fear of height and have been used in novelty "high dive" acts where they would be ridden off of a diving platform or natural cliff into a swimming pool or lake. People go "oooh" and "aaah" over the act but it's really easy 'cause the damned horse is too stupid to know it's in danger You'd never get a mule to jump from a cliff into a lake. Mules are way too smart for that kind of crap.

Bruce

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: kendall
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 12:43 PM

All animals can swim. It's amazing..throw a chicken ito a pool it will swim, drop a cat from any height, it will land on its feet...but, push a giraffe out of a helicopter...

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 01:08 PM

Kendall - As a member of the RSPCA I am horrified to see that you are recommending Mudcatters to behave in such a cruel way. How anyone in their right mind could suggest pushhing a giraffe out of a helicopter is fun is totally beyond me........................Oh shit! There I go again, on autopilot and straight into 'Mudcat-Holier-Than-Thou-Argument' mode! :0) :0)
SJ

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: KateG
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 01:18 PM

The annual roundup of Chincoteage ponies off the coast of Virginia (USA) involves swimming the ponies from Chincotegue to Assateague (or maybe it's the other way round)...so yes, they can swim.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Jeri
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 01:37 PM

Back in the days when I had a horse, I boarded it, along with a few other folks, on property that had a large pond*. On a hot summer's day, we'd ride the horses bareback (The horses. There are issues involved in naked bareback riding that I just don't want to deal with.) into the pond and swim around for a while. When they first start to lose their footing, they jump, trying to get above the surface. It's a challenge to stay on because the horse is both slippery and shooting out of the water like a really big four-legged, hairy, fish. When it gets deep enough, they swim quite smoothly, if not very fast.

The horses seemed to like it. Most of them never refused to go into the water, and when we let them go whever they wanted, they'd head straight from the barn towards the pond.

Swimming with horses (potential fiddle tune name alert) is fine in calm water, but don't try it in a swift river, especially if it's named 'Clyde' or 'Annan'.

* A pond is spring-fed, a lake is fed by seasonal run-off, rivers and things like that. Size doesn't matter. Really.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 01:39 PM

But you HAVE to push giraffes out of helicopters - they can't see what they are doing with their necks bent down to get through the hatch and freeze up!

(Kendall didn't say nuthin' 'bout whether that 'copter was flyin' or not)

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Strick
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 01:42 PM

OK, now I'm curious. Why is push giraffes out of helicopters and not domestic turkeys ? ("Oh, the humanity!")

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Mr Red
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 01:42 PM

dunno but I know that Horses Brawl (in the key of GG)

for the knowing that is G to G minor (see the Blzabella book)

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: GUEST,Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 02:38 PM

Deer can swim, too. Near the family cabin on a lake in northern Wisconsin, I saw a deer jump in the water and swim to another point on shore maybe a quarter mile away. Someone speculated it was being chased by predators, but we didn't see any. Anyway, it doesn't seem like a reliable way to escape predators. Predators can swim, too, and probably more efficiently than a deer.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 03:44 PM

Where deer hunting with tracking dogs is allowed, the deer will often try to escape the pack by swimming across a river. Unfortunately for the deer, Bubba and Clem often have a johnboat with an outboard motor in the back of one of their pickup trucks and deer can't outswim an Evinrude. Just catch up to the deer, lasso his head, slit his throat and wait for him to die. Yes it's illegal and it will earn one a berth in the very lowest realm of sportsman's hell, but Bubba and Clem don't care.

Bruce

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: kendall
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 04:08 PM

Take a prize off any shelf Strick, you made me laugh right out loud.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: GUEST,petr
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 04:27 PM

a friend used to work with horses on bowen island (of vancouver)
and would take them out sometimes for a swim in the ocean, she said
it was an experience riding on a large animal that was just swimming on its own, plus all the critters and bugs would drop off the horse
as they didnt care for the saltwater.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Bobert
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 04:27 PM

You can lead a horse to water, but can't ma...

Opps, wrong thread...

Nvermind......

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 04:58 PM

Not only can horses swim but you can train them to learn different strokes. Our pinto pony Queenie was a real wonder. She could do the brest stroke and the Australian crawl. Unfortunately when we tried to teach her the butterfly, she strained a muscle and drown. That put an end to our horseplay.

Charley-Horse Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Rapparee
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 05:03 PM

There's moose dropping in Talkeetna, Alaska, every July. They even celebrate moose dropping with a festival. PETA should intervene!

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Ebbie
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 05:42 PM

Right, Rapaire. :)

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Bill D
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 06:19 PM

horses can swim better than they can sing, and I never saw Big Bill Broonzy swim, which proves...ummmm.....

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 06:35 PM

Yes.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Amos
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 06:39 PM

You can lead a horse to culture but you can't make her.... oh, sorrry, wrong thread....

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Metchosin
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 06:39 PM

we have a lot of deer droppings around here, no need for PETA to intereven though, the banana slugs think its candy and usually take care of it.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Strick
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 06:57 PM

"You can lead a horse to culture but you can't make her...."

Sing "Whisky In The Jar"?

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 07:09 PM

For those of you who missed it, here is a summary (plus sound clip) of the infamous turkey incident.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 07:13 PM

Here is a link to the famous diving horses of Atlantic City.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 07:22 PM

Here is a link to the Chincoteague Pony Swim. There are lots of sequential photos on this site such that, if you scroll quickly become almost like a film.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 07:35 PM

Here is a shot of a whole herd of deer swimming.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 07:40 PM

Here is a link to the moose dropping festival Rapaire mentioned. Be sure to read the panel on the right.



I seem to have gone a bit link happy tonight. Oh, well. Keeps me off the streets and out of the pool halls.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: open mike
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 07:52 PM

moose droppings make nice necklaces...or it that elk droppings?
nice and oblong like little eaters eggs...a little shelac and
wa-lah! thanks for all the links allan..skin-a-ma-rink-a-do!

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 08:14 PM

You can lead a horse to water,
But you can't grow moss on its back!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 08:23 PM

Why don't they use them for water polo then?

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 09:04 PM

According to this source they once did!

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Metchosin
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 04:18 AM

And here are some lovely samples of the product before shelac, for the discerning purchaser.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Teribus
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 04:49 AM

A. B. Paterson wrote a poem about one - "The Story of Mongrel Grey"

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Allan C.
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 08:04 AM

Oh, goody! I get to do another link! Here is "The Story of Mongrel Grey".

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 02:43 PM

A rolling stone may gather manure...

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Peace
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 08:45 PM

Dead horses don't swim well at all, jOhn.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Lyrical Lady
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 10:47 PM

I was going to answer this thread....I guess there is no point in flogging a dead horse!
LL ( who has ridden a swimming horse)

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Annie
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 11:36 PM

I'll be checking out pond versus lake, Jeri as soon as my talking dictionary is back from the shop. We don't have springs around here but we have both little ponds and big lakes. A lake can fit boats and condos and a pond can fit maybe one canoe and is always round (no imagination) and our horses always liked the pond.

They would start pawing at the water and you knew you'd better get off, urge them on, or get them away because they're getting ready to lay down or jump in. Our horses acted like it was horsenip. It was hard to stay on their back if it was shallow enough for their rear legs to boingy boing off the bottom, so we'd end up swimming beside them holding on to their mane. That was right after the impromtu horse races. Oh, such memories. Yea, bareback was a lot less trouble than putting on that danged saddle...

jOhn asks the strangest questions with no apparent motives....

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 09:06 AM

I do have fond memories of when our parents bought us a pinto pony and my mother decided to demonstrate how to ride it. She climbed aboard and we all watched in astonishment as the pony took off with mother down the lawn and then proceeded to roll over in the frog pond. Mother still claims she has no memory of this. But my brother and I survive as witnesses!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 11:23 AM

They most definately can. Race horse stables use special pools to excercise leg injured horses. I've ridden a swimming horse in a river. Picture this... hot summers afternoon, deep water, shining horse, bare back riding. OOOh wish I could do that now.

Sal

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: georgeward
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 12:47 PM

My neighbor Howie's mare swam for a good while yeaterday after she went through the ice on the...um...pond, that would be. Burdened with his infant granddaughter, he called 911. Hence the arrival of the news teams. She was gotten out of the pond in time to see herself on the evening news.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Sweetfia
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 02:39 PM

Not all horses like water...i used to ride horse that was really scared of water, even when it was just a puddle. If you tried to ask her to walk through it she'd rather rear up with you and bugger off in the other direction!!

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: GUEST,Rama Llama
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 05:09 PM

Kendall! How could you? You rode in a helocopter with a Giraffe?? Does that mean you cheated on me? It's because I'm pregnant with your child isn't it? This hurts me very dearly, Kendall. My heart is breaking. Please come home to me and the bubs. I love you, Kendall.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 05:39 PM

What? Here too? This is becoming a real soap opera.

Subject: RE: BS: Can Horses Swim?
From: rock chick
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 05:49 PM

my dog can't swim, there again he HATES water, cars, walking,other than just up the road and thats as far as he will go. Strange dog i have!