# Encountering snakes on the trail!



## Day Mares (Jul 16, 2011)

Hiya. I was having a bareback ride on Sienna today. I was singing loudly and pointing at the sky when Sienna shuffles sideways off the trail. I look down and see a BIG SHINY BLACK SNAKE disappear into the long grass. :-o OMG!!! :shock:

I've got other similar stories about my reawakened sense of the power of nature thanks to riding in the Australian bush. Anyone else experience snakes on the trail?


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

I have only seen a snake once on the trails and I was riding sammy who took a wide path around it, we paused and watched it slither away into the long grass and bushes. I only saw the tail end of but it was pretty thick so it must have been pretty long and it was a red belly black. I had a shiver go up my spine as we rode away lol.


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

We see snakes on the trail all the time mostly rattlers. We give the a wide berth if we can and always have snake bite kit in the saddle bags
I got thrown a few years ago because a rattler didn't let me know he was there until I was right on top of him. Fortunately, neither me or my horse got bitten.
I hate snakes.


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## CanyonCowboy (Apr 30, 2010)

All the time. Different types, some poisonous. Got bit when I was six by a copperhead. Just give them a little space and they'll move off. They (pit vipers like rattlesnakes) can only strike less than the length of their body, so if you say 10' away you are totally safe. My mare is scared of most, and often thinks branches across trail is another snake.

Lots of people will kill them on sight, particularly rattlers. Unless you are close to home, around children, etc. I strongly don't recommend that. 1) they are a part of the ecosystem; 2) if you kill the ones that rattle and move, you select for quiet ones you don't see until bitten. Here in the urban border of southern Cal, most rattlers will not rattle when scared because selection pressure has removed the "early rattlers."


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

We run into the occassional Rattler and a few other non-venomous snakes. But we don't see a lot of the because of the elevations we ride at. When I ride in the desert, it usually winter and spring and the snakes are holed up that time of year.

The 2-3 times a year I come across a rattler, I just give it room to slither off.

A funny story, One day we were really booking down the trail, A rattler was laid out sunning on the trail, as we roared by, It attemped to curl up from it's stretched out position. The horse and I both saw at as it started to coil up, but we were already on top of it. It got wrapped around the horses hind leg and as the leg came forward, It got whipped about 15 feet out ahead of us. Of course , we were way past it by time it recovered from being thrown.


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Actually, yes. I was riding Noah (his first trail ride, too! x.x) just a month or two ago- also singing (ironic...maybe snakes like music! lol), when all of a sudden he crowhops in the air and spins. I look down to see a three and a half (they usually dont get that big) foot long Coral snake bunched in the middle of the trail! Scared the crap out of both of us! haha.

We have a huge problem with both Coral anakes and Copperheads. We once found a six foot long snake under our deck...right where a bunch of little kids were playing!


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

I have what we call valley horses, rattlers are rare in the valley. When we happen to run across rattlers in central/eastern part of the state my horses don't have a clue what that rattling means. They would walk right over the snakes without a second thought if I didn't steer them away. To them it's just another snake that will slither out of the way when approached.


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## Tayz (Jan 24, 2009)

I know one snaake story, 
We were having a gymkhana at my riding club so there was about 20 people riding, give or take. three quarters were little kids on ponies while a quarter were teenagers. Anyway I was in the dressage arena with the other teens and the little kids were in the sporting arena when a snake began to make his way through the sporting arena. All the little kids were trotting and cantering around and none of the little kids saw it so they nearly trodded on it but then it slithered out of their into our arena. And it was a king brown and because the little kids would be sleeping there the night my riding instructor at the time grabbed a shovel and made it a head-less snake.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Ooooh all this is creepy, thats one thing that makes me so glad I live in New Zealand... We don't have snakes, or even big spiders (that I know of) or anything much else that can cause harm haha :lol:

I don't know how you all cope I would be a nervous wreck


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## Tianimalz (Jan 6, 2009)

"I'm tired of these motherf***ing snakes on my motherf***ing trail!!"

For all those who know about Snakes on a Plane, it had to be done.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

For all the years I've been trail riding, I've only come across a snake once, a few weeks ago. He was about 2 1/2' long and stretched out in the middle of the trail. I thought he was dead so I walked Bonnie over him then got off to throw him into the bushes thinking that another horse might spook.

I picked up a branch and when I tried to pick him up, I find out that he was very much alive. Fortunately he was nothing more then a black snake but it still startled me when he started slithering around on the trail. We have quite a few copperheads and some rattlers in our area but many more black snakes - which is a good thing.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

If I saw a snake on the trail, I would probably jump off and try to catch it. I have always loved snakes, even as a little kid.


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## prairiewindlady (Sep 20, 2011)

Several years ago we were out riding and my German Shepherd who was with us at the time was bitten by a Copperhead. She wasn't doing anything besides trotting down the trail behind the horses, so it was somewhat scary. Fortunately she was fine. But a year later, at the same farm, one of our elderly ponies was bitten as well (she recovered also). We have since moved but, again, a few months ago my sister found a copperhead in an empty feed bucket. Needless to say, I steer clear of any and all snakes nowadays...


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## atomic (Aug 15, 2011)

Living in Florida, there are plenty of snakes and as a result I have encountered many on the trail. I'm just like Allison Finch, I love snakes and would sooner try to catch/examine a snake than run away and certainly would not kill it. In fact I lead a very similar childhood, my main hobby was running around catching any sort of reptile or amphibian I could! I can understand how people are scared of them, but honestly they are not going to bother you and if anything highly prefer to be away from you. Snakes are very much a part of the ecosystem and it makes me sad to hear about people killing them, "just because", even the venomous ones.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## thesilverspear (Aug 20, 2009)

I love snakes. Had pet corn snakes growing up. I was happy enough, though, that my horse would spook at and avoid rattlers, which were plentiful in Colorado. There were other horses at the barn who weren't as clever, including one who got bit on the nose because he wanted to say "hi" to a rattlesnake.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

These tales (pardon the pun) make me most appreciative of our cold, now and woozie little garter snakes with no poison. Our winters are too long for poisonous snakes, at least that's the story I'm buying.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

To get to the trails on the back of our property, we have to ride over this big, dry rock area....Rattlers galore. I went out there and moved every moveable rock to clear a path....Doesn't mean the snakes won't still lay in the trail, but at least no there are no rocks they can hide under and sneak up on me. Really scared me once, I was riding Rebel on my first trail ride with him, he tripped on a rock and two big as hell snakes slittered right out and darted away. Those ones weren't rattlers as much as old bullsnakes, but if they had been, we'd have been a dead pair!


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

With all the miles I put on my QH I'd come across many snakes. We didn't ride "trails" but went anywhere we wanted. She never worried about them I've had to pull her up before because she was happilly moving at a quick step right towards a huge Eastern Timber Rattlesnake that was singing it's rattles and trying to move to wherever it thought we might not be going (they don't want to get stepped on by a horse). Same with Cottonmouths or Copperheads. She was just never bothered about snakes, but I was and had to keep an eye out because I knew she would just ride up and stomp on them. She had the same contempt for dogs that came out of their yards to challenge her.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

I had my first experience riding a full sized horse and snake encounter at the same time!
I was 7 and riding a beautiful Arabian mare around a pasture. I went along
a ridge above a pond and stretched across the path was a a giant water snake!
The mare only saw it as we were right on top of it and jumped about 10 ft.
off the ridge, I managed to stay on but the saddle slipped and rolled me under
her with my boot caught in the stirrup. She dragged me across the rocky pasture
to the gate (about the length of a football field) to where her pasture buddy was
tied. I made it ok, a few stitches to the head and a severely twisted ankle...

The other day we were checking fence and a 4 ft. rattler raced across the pasture
and hid in the bushes right next to me. Now I'm ready for em and it met my 
shotgun named "Die Mother ......"!

I also have two 6 ft black snakes that live under my patio steps, and they are
more than welcome here. My dogs have been bit about 20 times by them but
they are worth their weight in gold keeping the baby rattlers out of the yard!

Here is a 3 1/2 ft copperhead I killed in the barn...









Have any of you encountered one of these on the trail?








The turtle, not the kid!


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I was riding with a friend of mine today (long ride, 4hrs+) and on the way out we passed a turtle! It was sooooo cool. And then on the way back there was a big tiger snake, black with yellow stripes. It wasn't entirely unexpected, it's snake season here now and we were riding near a lot of water (tiger snakes eat frogs), but still... scary!

Oh, and I love snakes, long as they're not venomous. Tigers are venomous AND aggressive. Yeahhh.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

We've seen snakes, gila monsters, javelina (wild pigs), pumas, coyotes, armadillos, skunks, bison and deer.


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## hillree (Dec 30, 2010)

I wasn't on my horse at the time, but we walked by a little black snake one time while I was leading her. She didn't even look it at. Either she didn't see it, or she doesn't fear snakes the same way she fears cows. ;P


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

hillree said:


> I wasn't on my horse at the time, but we walked by a little black snake one time while I was leading her. She didn't even look it at. Either she didn't see it, or she doesn't fear snakes the same way she fears cows. ;P


So true in my case too. I had used my boy several times to help round up some cows with no problems. One day we are riding along the road and 3 young steers saw us and came charging up to the fence for a closer look. Every since he gives cows a wide berth if I let him. Snakes..they are beneath his notice.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

I haven't seen any snakes this year, but I didn't trail ride too much, and now it's too cold. I did go on a ride today and get "attacked" by a flock of birds and a cat though. The birds flying up made ME jump harder than Amber. The cat...I saw from a long way off, and he refused to move out of our way. I had to go around. Amber just stuck her nose down and blew on him and continued.

I'd rather see birds and cats than snakes...I hate snakes. I would turn around and go right back where I came from, at a gallop!


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

I've killed 5 rattlers this summer. If I see them I usually stop and kill them with a rock or a big stick. It's pretty easy to kill them since they don't have legs.


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## Angelina1 (Apr 11, 2011)

We are just heading into snake season, I have seen plenty while riding over the years - unfortunately the ones that cross our path are Brown Snakes and are quite deadly and aggressive. We lost our dog 2 years ago while she was protecting the family from one of these snakes as it had come up to the front door. She killed the snake, but she was also bitten and died 15 minutes later. If we see one near the house or horses, they are destroyed..


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