I Hate Deer
If you roll up to my farm nowadays it looks like we are home to thirty or so horses and a flock of deer.
They even stay in the paddocks to graze like horses. Sometimes they're in Runkle's field! His field borders the woods so I see them hop through the fence and mingle with them eating all the grass.
Can someone please explain to me why the deer are okay in the field with him but the second I am on him they are bloodthirsty murderers?
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| Normal deer. |
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| Deer while Runkle is under saddle. |
Yesterday I had a jump lesson (OUTSIDE!! AFTER WORK!! IN THE DAYLIGHT!!) and the deer were back. Runkle saw them but didn't seem super fussed. He was bug eyed but he had more of an issue with the fact that they made an enormous ruckus getting through the fence to get away from us.
The jump lesson continued without any deer-related hitches but plenty of Megan-not-keeping-her-shoulders-back and Runkle's-stuck-at-the-poll issues. Three quarters of the way through the lesson a couple of the deer were back hanging out on the grass behind the jump field.
I thought horses were supposed to have good eyesight. Runkle didn't see them until soooo late, if they were lions he'd be dead. I guess Thoroughbreds arent known for their survival skills. But he stopped so suddenly I almost kept going right off his back, and then he did his run sideways thing that I'm going to patent soon. If we ever got to the 4* level the canter halfpass would be no issue, he does it at the gallop. He's got tremendous reach.
He finally got over it and we finished the lesson. Or more like, I decided to get my balls out of my purse and get over it. After I did the exercise (while the deer looked on, and then noisily climbed through the fence) my trainer said "Wow, you really dug deep there and got over that". At which point I informed her that I had trouble sitting in the turns because my butthole was so tight.
So can someone please explain to me why horses can graze in a field full of deer but why they lose their rag when a person is on their back?? Or is Runkle just a dumb baby TB?? Or both.
ugh. f*ing deer. at isabel's farm they would nap around the arena, in the shadowy underbrush. i'd try to preemptively chase them off by riding over and yelling at them. but damn if they wouldn't give me the most disdainful side eye, and make some big show of slowly clambering away. as if i was somehow making life hard for them. ugh. jerks.
ReplyDeleteI was up in Maine visiting my rents last weekend and we saw deer and first of all they were TWICE the size of the deer in dirty jerz. and second of all they were ACTUALLY afraid of people!! no side eye, and they were quiet as mice running away from us. proper deer.
DeleteThank the Lord my pony isn't fussed by deer unless they legit jump out of the corn in front of him. Once I was riding in an arena at night, and Dino kept doing this weird little 'scoot.' I was ready to be all annoyed with him when I realized that there was an entire herd of deer crossing through the arena RIGHT BEHIND HIM. Good, good pony. We've also nearly run over geese while doing canter sets. Pony don't care.
ReplyDeletei'm jealous!!! I think that's a pony thing tho. they're just stubborn little shits who are like "you lookin at me?? you wanna go?"
DeleteLOL basically. He knows he could fight a deer and win, so it ain't no thing.
DeleteClearly, he feels he needs to save you from them. So full of chivalry.
ReplyDeleteI have a paddock behind my ring, but it's lower. So I can't see what's in the paddock until I'm almost up to it and looking down into it. They aren't usually there in the daytime, but in the fall when I'm riding in the dark (with some lights, I'm not that crazy) they LOVE to cause ruckus. I've nearly died so many times. I hate deer.
ooooo its CHIVALRY. i get it now. that makes sense. what a sweet horse.
DeleteI really dont understand why they're scary. do they smell foreign? do they carry knives? I think if runkle saw a wolf he'd wander over to play with the 'puppy'. meanwhile deer are death traps.
To be fair, my horses are also afraid of bunnies and squirrels... They really need a masculine figure in their lives.
DeleteYeah, Stinker is not ok with deer when riding, but maybe he is just a dumb baby(ish) saddlebred? It is really annoying tho.
ReplyDeletethe worst. I wish they would just get over it...
DeleteI don't know if Courage has seen deer, lol. My old man was just fine with them, which was awesome.
ReplyDeleteI always assume they're spooking in solidarity with the deer. My idiot horse, though. He has no problems with deer leaping out of the woods on top of him, but a deer grazing quietly near the outdoor ring? Fucking terrifying. He'll stand in the corner shaking and staring and screaming "DEER OUT OF PLACE! NOT A PLACE FOR DEER! WHY IS IT NOT RUNNING AND AFRAID?! I MUST SAVE IT!"
ReplyDelete