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Post by here to stay on Sept 7, 2017 15:27:36 GMT
One thing that people and horses have in common is a difference in how they locate themselves. I spent most of my riding exploring countryside. Sometimes alone and sometimes in company. And I observed there were two kinds of ways of going home in both humans and horses.
One of the people I the people that explored with was a lady who had an incredible memory for landmarks. She remembered every path, tree, rock, etc that we ever passed. I on the other hand remembered almost nothing, always looking around and enjoying the view but never retaining it percisely. I always deferred to her about which path we had taken. But I always had the sense that what I wanted was 'over in that direction.' I never felt lost although I might be unsure where we were.
For example this friend and I had done a long ride in the woods when it was getting to be dusk. It was too long to retrace our way back the way we came. My friends was very upset about not knowing exactly where she was. I looked at the several paths on offer and chose one heading generally off down hill and in the direction towards where I thought we had left the trailer. As soon as we hit a trail that looked familiar to my friend, she relaxed. She hadn't believed me and my not being worried about it had really irritated her.
When riding with another friend, the similar thing happened. Only we decided to let her horse choose the way at each fork as mine was a very green 3 year old and her horse was much older and experienced. After doing this for quite awhile, it was clear that we were not succeeding in our short cut. So we decided to let my horse make the next few choices as at every corner he had wanted the opposite direction than her horse. Within 20 minutes we hit the same paved road where we had parked the trailer and just followed it back. Neither horse had ever been there but my horse 'knew' .
So I think there are both horses and people who find their ways differently. Some by landmarks, others by orientation.
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Post by dustawaits on Sept 7, 2017 17:07:48 GMT
Years ago my cousins bought a horse just weaned off her foal. She was in very poor condition but after staying at their place 4 days she disappeared. She was 22 years old and they finally gave her up for dead. Then the calls started coming in. She was seen, here and here , very obviously heading South. She went over the mountain, survived the wolves, and kept going straight back where she had left her foal. He had been sold so he was not there. They went back to get her and she stayed home. To encourage her they bred her and she raised another foal and died on the place 4 years later.
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Post by Woodpecker on Sept 7, 2017 19:58:12 GMT
That's amazing dustawaits, even with animals, a mothers love is so strong. At least she had 4 years with her new foal. Nice happy ending.
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Post by Maura on Sept 7, 2017 22:14:51 GMT
Animals can retrace their path through scent. They follow their own scent, or use something else. Even if they are on a different trail, they air scent.
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Post by aoconnor on Sept 8, 2017 2:48:49 GMT
I am fairly good at "knowing" which direction to take. But we were out riding on a large, wooded place comprised of 2200 acres I had never ridden on before. My husband was with me, first time he had ever ridden with me! His well seasoned gelding kept wanting to turn onto paths we didn't want to go on, but after a few hours of pulling him around and heading him in OUR direction, we finally let him go his way. We were back to our trailer in 20 minutes:-) He was a smart cookie:-) Or he just knew the smell of cookies in my dressing room. I'm betting it was the cookies!
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Post by here to stay on Sept 8, 2017 3:15:25 GMT
I've heard it said that directional sense is located in the nose. I don't know whether this is true or not but if it is, horses have a large advantage.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Sept 8, 2017 14:14:13 GMT
I am fairly good at "knowing" which direction to take. But we were out riding on a large, wooded place comprised of 2200 acres I had never ridden on before. My husband was with me, first time he had ever ridden with me! His well seasoned gelding kept wanting to turn onto paths we didn't want to go on, but after a few hours of pulling him around and heading him in OUR direction, we finally let him go his way. We were back to our trailer in 20 minutes:-) He was a smart cookie:-) Or he just knew the smell of cookies in my dressing room. I'm betting it was the cookies! I had a little paint gelding when I was a kid who could take me straight home no matter where we were. One time my friend and I had got ourselves quite lost in a heavy forest (she insisted she knew the way and didn't). I finally gave my gelding a free rein and he took off in a hard trot. He was so certain of his way that when we approached forks in the trail he was leaning hard in the direction he wanted to go before we even got to the fork. My friend kept yelling at me that we were going the wrong way and I yelled back, "That's not what Rocket says and I'm taking his word for it!" Like your DH's horse, he had us back to the trailer in minutes. Sometimes my friend would go out riding an hour or so before me. When I finally headed out to catch up with her, my gelding could find her in no time. On occasion when we'd come to forks in the trail, he'd stop, put his head down and sniff the trail like a dog would, then jerk his head up and take off down the trail again. He always found her.
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Post by Maura on Sept 8, 2017 14:55:38 GMT
Horses are being used for search and rescue in isolated areas. I hear they are as good as dogs and sometimes better.
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Post by grannyg on Sept 8, 2017 15:40:54 GMT
I have busted radar....LOL....I get lost walking out of a building...I have trouble finding my car unless I pin a ribbon on the antenna....
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Post by here to stay on Sept 8, 2017 16:07:15 GMT
grannyg, as far as finding a car- the car is lost. You know perfectly well where you are when you're looking for it.
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Post by here to stay on Sept 8, 2017 16:12:54 GMT
Horses are being used for search and rescue in isolated areas. I hear they are as good as dogs and sometimes better. I just can't think that any horse I've ever known has any interest in finding any human. I would think they would only search until the cookies run out or the hill is too much work to climb.
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Post by Woodpecker on Sept 8, 2017 16:32:26 GMT
When I'm driving, I'm always looking for landmarks. Many times, lately I'll be on a road I've been on hundreds of times and can actually say to myself " where am I !" On trails when we did a lot of hiking and camping, I'd tie a bright color ribbon on a tree, to make sure we got back to the car. I'm not fond of driving unfamiliar places alone anymore. I learned years ago when I was at a concert with someone I thought was paying attention where we parked, well we couldn't find our car for over an hour. Now when parking at unfamiliar places, I make sure to have at least two landmarks to look for. This isn't old age, I've always had a terrible sense of direction.
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Post by gracielagata on Sept 9, 2017 0:25:20 GMT
All 3 of our horses have great GPS. 2 of them can get you home/to the trailer in a heartbeat, no matter the terrain or obstacles. Especially my mare.
The 3rd uses it in the reverse. Nearly any time we get to a split that goes farther from home or closer to home, he goes farther. Not because he doesn't know, but because he truly enjoys his rides out and is not lazy in the least, he wants to stay out there.
On the other hand, I always assumed that the first 2 always heading home once they are told they are allowed is a talent of inborn laziness. lol
Anyone else ever thought that about the good homing horses?
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Post by comfortablynumb on Sept 9, 2017 3:35:41 GMT
My horse always knew the way home. I could drop the reins anywhere and say "lets go home". He's walk right back to the house. And I'd take him down roads and trails he'd never seen before. Sometimes He'd take trails back he'd never been on. I used to do that just to see where he'd go.
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Post by aoconnor on Sept 9, 2017 18:30:52 GMT
Sounds like a good reason to carry a GPS. Mark the spot where you park your trailer, or your car. Proceed to your errand(s). When ready .... have the GPS point you to your car (or trailer). You can get a GPS unit that is focused for vehicle use, or one for outdoors (trails, hiking, fishing). Or a combo of both. You need to have Satellite connection. They are not reliable in deep woods with high trees, in cities with tall buildings and narrow streets, on inside underground parking garages! My favorite use of our GPS units is going Geocaching with the grandchildren! FUN activity for both the kids and the Gramma! (Basically Geocaching is searching for a hidden treasure. There are over 2,000,000 geocaches hidden all over the world!) My daughter, grandkids, and myself have gone geo cacaching a lot!! It's so much fun!
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