Posted on 09/19/2011 3:49:26 PM PDT by Baynative
Grizzlies are high profile this year.
A lingering winter and late berry crop kept bears in proximity to humans longer than normal, perhaps contributing to a stream of headlines about grizzlies killing people and people killing grizzlies.
Meanwhile, a young lady on a big horse charged out of the pack of grizzly stories near Glacier National Park. In a cloud of dust, the 25-year-old wrangler likely saved a boy’s life while demonstrating that skill, quick-thinking and guts sometimes are the best weapons against a head-on charging grizzly.
(Excerpt) Read more at spokesman.com ...
Great story, thanks for posting.
Grizzly encounter that turned out well for all Ping!
Hey, can you give us city slickers a measurement conversion on "18 hand"?
Thanks.
What a wonderful story and an incredible young lady. The horse is quite remarkable too.
I just returned from vacation and this is the first thread I’ve read in nearly a month. Thank you for posting the article.
****She started riding at 4 years old, became a pro trainer at 15, graduated from high school at 16 in Roanoke, Va., and ran a riding academy for several years.****
NOT ‘made in Hollywood’.
What a fantastic individual. Wondering if her parents raised her - or if she raised herself. She is an inspiration!
A ‘hand’ is four inches;)
(No spoilers, you have to click the link.)
As I remember one hand is six inches so tonk is nine feet high at the withers. most saddle horses are average fifteen or sixteen hands. Draft horses like percherons are often
eighteen hands.
To the city slickers: A hand is 4 inches, and horses are measured to the highest point of the withers, which is where the neck meets the back.
Great story! None of our girls are that big. Gracie’s almost 16 hands, but sh’e not likely to get much bigger than that. She’s half thoroughbred, half American Cream drafter. She’s 4 years old and a beautiful champagne color. She’s our rescure from a couple of years ago.
Tonk’s a champ, that’s for sure.
Thanks for posting - great story!!!!
Hummm.... Nice.... (The horse I mean..)
The outfitter I used for elk hunting in Montana a few years ago uses draft/quarter horse mixes. They are monsters. I had to mount on a side hill or have help and I am 6 ft tall. He told me they make the best mountain horses.
Four inches per hand, measured ground to withers. This beastie’s back was just under six feet off the ground. I was maybe five feet tall at the time. That was a big, big horse. And a really long fall that I made a couple of times and never once was it the horse’s fault.
Even for the grizzly.
How rare is that?
Should have finished - 18 hands is therefore 6 feet. (4 X18 = 72”)
Measured at the withers - and the head may be another 18-24 inches higher - depending on the length of the neck and posture.
Ooops I think you are right one hand is four inches
Great story. Thanks for posting.
That’s what I thought too, Fly. :)
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