Rat saves a horse

u812

u812

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Mar 15, 2002
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Ran across a strange one today. We were headed from our first call to our second. Wasn't real sure how to get there from where we were at. Made a couple wrong turns joking about how weird the day had started. When driving down a little back woods road I saw the butt of a horse from the corner of my eye. I thought something looked funny about it and decided to back up. It was standing in a strip of woods on the edge of a field over another horse. At first I thought the other horse was dead until it raised its head. I quickly saw what had happened,it for some reason kicked and wedged its rear foot straight between two hickory trunks. We having bare bones equipment called for backup but it was over an hour away. The horse was having trouble breathing and in real danger of breaking its leg. I started chopping with my Swamp Warden. What ever this tree is was the hardest wood I have ever seen. Still thinking about going back to get that trunk to make a walking staff. In the end I got though it and freed the horse before backup got on scene. Heres a pic I snapped while letting a cramp get out of my arm. No damage to the edge at all.
With the strange way we ran across this I do believe a higher power must have been watching over this horse.
 
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Good for you, that's just great !!!!!! Poor horse had to be freaked out ! Good eye for things, usually tunnel vision kicks in going call to call, good peripheral vision ! Glad it all worked out. And that's crazy what that small bade did !
 
Whoa, that's nuts! :eek: Nice work though! :thumbup:

Did you chop with the Warden, or baton it?
 
you should get that branch and send it to the shop. looks like it would make pretty cool scales for a knife and that would be a great addition to this crazy story.
 
Wow!! Nice work!! That is a crazy story!!!
I'm curious to know if you chopped or batoned as well. Chopping with that Warden would be HARD work!!!
 
I chopped with it and my arm is feeling it right now. Nothing laying around there that would make a good baton.
I would like to go back and get that trunk. You can see in the pics it is 50/50 white and red wood. I think the tree was either a hickory or walnut. Did not really notice the leaves.
 
Changing the title to mouse saves a horse would be more accurate... isn't Warden the smallest offering from the swamp? Good job, though I bet your arm wishes you had a spare tire jack or hi-lift jack or a winch or a come-a-long to spread those trunks until they split, or maybe a slightly bigger knife, but sometimes we just have to make do. ;) That's dedication right there! :thumbup:
 
Horses like rolling around on their back in the dirt to dustbathe to repel bugs as well as scratch their back. The problem is they are not made to do that and are extremely awkward about getting back up which involves a lot of kicking. That looks like what happened there, good kick in a bad spot and oops. Some of the most fascinating stories are the crazy ways animals take themselves out unintentionally.
 
Wow that is insane! Thankfully you had your Swamp Warden on you! Awesome save! Thanks for sharing :thumbup:
 
Great story. Hickory is HARD. If you cut it with a power saw in the dark, you can see it throw sparks. If you ever do a significant project with hickory lumber, you can count on going through several saw blades, as well as drill and router bits.

Great work!
 
That is one lucky horse, great job! I suggest that if you go back to get the trunk you bring a Mountainmandu sized Rat, or something even bigger. :)
 
Wow I mean wow that is a awesome story and that is some dedication on your part.
Proud to call you friend.
 
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