When horse hunting, especially in bc, it's not just about being able to shoot at an animal quickly.
It is not uncommon for a moose or a bear to step out of the trees just ahead of the horses - and that can often cause horses to bolt. They don't like moose at all and they definately dont' like bears.
If the horse takes off - you could be on your ass. My dad who guided on horseback for years always taught us to rig the scabbard so if you fall off you can easily grab the gun on your way down so to speak.
That at least leaves you on the ground with a gun, and if the mag is loaded you can rack one without having to fumble for ammo which may or may not have been with you when you fell.
He had a 'gun proof' horse, but always dismounted to shoot. What HE loved is that the horse didn't like the gun shots, so he'd just watch it's ears as they were going thru the woods. If the horse smelt a moose - it's ears would go back and it'd get annoyed because it knew what was coming next, and dad would know he had to start looking around
(plus he'd look cool to the customers - "hold on boys - my superior hunting senses tell me there's a moose somewhere abouts..."
It is not uncommon for a moose or a bear to step out of the trees just ahead of the horses - and that can often cause horses to bolt. They don't like moose at all and they definately dont' like bears.
If the horse takes off - you could be on your ass. My dad who guided on horseback for years always taught us to rig the scabbard so if you fall off you can easily grab the gun on your way down so to speak.
That at least leaves you on the ground with a gun, and if the mag is loaded you can rack one without having to fumble for ammo which may or may not have been with you when you fell.
He had a 'gun proof' horse, but always dismounted to shoot. What HE loved is that the horse didn't like the gun shots, so he'd just watch it's ears as they were going thru the woods. If the horse smelt a moose - it's ears would go back and it'd get annoyed because it knew what was coming next, and dad would know he had to start looking around
(plus he'd look cool to the customers - "hold on boys - my superior hunting senses tell me there's a moose somewhere abouts..."
