When Cal played at USC last Fall the Trojans scored a touchdown and shortly thereafter Traveler came out to parade around the Coliseum. As he was returning some of the Cal bandmembers thought that it would be funny to play very loudly as he came by, to scare him. They did. He jumped and landed on one of their cheerleaders. She's lucky she wasn't hurt; she could have been killed.

Yesterday I was walking Khaleel along a street with a 25 mph speed limit. A couple of idiots in a pickup were coming down the street and figured that it would be fun to scare the horse: the driver gunned it just before they passed us. Khaleel jumped, but fortunately missed me. If I had had a rock I would have thrown it at the truck, and I have a pretty good arm.

Why are people so stupid as to try to scare a horse (Khaleel weighs about 800 lbs.; Traveler is probably in the 1,100 - 1,200 lb. range) when there are people around who can get seriously hurt, not to mention that the horse could get seriously hurt?

I do not understand the stupidity of some people.

 

Cal is not the first idiot band to do that stunt. In 1990 I beleive Stanford did the same thing. Traveler threw Tommy off (injuring him in the process), kicked one of their cheerleaders, and ran straight across the field during the game and into the SC bench. I've never seen a bunch of burly football players move so fast.

 

I once read a letter to the editor of the LA Times by a lady whose horse got loose on the freeway. She had it standing quietly by the side of the road calmly when some young jerks drove by and let out a blood-curdling scream. The horse bolted and injured itself so badly it had to be destroyed on the spot. Bill, I'm glad your horse is OK.

 

don't get me started on my downfall of society rant

 

Josh, your rant, whatever it consists of, is right on.

 

I agree with Magician here that some people are so stupid that they shouldn't be allowed out on their own ..... I used to live close to where they run the Derby in England and drove past race horses, being walked down the road, on a daily basis, so I know how dangerous it can be, since I have seen idiots that don't bother to slow down as they go past ....

With regard to Traveler however (I am assuming this is another horse ....) I would question whether it is responsible of the team/owners to have a horse that it upset by loud noises walking around in a stadium past bands and the like in close proximity to so many people.

If you have ever seen how police horses act when very loud noises are set off close to them, you would see that horses can be trained to put up with that sort of thing ......

 

I'm glad I wasn't in that band when I went to Berkeley. That's mean.

 

"There are two things that are infinite: the universe, and human stupidity.... and I'm not too sure about the universe"

- Albert Einstein

I just thought this quote would apply

 

Man, that's not only stupid, it's insensitive and flat out a danger to the public. I admit, the rare time riders are on the side of the road I don't slow down MUCh, but I do go to the other side of the road so that I don't pass close to the horses. If I have to go right by the horses (ie, the other lane is blocked), I definitely slow down. Revving an engine or startling the horse (or whatever - dogs or cats can be just as bad) is flat out stupid. I can't say it enough. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Glad your horse was fine, though.

 

P.S. Why don't you follow the truck to their home next time, then ride your horse through their mobile trailer? Oh wait, you might hurt the horse. Well, throw the rock through their window or something.