I loaded Pilgrim up in the trailer and went over to a neighbors to help trail his first calf heifers home. Just three of us horse back, but it wasn’t a real big bunch and the people who’s pasture we were trailing thru’ were out and moving their cattle out of the way.
The wind kept picking up and as we got closer to being done, the harder it blew. It was good to get done and out of the wind.
I found out Pilgrim doesn’t care for rattlesnakes buzzing underneath him, also. When one went off, so did he! He jumped and hogged a round a few jumps, I lost my glasses and had a little trouble to get to them located and keep him calm enough to pick them up and get back on. I sure was glad I stayed on thru’ his little storm. It would have been a shame if I had gotten bucked off and landed on the poor little snake and squished him. 😉
Dennisranch 
The visual of you getting bucked off and landing on a rattlesnake made me laugh! Glad it didn’t really happen because old folks tend to break more easily than the young ‘uns.
My daughter was once riding a young green horse when it was bit. I was up ahead and when I heard the ruckus, I turned and saw the filly going up in the air in a explosion. We had always taught the girls that when a horse shows signs of blowing up to get off if possible. I asked her later why she hadn’t tried to get off and she said she started to but looked down and saw the snake and decided she’d rather try to stay on (which she did).
The horse recovered from the snakebite only to die from blister beetle poisoning in the hay a year later. She was a sweet and pretty paint mare.
LOL It sucks when you need glasses to actually FIND your glasses………..been there! This reminds me of a few years back when we were trailing some cattle and the neighbor ladies horse spooked a a snake. He jumped sideways 30 feet and she was hanging out there with just a toe in the stirrup and her fingertips on her saddlehorn when she caught a closeup glimpse of the what had goosed her horse. She pulled that colt right back under her……………..fast!!
Not squishing him might have been worse.
Lost my glasses once while out riding and the search has become a family legend. Glad you found yours all right.
Go figure. Me and Pilgrim got something in common. I would’ve jumped too.
If I can see a snake, I am fine. If I can hear one and not see him, then I get jumpy also. I sure don’t blame Pilgrim. Woody don’t like them either, nor does Beaver, tho’ the Beav don’t get quite as excited. Beavers sire, Kid, would stand over one and chew his cud, so to speak.
Only seen one on the ranch all summer and was in too big a hurry to get off and kill him.
Many of the Indian tribes revered them.
I recall hearing a Sioux legend of three brothers, two of whom disobey the gods and become rattlesnakes, but their brother doesn’t abandon them and so they protect each other — or something like that. Once read that the word Sioux was actually originally an insult propagated by their enemies — meaning “little snakes” — but Wikipedia says that’s a misinterpretation …
Regardless, I guess you aren’t Sioux, JB, and probably closer related to Jerry Clower — third link down on this page:
http://www.dizzler.com/index.search.dv8?f=1&q=Jerry+Clower