# Do prarie dogs injure horses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 20, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789 "2009-09-20T02:42:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/21 "2009-09-20T23:36:23Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I have a friend who grew up on a cattle ranch in South Dakota. I asked him about prairie dogs and broken legs once, and he said he never once heard of a horse or cow who broke its leg in a prairie dog hole. > > I also asked him about cow tipping; he said he’d never seen a sleeping standing cow, and even if he had found one, a cow is a skittish beast; no way could a person, much less several drunken frat boys, sneak up on one without it waking up and simply walking away. A hand-milked dairy cow (very rare these days) is not neccesarily skittish of someone approaching her. Talk to her and give her some grain. a bucket full will do nicely. Talk to her and pet her and act like you’re going to milk her. She might think it’s a weird time, but probably won’t resist. A cow being milked is very relaxed and they actually it if you do it right. Still, she might just walk off. Let her see your buddies too. The tipping part isn’t easy, but it is possible. But it isn’t very nice, and you probably won’t be allowed near her again. Not for a while. We actually felt pretty badly, and guilty as hell. ☹ Milk cows _are_ mommies, after all. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/22 "2009-09-21T01:11:28Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > A horse wouldn’t spook at a burrow. He/she would simply avoid it, the same as if you weren’t riding. You don’t tell a horse where to put it’s feet, just what direction to go and how fast. Mostly. If you’re heading home, then all bets are off. I’ve seen a horse spook at the hay rack in the pasture she was always turned out to. We were approaching it from an unusual side, and I guess she didn’t recognize it. Some horses will spook at damn near anything. I can imagine a hypothetical situation of a horse trotting or cantering and not noticing a burrow under long grass or somesuch. I did once ride a horse that stumbled on what turned out to be a loose rock along a path. He recovered very nicely and I only lost a stirrup, but it could have been a lot worse had we been going faster, I think. But it remains true that I have never heard of an actual prairie-dog burrow horse or cow injury. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/23 "2009-09-21T01:20:29Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > You’ll never get the proof you need. By definition, its an underground organization. You could say they fly _'way_ below the radar. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/24 "2009-09-21T01:23:20Z")
Varmints are varmints. It keeps the crazies busy and away from regular people. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/25 "2009-09-21T01:27:13Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > You could say they fly _'way_ below the radar. So, therefore, my dear Watson, we can deduce that all prairie dogs are heterosexual. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/26 "2009-09-21T01:40:50Z")
My riding was for a pretty short time in my early teens, and the horses were unsophisticated working horses on farms and were ridden almost daily. We rode them among dogs, cats, cars, pickups and tractors, and all manner of machinery. They hung out with us in the “yard”, and would often pester us while we played. They weren’t at all skittish. I did know people who had thoroughbreds and show horses. Even some of those horses who jumped over stuff in competitions. Different animals, for sure. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/27 "2009-09-21T01:54:36Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Varmints are varmints. It keeps the crazies busy and away from regular people. I wish. They live among us in their many guises. ---
**Author:** ![moldmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@moldmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moldmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/28 "2009-09-21T17:23:51Z")
I grew up on a ranch in SD and don’t know of any actual case of a broken leg because of a prarrie dog hole. Horses normally are very cautious about where they step. It is possible for a horse to fall where they don’t see something. I had a horse fall and go ass over teakettle when he tripped over a little washed out area as I loped up to my brother. Luckily I was thrown clear as there was mud on the saddle horn and probably would have had my back broken. I did go to my high school graduation with the left side of my face scabbed up where I landed and skidded. The reason animals are unlikely to step in a prarrie dog hole and ranchers dislike them is one and the same. They kill the grass so the towns are very barren areas. The towns spread out as they look for fresh grass. Maybe in the very long term they have their niche as far as aerating the soil but in that part of the world it is very dry and it is poor soil. It takes a long time for the grass to reestabilish itself. One of the reasons for their success is most things don’t like to eat them. Rattlesnakes and owls do. Coyotes will if hungry. We had a cat that would kill them but not eat them. Hunting will thin the town out but is unlikely to eliminate them. Dad tries to keep them under control but not eliminate them as they are part of the prarrie. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/29 "2009-09-21T18:05:43Z")
Some people call them “varmints”. Oklahoma? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/30 "2009-09-21T19:14:57Z")
The F-I-L is a large animal vet and I don’t recall him ever mentioning having to put horses or cattle down from stepping into a hole. He and other ranchers do detest them though because of the danger of a thrown rider and because they remove the vegetation around their burrow and, multiplied by hundreds and thousands of times, that area is fairly substantial. We have a number of large towns on our place, constituting many thousands of burrows. In an arid environment the damage can last for quite a few years. For grins I just looked at one via Google Map’s satellite view. The scars from individual burrows are very distinct and the damage due to a town is appreciable. You give up that much vegetation and you reduce your carrying capacity. It’s just that simple. Danger to a horse, no. Economic impact, yes. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/31 "2009-09-21T20:23:14Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I remember seeing a show on Discovery Channel or Animal Planet or something where they showed an alternative method of prairie dog control. Basically this guy had a modified pump truck–one of those that they use to pump out septic tanks and sewers–and he would stick the hose down into the prairie dog holes and suck the little critters right out of the ground! You could actually see them flying through the translucent hose and into the truck! Some of them might be relocated to “friendlier” places, but a lot of them wind up being killed later, and apparently some of them get injured pretty badly during the extraction, so it’s not necessarily a more humane method than shooting them. Maybe better than poison, though. I think you’ve been watching too much Wallace and Gromit while on LSD. ---
**Author:** ![ianjohnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@ianjohnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianjohnson)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/32 "2009-09-21T20:31:58Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I remember seeing a show on Discovery Channel or Animal Planet or something where they showed an alternative method of prairie dog control. Basically this guy had a modified pump truck–one of those that they use to pump out septic tanks and sewers–and he would stick the hose down into the prairie dog holes and suck the little critters right out of the ground! You could actually see them flying through the translucent hose and into the truck! Some of them might be relocated to “friendlier” places, but a lot of them wind up being killed later, and apparently some of them get injured pretty badly during the extraction, so it’s not necessarily a more humane method than shooting them. Maybe better than poison, though. Did he have an assistant who was a dog that could stand and operate the machinery? Sounds like a Wallace and Gromit fan who managed to create a working version of the BunVac 6000. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/33 "2009-09-21T20:58:26Z")
> [@ianjohnson](#): > > Did he have an assistant who was a dog that could stand and operate the machinery? Sounds like a Wallace and Gromit fan who managed to create a working version of the BunVac 6000. Nope, it’s real. > **[News Archives](https://www.findarticles.com/news/)** > > Explore the News Articles featuring Technology, Business, Entertainment, and Science & Health topics. Access reports, insights, and stories. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/34 "2009-09-22T00:01:57Z")
[Here’s a youtube video of the prairie dog sucking truck in action.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRsD-jzZT5w) The video quality isn’t very good, but it’s worth it to see the little suckers flying into the truck. ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/35 "2009-09-22T18:47:07Z")
This thread is not complete without a link to the infamous [How to kill evil Nazi groundhogs](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=15906&highlight=nazi+groundhogs), one of Scylla’s early works (he is the OP with no name). ---
**Author:** ![Joe22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9f8e36/32.png) [@Joe22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe22)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/36 "2015-07-16T10:23:36Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > All my varmit sniping buds insist that they work for the good of poor farmers by killing off prarie dogs (and any other burrowing creatures) because galloping horses step in the holes and have to be killed. > Believe me, I’ve looked high and low for any evidence that this happens. I’ve found none. I have found that they can spread bubonic plague. > So I come here for a factual answer; > Do prarie dogs’ holes cause horses to be injured and killed. > Peace, > mangeorge > Prairie dogs Yes, prairie dog holes can indeed injure horses. My sister is a vet and had to put two horses down last month which stepped in prairie dog holes and broke their legs. ---
**Author:** ![Joe22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9f8e36/32.png) [@Joe22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe22)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/37 "2015-07-16T10:45:48Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > The F-I-L is a large animal vet and I don’t recall him ever mentioning having to put horses or cattle down from stepping into a hole. He and other ranchers do detest them though because of the danger of a thrown rider and because they remove the vegetation around their burrow and, multiplied by hundreds and thousands of times, that area is fairly substantial. > > We have a number of large towns on our place, constituting many thousands of burrows. In an arid environment the damage can last for quite a few years. For grins I just looked at one via Google Map’s satellite view. The scars from individual burrows are very distinct and the damage due to a town is appreciable. You give up that much vegetation and you reduce your carrying capacity. It’s just that simple. > > Danger to a horse, no. Economic impact, yes. Maybe that particular vet, to your knowledge, has not encountered broken horse legs from prairie dog holes, but my sister is a vet and she has. Two last month. Poor horses broke their legs and had to be put down. Sad. The vermin also carry bubonic plague around where we live. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/38 "2015-07-16T16:12:29Z")
> [@Joe22](#): > > Yes, prairie dog holes can indeed injure horses. My sister is a vet and had to put two horses down last month which stepped in prairie dog holes and broke their legs. Just want to let you know that this is a six year old thread, and that a few of the people that posted in it aren’t here any more. In fact, the person you responded to hasn’t been here for about a year and a half, so don’t be surprised if you don’t get a response. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/39 "2015-07-16T16:31:43Z")
Once when eating an one of my uncle’s farms, I was told the source of the meat I was eating. A dairy cow how stepped into a hole and broke its leg. Had to be put down on the spot. Also, butchered on the spot. Too heavy to move in one piece. They put down a lot of plastic tarps and treated it like a big deer. Nice and sanitary, right? ---
**Author:** ![moojja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@moojja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moojja)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789/40 "2015-07-16T19:58:09Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Once when eating an one of my uncle’s farms, I was told the source of the meat I was eating. > > A dairy cow how stepped into a hole and broke its leg. Had to be put down on the spot. > > Also, butchered on the spot. Too heavy to move in one piece. They put down a lot of plastic tarps and treated it like a big deer. Nice and sanitary, right? Why wouldn’t it be sanitary? Butcher houses are not that clean. The meat you ate was fresher than anything at the store. I would assume less contaminates just b/c less cows are processed and a lot less people are involved. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prarie-dogs-injure-horses/510789.md?page=3)