Like humans, horses can develop night blindness. I discovered this the hard way as I was making my way down a steep mountain trail after a long day of elk hunting in Colorado. The Appaloosa worked well during the day, but as the sun began to set, she began tripping over every real and imagined object along the trail. The horse managed well enough until we came to a steep bank along the Yampa River. On the other side of the river was the corral and food for the horse. Rather than taking the trail to the river, where we could ford across it, the horse decided that launching itself off a 15-foot cliff into the water was the most expedient way to get across. I was simply along for the ride. I still have grip marks around the wrist of my rifle stock from that misadventure.
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