Crazy question about groundhogs and horses

[Black Feather]

Ok, this is going to seem crazy....do groundhogs attack horses??

I ask because I heard a story the other day that someone's horse died when a groudhog attacked it and bit it's leg. The story goes that the horse beld out from the bite.

Is there any possible way that this can happen...it's sounds way too 'out there' to be true unless it's a crazy freak accident. I've seen some pretty terrible cuts/wounds on horse legs, but nothing that would cause the hose to bleed out.

Thanks!
Urban Coyote

 

[Hotwings]

I never heard of this. Groundhogs/woodchucks are certainly no friend to horses or their owners. I hear most despise them, not because they are aggressive but because of the holes they dig in the horse's pasture. Horses can step in these holes and injusre their legs. The only way I can think of a woodchuck biting a horse if it accidently stepped on it.

 

[Varisha]

Quote:
Agreed.

 

[chickbea]

Groundhogs can be vicious and territorial with other groundhogs, or if another animal actually invades their burrow. I suppose if a burrow collapsed under a horse and the woodie was at home, he may bite and run.
As for actually attacking, I can't see that happening. Woodies are pretty alert and they prefer to hide rather than fight.

 

[lively Bee's]

We have seen them stand there ground with the cows but never bite one we have also seen ground hogs fight and one or both will be all blood and wonded from the fight.

i could see a horse dieing from a bite also.

 

[MissPrissy]

Groundhogs are viscious critters. They are a pest in the area where we live. I could believe they could bite and injure an animal as to cause death.

 

[xrayman]

Don't think it'd kill a horse during the fight. But from infections from the bite later on.

 

[Black Feather]

Yeah, I know that groundhogs are a pain in the butt to horse people because of the holes they dig in pastures, but I never thought of them as being a liability in any other situation to a horses life.

I've never heard of, or seen a groundhog attack anything....and certainly not kill anything. can believe that they would threaten you if you were very close to it burrow, but I thought they were more of a flight animal, not a fight animal?

Ok, here is the main question....are there any veins or arteries in the lower part of a horses leg that would cause them to bleed out if lacerated?
I don't mean get infected later on, but litterally cause the horse to bleed out?

I've had horses all my life and have never heard of a horse bleeding out from a lower leg injury....maybe I've just had a sheltered life??

Urban Coyote

 

[Littlebigrig96]

Ok, this is going to seem crazy....do groundhogs attack horses??

I ask because I heard a story the other day that someone's horse died when a groudhog attacked it and bit it's leg. The story goes that the horse beld out from the bite.

Is there any possible way that this can happen...it's sounds way too 'out there' to be true unless it's a crazy freak accident. I've seen some pretty terrible cuts/wounds on horse legs, but nothing that would cause the hose to bleed out.

Thanks!
Urban Coyote

Sorry that it has taken 11 years to get your answer but yes, groundhogs absolutely attack horses. I'm a trail guide. Yesterday while 4 riders and myself (one rider was only 6yrs old) was out on trail and this groundhog came bounding towards us out of no where right into the midst of the horses. At first i was like oh look at this guy, what does he think he's doing? We were all kind of amazed that this little groundhog was trying to take on 5 horses. So it ran up under the horse that the 6 yr old was on. The horse jumped straight up and sadly the little girl took a tumble. I looked around and didn't see the thing so i got down and put the kid back on her horse and just as i was swinging my leg over my horse this thing came charging back into the herd. It was insane. So the other horses all started spinning around and stomping at it. One of the horses was literally smearing this groundhog into the dirt. It started screaming because this horse was not playing and he landed all of his kicks and stomps. We all saw it run off into the weeds so we just got out of there. After that it was just a bunch of nervous laughter but we all knew the severity of the situation. Luckily the kid was alright and no one else was hurt but what the heck was that all about? I started looking this up online and your post was the only one with regards to horses being attacked by groundhogs. If i wasn't there i wouldn't have believed it. It attacked us, ran off, and came back a second time with a vengeance. It may have been rabid because it seriously wasn't behaving in a normal manner. Usually they slink off into the weeds and that's if you even get a glimpse of one. It was crazy. Absolutely crazy. None of the horses got bit but the thing was seriously trying to bite so as for a horse getting bit by a groundhog and bleeding out seems a little unlikely since the horse probably wouldn't have stood still long enough to get bitten but hey who knows. I'm still shaking my head over this one. Crazy right?

 

[drumstick diva]

that is seriously crazy, I would think YES, it was rabid to take on so many horses at once.
Is there a rabies vaccine for them? I think any mammal can get/carry rabies.