What would be faster a bear or a horse? Aren't black bear relatively unagressive? Would they start something?
Becky
Boy, I dunno. Bear are very fast when they want to be, but not for long distances. I think where we'd get caught, would be that our escape would be back down the trail you can see behind Lisa in the pic of her in the clear cut. It's a switchback trail, and not only would it be a dangerous ride fast, she'd not necessarily take the switchbacks, she could crash straight down hill.
Black bears usually aren't aggressive, they're primarily vegetarian, mostly eating berries, exception being that they'll eat carrion carcasses and garbage. They are aggressive when they have cubs, and she did.
My dad said they don't see very well, that when she stood up to see us, she probably saw movement but not exactly what we were and she would be curious. Not sure if she'd even know what we were on horseback, though she's undoubtedly seen lots of us before without event.