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I ride with horse and dog here in the east Maryland. See lots of deer and sometimes turkey ,but no bear or coyotes.
Bears still about a 100 miles away and not in coastal areas. Once in a while a male young black bear has wondered into Fairfax Va looking for territory. Bears are starting to get closer to suburban areas and are becoming a problem. We had bear season last year for the first time. Typical bleeding hearts fussed and the season was only 2 days.But if bears learn fear of humans then unfortunate clashed will be reduced.

About the mother and family in Tenn. That is wilderness and it is known bear country. Still black bears do not attack children usually. They go after campers food which is why they get close to campgrounds.

Rangers in the Smokies are really strict about keeping food safe in the campgrounds.

I agree with Hair of the dog about safely shooting from horseback. Trying to get the horse from spooking and getting a gun is very difficult. The fox hunter do shoot blanks from horseback so it is done safely.

Horses are quick to notice predators and will spin and run first. Not a bad idea with cougars.

The only cougar I have run into on horseback was a pair that was caged on a farmers land and we would ride right next to the cage. The cougars were used in a magic show