Is there any Lore explaining why a perfectly healthy and non-threatening Coyote would follow a horse and rider

Question

While riding the other day a large healthy female Coyote tracked along with me and my horse. She stopped when we stopped and was watching us and was very calm. At one point she moved in front of us, stopping ever several hundred yards to turn and look as though waiting for us. This lasted for over a mile until I returned home and went inside the fence, she watched us a bit longer and then returned the way she came. I've been an outdoors person my entire life and have never had an experience like this.....

To add...This area where the coyote was is an area with few residents, and none of us feed them and all houses are surrounded by chain link fencing so they are unable to get into any scraps. This behavior was not one that concerned me, I have extensive experience with Coyotes and this was very different...

Answer 1

As I recall Coyote are Scavengers.

Scavengers some times find out who the top Predators are and follow them around,.. awaiting to clean your plate so to say.

They can also become a little like a cross between Domestic Dogs and Stray Dogs where they look like they want to come home with you and may be so bold as to follow you anywhere, even in the house,.. but they are scittish and not understanding, so they will suddenly get startled and scurry off with their tail between their legs.

It's posible someone's been feeding them or they've caught onto tricks of getting food from travelers. If they get bold enough they will steal your food while you work on it,.. but not take you or your horse down.

Translations: You're a good Predator. You've got lotsa food and you're well fed. They're watching to see if you take down a kill,.. maybe pull out some food you already have. Then when you aren't looking or leave your food unattended, they will snatch it and be fed for the day.

Added: It doesn't matter, you guys still have plenty of food. Your homes, trips, and bodies smell of it. It also doesn't matter if the people you know are not feeding the Coyote,.. anyone can and being scavengers they investigate places after you leave for further proof you guys have food. If anything is left behind it's either a toy or food to them. This is likely to be things noone thinks or cares about. A Feather, a Wrapper, a Piece of Paper Curency.. the bones of your meal, the beans someone tossed because they burnt or were full, food that had gone bad. Little things add up, what people don't take into consideration is perfect toys and food for a scavenger.

Just always remind yourself and others that it is still just a neighbor. You're checking them out while they are checking you out. This Question is proof you were curious of it as much as it was of you. It just has a different way of spying on it's object of curiosity.

Answer 2

I've seen coyotes follow horses and DOGS. They seemed to want to play with the dogs. Perhaps your coyote is young and lonely and just wanted some company?

Very unusual situation, for sure!

Answer 3

Don't know of any lore, but I do know that coyotes are very inteligent, very adaptable, and easily habituated to humans. It is possible that the coyote you saw has been fed by campers or other nearby residents, and now views people as a good source of easy food.

Here is a warning from http://www.desertusa.com/june96/du_cycot.html:

Coyote Cautions and Control
As humans expand their living areas and coyotes expand their range as well, contact is inevitable. Most of the time, coyotes go out of their way to avoid humans, but they are discovering that humans are a good source for food. Resourceful and adaptable as coyotes are, they will take advantage of this when they can. In urban areas and in some National Parks the coyotes are changing their behavior.

The most serious problem is that the animals may become habituated to people. As they lose their fear of people, they will become bolder in approaching people and may put themselves in hazardous situations they would normally avoid.

Coyotes, if fed regularly by people, will come to depend on people for their food. They won't starve if you stop feeding them, but they will be hungry and unafraid of people. They can get very aggressive in approaching other people. Some of the national parks now have coyotes that are begging for food. Children and adults have been bitten by coyotes in California, Arizona and other states. The most danger is in urban areas where young coyotes have learned to steal and beg for food. If they can't find food, then the small animals in the neighborhood will become their targets to solve their need for food. Children will also be at risk of being bitten.


What you can do:

Coyotes are not your average dog -- they are not to be messed with. They are smart, and they learn quickly. They can be dangerous, and when it comes to urban coyotes, steps should be taken to avoid encouraging them to visit your neighborhood. That means close garbage can lids tightly, do not leave pet food outside and do not leave small pets outside unaccompanied.

Coyotes love nothing better than cats and frequently take small dogs. Inform neighbors of your sighting and encourage them to take steps NOT to attract the clever little varmints. Remember: Make sure that no pet food is ever left outdoors.

When walking a small dog where coyotes are present, take along walking stick or some device that can make a loud noise. The dog should always be on a leash. Large dogs (35 lbs and up) in general are not at risk to a coyote attack.

If a wild coyote bites you or your dog, you need to get the proper medical treatment. A person or animal that has been infected with rabies will die without the proper medical treatment. You will have to get a series of rabies shots and maybe a tetanus shot. More on Rabies.


Other Animals

Coyotes usually present little danger to livestock. While they are normally fairly solitary or roam in small groups, at times they may gang up and attack larger animals such as sheep or a pony. During foaling time, do not let foals out without a human around at all times. Coyotes will attack sheep and foals but not adult cattle or horses unless such livestock are sick or extremely weak.





Also, http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/awm/docs/coyoteattacks.pdf warns of increasing coyote attacks on humans:

"Coyote (Canis latrans) attacks on humans, once thought to be rare, have increased in frequency over the past decade. In expanding suburban areas such as those found in several counties in Southern California, residential developments are often near steep, brushy wildland areas. Coyotes inhabiting such wildlands are drawn into suburban landscaped environments that can support an abundance of rodents and rabbits, and where they can utilize water sources, pet food, household refuse, and even house cats and small dogs as prey.
Our observations indicate that in the absence of harassment by residents, coyotes can lose their fear of people and come to associate humans with this safe, resource-rich environment. This problem is exacerbated by people who intentionally feed coyotes. In such situations, some coyotes have begun to act aggressively toward humans, chasing joggers and bicyclists, confronting people walking their dogs, and stalking small children.
We queried representatives of various federal, state, county, and city agencies as well as private wildlife control companies about coyote attacks on humans occurring in Southern California during the past three decades, giving particular attention to localities where such attacks previously had been verified (see Howell 1982, Baker and Timm 1998). From the information gathered, we now list 89 coyote attacks in California (incidents when one or more coyotes made physical contact with a child or adult, or attacked a pet while in close proximity to its owner) (Table 1). In 56 of these attacks, one or more persons suffered an injury (Figure 1). In 77 additional encounters (not listed), coyotes stalked children, chased individuals, or aggressively threatened adults. In 35 incidents (not all listed), where coyotes stalked or attacked small children, the possibility of serious or fatal injury seems likely if the child had not been rescued. Because no single agency maintains data on such attacks, and some agencies and organizations are reluctant to discuss such incidents, we recognize that we do not have data on all attacks that have occurred."