[Fleecewife]

When a sheep gets stuck in a bramble patch it just stands there, possibly until it dies, if no-one rescues it.  First thought is 'stupid sheep', but now I know it's 'clever bramble' 
 
I was attacking my fruit garden yesterday, where the bramble patch has been untamed for at least three years.  Within minutes I was well and truly trapped and could only get out because I had my loppers.  I realised that brambles have a neat trick of rooting their tips so they are firmly attached at each end of the stems, forming a very spikey loop.  After just three years those loops are interwoven and almost impenetrable, apart from to small creatures such as rabbits, blackbirds and terriers.
 
So the bramble's plan is: wait for passing sheep (or human); stick out a spikey stem and hook onto the wool (clothing); as the sheep (human) initially struggles whip in a few more stems, wrapping around the legs, body and head, preferably finding some bare bits of tender skin;  sheep stands still til it dies; body decomposes and bramble has a tasty supply of rich food     If on the other hand, it's caught a human then it gets chopped down - but you can't win 'em all 
 
There are plenty of carnivorous plants, such as Venus' Fly trap, Pitcher plants and Triffids, but it's only now I realise that the humble bramble is one too.  Thank goodness I had my loppers 

[HappyHippy]

A lucky escape 

Do you want a loan of a Tamworth to get rid of them for you ? 

[SallyintNorth]

Where I used to live on Exmoor I used to have to take secateurs with ,me when I went out walking.  The dog was forever alerting me to very very trapped sheep    My record was 6 rescues in one early morning walk 

It never occurred to me that it was all part of the brambles' cunning plan...  which I thwarted with my trusty secateurs - and my lovely collie cross who cared about sheep in trouble 

[Bionic]

We have the same carnivorous brambles here. They particularly like to capture the ears of my dog, or if ears aren't near then any bits of his hair will do. (thats the trouble when you have long curly hair, something I wouldn't know about  )
He gets very upset as he can't get away and tries to chew the stems to free himself.

[HappyHippy]

Lovely pic of Horace Sally 

[Marches Farmer]

Brambles are particularly good at placing the loops beneath drifts of autumn leaves in a bid to trip passing walkers.

[Dogwalker]

Don't think their plan would work with goats though, I have to defend my brambles from goats and then the berries from blackbirds and chickens, didn't get many last year.

[scarlettoara]

actually you do have a point.
we have had 2 issues with ponies and bushes.
one welsh pony thought he would squeeze between the blackthorn hedge and the barbed wire fence, even though there was supposedly no gap. it took us ages to cut him out, hed been there for hours before we realised he was actually stuck and not there by choice.
another time we moved a new horse out of a small square field into a bigger field which had a tight copse of fir trees in the middle. the next day we couldnt find him anywhere - we searched the whole farm repeatedly, searched local roads, nearby farms, even his old home, we had the police out looking for him thinking he must have jumped out. by day 2 we realised as there were no hoofprints on the other side of the fence so he must still be on the farm.
we finally heard him whinny and found him in the middle of the dense copse - thick fir trees, 3ft high stingers - a 17hh horse pacing round and round a 2 metre gap in the middle - he was very stressed and he could not work out how to get out for the life of him. he would have stayed there til death im sure.

[Lesley Silvester]

I've had brambles like that as well.  Walking past my vegetable garden one day, a bramble shot a tentacle out and wound itself round my leg about four times before I could escape.  I had no weapon to defend myself with and had to do battle with my bare hands.  I went back into the house with blood pouring down my leg and from both hands.  I hadn't even seen the ****** hiding there.

Once I'd mopped up I went back with secateurs and made sure it never did it again. 

[Anke]

Just get a goat or two... problem solved!

[Fleecewife]

Just get a goat or two... problem solved!

I'm growing them as a crop    as there are not many wild ones around here, and those that are prove dry and pippy.  The best tasting cultivated blackberries seem to have the longest, thickest and most vicious tentacles, with double the number of spikes.  I suppose they need more victims than more modest brambles 
 
I'm enjoying your tales.  Scarlettoara, your poor horse    but at least you found him before it was too late.  I noticed on holiday years ago that a fully grown elephant can hide completely behind a fairly small bush, especially if you are not expecting it to be there.
 
Sallyintnorth - wonderful that you saved so many trapped sheep - it does prove my point 

[Bionic]

When we were small we had a large, and in parts very overgrown, garden. I can remember my sister about the age of 7 falling into a dense patch of brambles. Her scratches and scrapes were so bad that she had to be taken to hospital. It wasn't serious but they did patch her up.
Beware those carnivorous brambles