Advice for a rider if a dog is out of control....

[The Xmas Furry]

I hack alone. Last week I came up behind four walkers, spread across the bridle track with 2 dogs. I didnt dare shout or call out to them in case I scared the mare. Her foot fall is silent on the newly sanded track. Lucilly the walkers soon turned off to the right along a smaller footpath. It worried me that even after 15 years of hacking solo, there are still situations in which I dont know what to do.

In that case scenario, I do call ahead - 'Morning, horse behind' or similar. You don't need to shout or be aggressive, just call out

Its horrible as a walker on common tracks to have a cycle/horse/runner coming up behind without a word (actually rude IMHO).

 

[AmyMay]

In that case scenario, I do call ahead - 'Morning, horse behind' or similar. You don't need to shout or be aggressive, just call out

It’s horrible as a walker on common tracks to have a cycle/horse/runner coming up behind without a word (actually rude IMHO).

I agree. A cheery ‘good morning’ is all you need.

 

[SDMabel]

I always call ahead as per Amymays post if they ahead and haven't heard us (not that rhino of a cob is particularly stealthy)

If we meet a dog head on that's barking ill just stand still and wait (hopefully!!) for owner to pop them back on a lead.

If a dog is nipping /snapping towards horse i've found a solid trot towards them saying go away in a firm voice works for a lot of those that are perhaps nervous aggressive.

Having experienced a truly aggressive dog go for my old mare, it came from behind after the person had walked past (rottweiler she had tied to the pram, she was on her phone). Once mares back legs had just gone past him he lunged for her dragging pram towards mares back legss, luckily dog slipped collar before pram ended up under the horse. He grabbed her hind leg and mare gave him a cracking kick to the face.
My sister was riding mare at the time and i was cycling with her so witnessed it all in slo-mo from behind. The dog was knocked out cold as day, we thought it was dead to begin with.

If little mare hadn't of kicked it, i dread to think what damage it could have done , or worse still if it didnt manage to slip it's lead and the pram went under little mare.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

We had a small, fluffy, barky, aggressive mop dog rush out of a house we had just walked past yesterday and rush straight onto the road, trying to chase our horses. There were oncoming cars and it was so dangerous. It could have turned into a very nasty accident for all involved.

The owners scrabbled out of the house and managed to grab it. There was a lot of shrieking from passers by.

We were very lucky that the horses both stood stock still. If they'd freaked out and run, we would have been heading straight into oncoming traffic (up ahead there were cars parked on 'our side' of the road and v little room at all.

No apology from the owners...

It is possible that the owners was in both shock, with heads full of thoughts about all the things that could happen, and stressed, by the situation + the passers by's shrieking, so they forgot to apologise. And/or perhaps they felt too ashamed about the hullabaloo their dog's behaviour caused.

Or maybe they're just idiots who thought you all was upsetting their little precious darling with your presence, so didn't deserve any apology. Who knows.
I'm glad that it, besides the lack of apology, ended well.