advice needed re out of control dogs near my pony

Firehorse

Firehorse

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i posted a few weeks ago about a collie who got kicked by my pony when it was charging about us, yapping and jumping up. i had another dog do it today, this time a small jack russell. i was walking calmly along a bridle track, passed a guy with a labrador who stood still with the dog by his side. and then seconds later, this jack came charging at us, yapping and jumping up. well, i already now know my pony wont tolerate dogs doing this, so i continued to walk on. to be fair, the owners were doing their best to get the dog away and apologised, saying it had never seen a horse before. the man saw my horse kicking and told the dog it deserved it. the woman asked me to stand still so they cud get the dog, it now came round the front and my pony lashed out with his front foot. no one was hurt, and the owners were ok about it all.

i'm just really concerned that one day soon, my pony is gonna kill a dog. i cannot blame him for reacting like that and i also cannot blame the dog for its behaviour. they are both doing what comes naturally. my pony is good as gold with our dogs on the yard, so he hasnt got a problem with them.

i'd really like some advice about it please. not all dog owners are quite so understanding as i found out last time. i couldnt bear to hve the death of a dog on my conscience, just because the owner cant control it. and i cant avoid riding where there are dog walkers.
 
As harsh as it sounds, the owners should know better, if the dog gets kicked, its their fault =/ What if it saw a rabbit in a field and ran off? Would they get it back? Hmm..

S

I don't know what to say tbh... you could (if you like) dismount every time you see a dog... (Not sure what it would do) :S
 
i thought about jumping off when this dog was annoying us, but then i thought i'm in a safer place on my horse and have better control of him onboard.
i think if i were to keep walking on, the dog would eventually give up and go back to its owners. i stopped so they could get it, and that made it worse. i guess i cud just explain in future to dog owners, if i stop, my horse will lash out. he thinks he's being attacked and will defend himself. and hope they listen.
 
I'd shout, loudly, he will kick and has done before,I'm not joking, and then I'd try and trot on a bit quicker, and try and distract your pony by asking for something different like extended trot or something! Not much help though, but its not your fault its the owners xxx
 
Two things, although you may not appreciate the first.

Wollop your horse - it does actually sound like a complete sh*t around dogs, and whilst I can understand it getting upset at something charging at it - a dog just yapping around it's heals is not a reason for it to boot it. It needs to know that this behaviour is not acceptable. And whilst some horses are never 100% around dogs, it's a hazard many of us come upon regularly and our horses need to be tolerant of them.

Secondly, my previous horse killed a dog. She was very good around dogs, and hunted regularly. However when a small dog charged out of garden at her and went for her back legs, she kicked out and killed it instantly. So, I totally accept that these things happen.

I know that bridle ways are for horses, and I know that in an ideal world all dogs should have total recall, and owners be in complete control of their muts. However in the real world this is not the case, and we need to ensure that our animals will cope with loose dogs, just as they will with all sorts of other 'hazards' that they come across.
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We riders can't just continue with the attitude that we are always in the right, and that others must make allowances or compensate for our hobby. We too have responsibilities - and the first one is ensuring that our horses are safe to be out in public.
 
I wouldn't trot on to be honest, keep on walking. trotting can be seen to be either playing or running away, which may well encourage the dog even more to attck/chase your horse.
 
Well said AmyMay, very brave of you to say what it actually the truth, but which will no doubt put some peoples backs up.
 
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but which will no doubt put some peoples backs up.

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No doubt - but if a horse is going to freak every time it sees a loose dog, what are the implications for things that are genuinly upsetting????

We don't own the countryside or the roads...........
 
If a dog rushes at your horse ,turn your horse to face it, the dog will try to circle round but keep turning towards it.Hopefully by then the owner will have regained some control. To the dog a horse is somthing to chase or a threat to chase off.Most dogs know nothing about hooves.To them,the dangerous end is the teeth.That is why you must tun at the dog and make it think that perhaps this is about to all go horribly wrong. A hunting whip is a wonderfull thing to know how to use too.
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Dogs being walked in a public place including public rights of way must be under control at all times.

What AmyMay says is also true and your horse needs to learn not to kick out at dogs. Turning your horse round so that it faces the dog may help.

However if anyone has a perisitent problem from a particular dog report it to the local District Council Dog Warden who has powers to take action against the owners and also the police (but ask for an incident number to ensure it is logged in the system).
 
Dog should have been on a lead. It is not your job to keep the Horse away from an attacking Dog!! Dogs in the wild (well, Wolves!) are a Horses predator so frankly it's a natural reaction for them to lash out. Most Horses tolerate dogs well and it would be an idea to try and get your Horse used to them if you have the opportunity. I also agree it's best t keep your Horse facing the Dog. If not, if I were you if you do meet a dog off the lead then stop your Horse and stand off the trail. If the dog runs up to your Horse and gets kicked it's not your fault. It's the Dog that was out of control not your Horse. I have 8 dogs. Only 1 is ever allowed off the lead (my only non siberian husky and only in big fields to chase a ball never on public paths even though he'd be fine). I get loose dogs running up to mine all the time....even when working in harness and it drives me mad. If any other dog got injured it aint my fault.
I get loose dogs running up to my Horse in the woods regularly. I always make a point of saying 'You are lucky my Horse is good with Dogs otherwise your Dog may have been kicked'. No I don't believe I have more right of way but my Horse is under control, their Dog is not.
 
thx for your replies. i had it happen yet again today. the path goes past some woods and when i was way off i could hear a racket of dogs in there. when i rode past i had 2 collies jump out at us. it really is getting a problem on this particular path. the owners were no where to be seen, but must hve been within hearing distance. the path is stony so they would've heard hooves and the dogs going mad. today,my pony was very good. i kept on walking and talking to him and he more or less ignored them. altho these ones weren't jumping up, just barking and following us. i do understand what someone said about telling my horse off for kicking out and i will do the next time it happens. i also made a huge fuss of him today for not kicking. when he does, its not like he's aiming a huge boot at the dog, he just jumps his back legs up, like a tiny buck, probably to get them out the way of the dog. it was the lashing out with his front foot that alarmed me, yesterday. which, if i were to turn to face a dog, he would then try to do. hopefully, once the kids are back to school and the Downs become emptier again, there will be fewer dogs around.
 
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