Bloody dog at Badminton

I personally dont think dogs should be allowed at ANY horse event. I know a lot of people will likely shoot me down for saying this!

I am not a dog owner which is my reason - my horses are not used to dogs. They never see them except at shows. It can scare the crap out of horses who are not used to them yet dog owners seem to assume all horses are.

I have almost had an incident at an ODE whereby I came thundering round a corner to see a dalmation (on a lead) simply sitting there with its owner. My horses eyes pratically fell out on stalks! And I am not kidding, I bloody nearly came off as he pratically stopped in mid-stride. Have also had the odd dog bark and even lunge at my horses in the past.

I even had training the other day where the trainer allowed his dog to freely run about. This dog actually ran around the horses legs and chased us (albeit playfully) as we jumped. My horse is a youngster and was clearly not liking this but the trainer simply said "just ignore the dog, he needs to get used to this sort of thing". Ummmm....... a half tonne of animal shouldnt be EXPECTED to "get used" to a dog (in their eyes a predator) chasing them!

I think there are far safer places to socialise dogs and it would make the competitors lives so much easier to not have to worry about them.
 
But to be fair to the owner of the puppy, the course had been held for 30 mins and they may not have realised that the event had restarted. Not much of an excuse but people do make mistakes and no harm was done. A stern and embarrassing telling off is probably all the owner required and I'm sure the crowd would have seen to that. I'm not saying that I agree with taking puppies to events of this size but it's easy to be judgemental. A slight slip in concentration can mean that these things happen and I'm sure the owners were mortified.
 
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I personally dont think dogs should be allowed at ANY horse event.

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I completely agree with you - no shooting down from me.

I am a dog owner but I wouldn't consider taking my dogs to any huge event; horses or otherwise.
 
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I'm going to be unpopular here.I'm FED UP of having to leave my dog at home!How can you begin to teach manners and socialize it if its stuck in the house all day never seeing anyone.
Guide dogs etc are well behaved because they ARE taken everywhere as pups,if they need it why shouldn't ours have the training (Sorry rant over--and I did see the incident and felt mortified for the owner whose pup slipped the lead and the rider,but accidents do happen)

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Agreed! Though also see the point of others. Perhaps the lead broke or the collar, you never know. Dogs are part of eventing, I do remember seeing Zara P's dog chase a horse at a ODE. Not so many moaned about that!
 
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I personally dont think dogs should be allowed at ANY horse event.

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I completely agree with you - no shooting down from me.

I am a dog owner but I wouldn't consider taking my dogs to any huge event; horses or otherwise.

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For what reason?
 
i think people should just let it go, its obviously a honest mistake, iv got a dog and i took him to a local hunting meet, his collar is relativly tight and i looked down and he was off it, it cant be helped sometimes, i dont think they should ban dogs let alone kill them!! the person who wrote that should be banned fromthis forum i quote 'HORSE AND HOUND!!!'
 
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Would you take your dog to the FA Cup Final?

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Thats ridiculous, I wouldn't take my dog to the hunt hog roast but I'd take it to meets with me. Atleast try and compare things on the same level.

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This is not just a day out for us mere mortals, it is the event riders livelihood and raison d'etre. Why should some muppet without the wit to keep their dog under control be able to spoil, our sport's showpiece?
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The majority take theirs to events...
 
While I think it would be a shame to ban all dogs I actually agree. I would say 90% of the dogs I saw today were well behaved and friendly. However I hate seeing dogs being dragged round the shopping village and cowering in crowds of people at fences. Not to mention the badly behaved ones. If you cannot control your dog on a lead then do not take it. If you cannot trust your dog with other dogs/people then muzzle it. Unfortunately not all dog owners are repsonsible in this was and it is a case of the few spoiling it for the many.
 
so you think its ok for someone on the horse and HOUND website to say people shoud hav rights to shoot dogs? and whats wrong with taking a well behaved dog to big events? accidents happen!! anyway all these petty pathetic arguements over 1 little puppy that knows no different, and 2 horses died today,
 
That is the problem, a puppy/some dogs don't know the difference so shouldn't be there as this is what happens.
 
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That is the problem, a puppy/some dogs don't know the difference so shouldn't be there as this is what happens.

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So how is it supposed to learn? Unsocialised you'll all be complaining when in 6 months time it attacks someone. The owners should have been more responsible...
 
By socialising with others dogs- but it shouldn't be learning that at a place like Badminton Horse Trials.
 
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By socialising with others dogs- but it shouldn't be learning that at a place like Badminton Horse Trials.

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Other PEOPLE.
 
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For what reason?

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Because I don't take my dogs shopping with me.
 
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For what reason?

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Because I don't take my dogs shopping with me.

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So do you think they shouldn't be there or just that you wouldn't take yours?
 
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Not at Badminton Horse Trials.

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Why not...and remember people were encouraged to take dogs with the pedigree chum agility...
 
I think people who go to Badminton to go shopping (as I do) shouldn't take their dogs. I loathe seeing poor dogs being dragged around the stalls, panting and getting all upset with so many people falling over their leads etc.

I also don't like dog-poo on my footwear.......
 
Because for an inexperienced dog/puppy that is the equivalent of throwing a non-swimmer into the Atlantic and hoping for the best, you would blow its mind and scare it half to death.


Basic common sense. I would feel awful to subject my dog to that.
 
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Because for an inexperienced dog/puppy that is the equivalent of throwing a non-swimmer into the Atlantic and hoping for the best, you would blow its mind and scare it half to death.


Basic common sense. I would feel awful to subject my dog to that.

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No, I'm sure the puppy had seen people before and we aren't just talking about that puppy but dogs in general.
 
I haven't read all the post..........but I'm with you Severnmiles , I personally don't see any problem with dogs being taken to Badminton (as usual it will be the few irresponsible owner, who will ruin it for the rest). I have in the past taken my dog to Badders and if I make it again (provided it's not going to be very hot), I would take my dog along.
 
I was talking about dogs and yes, the puppy would have seen people- but not a huge crowd like that, at an event with all that noise and god knows what else.

If you are going to bring a dog at least leave it until they are a little older.
 
I am a bit concerned that a rider on here has a horse that is spooked by seeing a dog on a lead . Never mind competitions , you can see dogs on or off leads on hacks .

Surely it is better to gradually introduce young horses to dogs if you don't have any around ?

Pre- novice horses are often fazed by fence judges , but have to learn to ignore them !
 
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I am a bit concerned that a rider on here has a horse that is spooked by seeing a dog on a lead . Never mind competitions , you can see dogs on or off leads on hacks


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Well, PF is used to dogs, cats, ostriches, cows... BUT she wouldn't expect to see any of these in the ring, and would almost certainly spook. But she's a daft mare!
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None of these worry her on a hack, for instance.
 
It seems to me that a dog is an essential fashion accessory at Badminton!

Im afraid I left my two at home! Far too hot and much to much walking for a Mastiff
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Im glad I did as we were parked very close to the burger vans and my girl would have just sat down at this point and refused to go any further!!
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Mind you we did think we would have got a better view of the lake if we'd had them with us. Its amazing how far the slobber can travel with just one shake of the head!!! Certainly would have cleared the area!!!
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I wouldnt take my dogs to Badminton. I certainly would take them down the shopping malls. I think Badders should ban the dogs from the malls purely for the sake of the dogs.

It was lovely to see the dogs playing in the lake at the end of the day though.
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I've taken my dogs to Witton Castle, Bramham, Durham County Show etc and they've never been any bother and they love the day out and all the attention.
And yes, I took Josh to Bramham when he was still a relative youngster - about 9 mths old. It is very important to socialise dogs at an early age (younger than 9mths really). Puppies are experiencing new things every day and so are far more accepting of new things/places. If you wait until they are adults then they can find new experiences frightening and from fear can come aggression.
I absolutely agree there is no excuse for dogs running wild on the XC course or causing havoc while they are there and it is up to the owner/handler to make sure their dog behaves and has received an adequate amount of training to be able to cope with such potentially exciting situations. Josh for example has grown up with horses and sees nothing exciting about horses galloping past and so I would have no problem taking him to Badminton.
Accidents can happen though - Josh's collar snapped one day when I had him out for a walk and he ran into the middle of the road. Fortunately it was in a very quiet area and there was no traffic - but if it had been in a built up area he could of been killed. It certainly gave me one hell of a shock and I now check the stitching on the dogs collars from time to time which I wouldn't of bothered in the past. I don't know why the pup was on the XC at Badminton - maybe his owners were numpties but it most likely it was just an accident too. Either way I bet they feel mortified now and will hopefully make more of an effort from now on in.
 
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I am a bit concerned that a rider on here has a horse that is spooked by seeing a dog on a lead . Never mind competitions , you can see dogs on or off leads on hacks .

Surely it is better to gradually introduce young horses to dogs if you don't have any around ?

Pre- novice horses are often fazed by fence judges , but have to learn to ignore them !

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Me too, worrying! Cregwarrior wasn't really bothered too much. My horse is used to galloping through fields with hounds behind, leaping out of hedges, milling around his legs and doesn't spook, bolt or kick.

Why should one irresponsible owner ruin it for everyone?
 
Fine, but what if the horse was scared by the dog. What if it spooked going over a jump, hurt itself and had to be PTS. Infact, what if it had fallen on and killed the rider? Hope the owners are bloody well insured.
 
I'm not excusing loose dogs at events ( as I said earlier , when I fence judge I have to tell people to put their dog on a lead . )

I meant that the more things a young horse is introduced to the better . My skittish 4 year old was kept at a yard where the owners chickens roamed free .He soon got used to them & even tolerated one sitting on his back when he was eating , but if they tried to get his feed , he'd bang his hoof down loudly !
 
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