Chased by dogs hacking today. WWYD?

[Clodagh]

Daleks!? Elephants!? We had a purple triceratopps... it was huge, only 2 dimensional but the horses couldn't see that. Did get them past it but I admit it took a while.

 

[spookypony]

Even with the best horses, there's a chance that there will be something that will set them off one day-whether its a strange dog, or a gas gun in a new place or a dalek, or someone leading two donkeys in the middle of nowhere with a pram with an awning (I met a dalek once, I kid you not). Thats hacking and that's the risk you take.

My old horse looked at dogs as if he wanted to take one apart and I had strange dogs jumping up at me on occasion and he didnt care-he was an exceptionally bold horse (even the dalek didnt phase him) and well, bullfighting bred so not all that typical (and I saw him grab two dogs in his lifetime that pissed him off). The Exmoors have a low tolerance with loose dogs and will kick-the Fell seems to be of a similar disposition and I care not if they were to kick a strange dog that ignored any warnings.

There will always be loose dogs-either deliberately or by accident, people are ignorant and dog owners seem to be particularly entitled. I agree talking to the dog as Chan describes can works but multiple dogs are a different story and a stalking dog different again. There's no easy answer-prepare as well as you can, support any efforts to educate dog owners (and cyclists and kids any other hacking hazards-although daleks are very difficult to educate and expect buffalo are similar) and accept the risk.

We need to know more about this Dalek. You can't just leave it there!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

We need to know more about this Dalek. You can't just leave it there!

lol-used to have to ride directly through my village (have moved now). Had done it a zillion times but this one time there was a life size, shiny blue dalek in someones driveway-moving too. Horse didnt know daleks were scary things-that was the 5yo me lurking inside . Turns out the owner (an adult) had even won a Blue Peter badge for making this thing.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Daleks!? Elephants!? We had a purple triceratopps... it was huge, only 2 dimensional but the horses couldn't see that. Did get them past it but I admit it took a while.

lol-you win! triceratops would be scary!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

The strangest thing I have come across whilst hacking and in all fairness to my pony she just pranced and snorted past it was a baby elephant. Have no idea why a man was walking a baby elephant through a small Welsh village and never saw it again. Just glad it was my little mare because if my cob I own now came across an elephant I think hw would have a heart attack.

good grief! very surreal.

 

[Sealine]

I hope you have more luck than me reporting the incident. My german shepherd was attacked by two large mastiff type dogs that jumped over a fence to get at us whilst we were walking along a public footpath. I was bitten on the arm trying to get them of him as I really thought they would kill him. I was unsuccessful in trying to report the incident to the police or the dog warden. I was told the dog warden in our area only deals with dog fouling and strays not dangerous dogs. The police weren't interested as I had a dog with me therefore it was just a dog fight and the bruising to my arm was my fault for trying to split the dogs up.

 

[Cecile]

SheepwatchUK have been to an all party meeting in Gov about dog attacks, I'm hoping it will help everyone as in riders etc, the report should be out soon, I will receive a copy but if you keep an eye on the below link it should be on there when ready

https://en-gb.facebook.com/ToLovesheep/

 

[Cecile]

Yesterday! I was in my woody bit walking my goats (Totally fenced all around) dog comes flying through the woods and runs up to my fence, all teeth and snarling, I shout to 2 people in the distance, please can you recall your dog

This is how it went
Missy come here, Missy come here, come see Daddy!
I shout again whilst dog is now barking whilst showing me its teeth, Recall your dog! (I dropped the please)
Missy Mummy said come see Daddy, naughty Missy where are you..........

I was longing for Missy Wissy to try climbing up the fence and get zapped by the electric fence as my goats were now stuck to my legs like velcro - that may of made Missy Wizzy's Mummy and Daddy shift their ar$es to put a lead on

 

[ester]

Two large German shepherds in attack mode is hardly mundane. You’re insane.

'Attack mode'? Nothing I have read here about the incident suggest this was the case? No horses were touched, the OP does not state the dogs were going for legs/snarling aggressively just that they were barking and advancing?

I've been barked at, a lot, quite often it is a defensive/nervous bark (and given the white GSD's I know they aren't exactly the boldest!)

We did spend one day on the beach with a staffy attached to the horses's tails.. now that was more in attack mode than these sound (the owner hid in the dunes rather than try and resolve the situation.

Frank ran off once, I wasn't there and I don't think he would have done if I had been riding. It didn't do him any good just scared him more as the newfoundland then chased him. We did do some black dog training after that.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

If you are going to hack, you have to expect the unexpected. We once got caught up in a charity bed-push! The worst thing you can do is panic yourself, which tbh, is how I read OP. I didn't understand why the pony would have spun if the OP wasn't worried. Yes some things that hackers meet are bizarre but horses and riders just have to deal with them, make sure that you have a good independent seat and can stop/turn your horse under all circumstances.

 

[ester]

Oh, we have a camel, he was a lot less trouble than his llama companion though

 

[SEL]

A Dalek?! I thought meeting a large goat on a lead was surreal, but apparently not.

My most interesting one was the bagpipe player in the middle of Cannock Chase. I was wondering why my horse was on his toes and staring into the distance with eyes on stalks and then the wind changed direction and we got the full blast!

 

[GTRJazz]

We had two GSDs running after and around us barking at the weekend, the man was very slow to catch them and looked quite disappointed when I said don't worry they are used to Hounds.
Hunting in Galway and Lincoln has desensitised the horses and we probably get chased by dogs at least once a week.

 

[Luci07]

It isn't always possible to densentivise your horse to every occasion and I have to admit I have been caught out - riding what I had deemed to be a safe horse.

DoE kids and then some sort of orienteering group (so not on the paths but coming through trees etc) were my comeuppance. Learnt to not take my horses good sense for granted after that!

 

[legend22]

This exactly!

Report to council dog warden (usually through environmental health dept) also on BHS page as they are collating incidents here http://www.bhs.org.uk/safety-and-accidents/common-incidents/dog-attacks link is down this page.
Please do report as it could be worse another time, perhaps for someone else.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Tsk, OP, fancy you and your horse not knowing that white GSDs are safe .
Seriously though, what tips has any of you dog folk got on how to tell which woofing and approaching dog is full of harmless hot air and which is likely to attack?

 

[TheHairyOne]

The worst thing you can do is panic yourself, which tbh, is how I read OP. I didn't understand why the pony would have spun if the OP wasn't worried. Yes some things that hackers meet are bizarre but horses and riders just have to deal with them, make sure that you have a good independent seat and can stop/turn your horse under all circumstances.

Definately no panic, as I said in the my first post this horse is well used to dogs and I didnt forsee any issues until these particular 2 got too close and my horse reacted in a way I have never experienced. My sister has a ridgeback cross with a big mouth and a collie who likes to try and round the horses up in the field. All of them ignore her! (These are all our horses before anyone says anything!) The big dog has been stood front feet on him when he has been sleeping in the field before!!

I too often encounter dogs and all manner of odd things out hacking (the orienteering archery where they leave giant wooden animals just off the tracks inside the woods looks great fun!) but clearly, probably as some others have said, something about how THESE dogs were frightened my pretty much unflappable horse, which was what shocked me after the event, along with the dog owners attitude.

I like the very slow pace towards the dogs plan. Keep control of his feet and be a less attractive target to chase. Thank you very much for that. Is how I will approach all dogs off the lead in the future, since I do often encounter them!

Just to clarify, I did not use words like attack etc, but they did chase with zero recall and (thank you for the dog laws links) as I thought this is also not acceptable.

Here is hoping its a one off, and I am very thankful that no one was seriously hurt. Sorry to all those people who have come off and worse from irresponsible dog owners.

But a darlek??!!!

 

[Crugeran Celt]

If you are going to hack, you have to expect the unexpected. We once got caught up in a charity bed-push! The worst thing you can do is panic yourself, which tbh, is how I read OP. I didn't understand why the pony would have spun if the OP wasn't worried. Yes some things that hackers meet are bizarre but horses and riders just have to deal with them, make sure that you have a good independent seat and can stop/turn your horse under all circumstances.

I will have to send my sect d to you, 99% of the time he is an absolute star but if he gets something into his head nothing and no one would stop him shying and that can range from a stone he has passed hundreds of times but today its scary to shetland ponies in the field. He has three shetlands turned out with him but they obviously are not scary ones. He will never be reliable but he is fantastic in the heaviest of traffic including lorries, buses, tractors and motor bikes. He is a horse, he is alive and I am fully aware of what he is capable off and I will never be so complacent that I think I will always have complete control over his behaviour but I know how to deal with what he throws at me. I find it really hard to understand why you think a living animal can and will be completely controlled at all times.

 

[ester]

Crugeran Celt, Frank loves a spin and duck out at such terrifying items like a leaf , interestingly he only does so when not in traffic - if you want a quiet life you find the nearest A road .

I can count on one hand the number of times he has tried to run in 13 years and usually those have been justified (fiesta, giant plank of wood out the sunroof plastic bag on top at 30mph got a bit much, oh and actually bunting, he hates windy bunting come jubilees etc, oh and people clapping, but if the boys from the car wash neigh at him that is ok... )

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I will have to send my sect d to you, 99% of the time he is an absolute star but if he gets something into his head nothing and no one would stop him shying and that can range from a stone he has passed hundreds of times but today its scary to shetland ponies in the field. He has three shetlands turned out with him but they obviously are not scary ones. He will never be reliable but he is fantastic in the heaviest of traffic including lorries, buses, tractors and motor bikes. He is a horse, he is alive and I am fully aware of what he is capable off and I will never be so complacent that I think I will always have complete control over his behaviour but I know how to deal with what he throws at me. I find it really hard to understand why you think a living animal can and will be completely controlled at all times.

I think we are saying the same thing? You know how to deal with what he throws at you, which surely is the same as having an independent seat and being able to stop/turn under all circumstances.

 

[ester]

yes but you said the horse would not have span if the rider wasn't worried, I think CC was suggesting that plenty do of their own volition!

 

[Leo Walker]

Not dog attack but a local lady to me in Sudbury Suffolk was riding her horse with another and they met some escaped buffalos who charged. They had to gallop flat out along a narrow path with t he buffalo behind. She came off her horse. I saw the photos they took. Must have been the worst hack ever

My worst nightmare! I wont ride or drive through cows anymore. I' have had a heart attack if I got caught up in a buffalo stampede!

 

[zaminda]

I have got very used to being chased by a variety of dogs, and on most of mine it isn't a problem, as they don't worry. Most of the owners are very apologetic, and I have helped a few to desensitise their dogs to horses. That said my New Forest, is much more worried by them, although we have now got passed the reacting to dog thing 99% of the time. That said, one dog did spook him, and I think it was the manner of the flying out of the woods that did it.
I had a very entertaining incident when coming across the dog and owner that matched the description of a dog attack that happened to a friend of mine. Dog came flying over and started trying to attach itself to my horse, dog owner completely ignored the behaviour, and started getting very chopsy when I asked him to call his dog. Called it damn quick when I told him my horse wouldn't buck me off and leave me at the mercy of his dog, but would happily stamp on its head if it continued to try and jump under her stomach. Called dog very quickly whilst swearing about horse riders. I pointed him in the direction of the signs on Salisbury plains which make it clear dogs need to be under control.
There was also the time a friend was attacked by a Rottweiler. Dog was actually on top of said horse, who kept spinning round to try an get it off while rider tried to throw it off. Owner eventually managed to physically remove it, no apology was forthcoming. Police interest zero, and it was before the BHS started their reporting scheme. Love dogs, shame about the very small minority of owners.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

yes but you said the horse would not have span if the rider wasn't worried, I think CC was suggesting that plenty do of their own volition!

I wouldn't have stopped the horse if the dog-owner wasn't visible. I would have kept on walking towards the dogs, standing still allows both horse and rider time to wonder what will happen next, whilst keeping moving towards the dogs makes the dogs wonder what will happen next/what they have taken on. Of course if the owner was there, trying to get hold of their dog, I would stand still.

 

[npage123]

Whilst leading (fortunately not riding) my TB yonks ago, a pack of 4/5 adult, unsocialised dogs came charging at us. (Labradors of all breeds, who would have guessed it?) There was no question that they were aggressive as they were all snarling, barking or in stalking mode. I screamed liked a demented woman at them to go away and my horse did the most impressive snorting, grew a good few inches then fully reared up and 'climbed' the air with his front feet. My horse and I managed to stop all the dogs in their tracks and they retreated, but it could have been a completely different outcome if I was riding at the time.

OP, sorry for what you've gone through. What would have happened to those dogs if you/none of the other horses were there and the dogs kept running and ended up at the end of the bridleway, where it enters a 60 mph road? If I was you I'd probably hack out in a group the next few times to be able to ride with a bit more confidence.

 

[ester]

I wouldn't have stopped the horse if the dog-owner wasn't visible. I would have kept on walking towards the dogs, standing still allows both horse and rider time to wonder what will happen next, whilst keeping moving towards the dogs makes the dogs wonder what will happen next/what they have taken on. Of course if the owner was there, trying to get hold of their dog, I would stand still.

Sorry I still don't understand your point, just because the OP decided to act differently does not mean they were worried or inciting their horse to spin? It's always easy to decide that with hindsight you might have acted differently but usually in the moment you make the decision you think best deals with the situation, that doesn't mean you are in any way particularly worried.

 

[Crugeran Celt]

I think we are saying the same thing? You know how to deal with what he throws at you, which surely is the same as having an independent seat and being able to stop/turn under all circumstances.

I got the impression you thought you should be able to school and desensitise a horse to the point that it would never react to any situation out hacking. Sorry if I got the wrong idea.

 

[Crugeran Celt]

Whilst leading (fortunately not riding) my TB yonks ago, a pack of 4/5 adult, unsocialised dogs came charging at us. (Labradors of all breeds, who would have guessed it?) There was no question that they were aggressive as they were all snarling, barking or in stalking mode. I screamed liked a demented woman at them to go away and my horse did the most impressive snorting, grew a good few inches then fully reared up and 'climbed' the air with his front feet. My horse and I managed to stop all the dogs in their tracks and they retreated, but it could have been a completely different outcome if I was riding at the

Funny you should say about a labrador, I was riding a friend's pony when a chocolate lab run out of a drive and bit the mare on her knee. The owner came out and caught the dog, apologised but let the dog go before closing her gate and it run out and bit her back leg as we had continued on our way. Pony didn't flinch, she was an absolute star.

 

[D66]

in our village we have a company that rents out fairground rides. They are carried through the village on low loaders often three or four in convoy. Then there is the caravan park - so there are static caravans on trucks occasionally, and mobile ones usually. These vehicles have to negotiate the bridge over the canal (with narrow boats chugging below), and meet each other, so often stop for a while. Then there are the usual tractors, buses, motorbikes and diggers.
I wouldn't say the horses are bomb proof, but they are proof of most things. The barking dogs and wheelie bins are the least of the problems.

I have just remembered school fete day where the fairground ride company lets the school have several massive bouncy castles and bouncy slides for the day, they tower over the hedge and bounce about.