Do you lead your dog from your horse???

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canteron

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and any hints on training!!!

My daughters dog is coming to stay for a month - as obviously it wouldn't be very good to loose it was thinking about taking on slowish hacks on a retractable lead. Dog and horse know and like each other.

Dog is a Heinz Terrier type.

All thoughts gratefully received!
 
It is actually illegal to lead a dog from a mounted horse (or a bicycle).
I would certainly NEVER do it with a retractable lead. Just imagine what could happen if the horse spooked, the lead went out and the dog went around the horse entangling it.

Get up early to exercise the dog and then see to your horse.
 
Well, what's the worst that could happen... *shudder*

I'd be too worried about the chaos that could ensue from a lead/leg tangle, it wouldn't take much, I often walk the horse and the dog both in hand, but my terrier is small enough to fit on my lap while I'm riding
 
No way dont do it. I have known dogs be trampled and killed by horses that follow their riders. I have taken mine before but he goes on ahead along a track. I usually get off or have someone with me to put him on lead seperately. Not a good idea at all may get tangled etc etc
 
Foxhunter49 said:
It is actually illegal to lead a dog from a mounted horse (or a bicycle).
I would certainly NEVER do it with a retractable lead. Just imagine what could happen if the horse spooked, the lead went out and the dog went around the horse entangling it.

Get up early to exercise the dog and then see to your horse.
Click to expand...

Good point, have seen people doing it thought and it always looked rather fun. OK may cancel that project!!

(PS for the person who said I should get up earlier, I get up plenty early enough already to exercise all the dogs, feed the chickens, cats, dogs, horses, do the garden, get breakfast for any humans around - so sarcasm a little out of place - and yabooshucks to you).
 
We have a woman locally who ties her two Staffies to the martingale it absolutely turns my stomach. Our dogs come out with us but off lead and our house is directly on open forest so no roads at all, please don't do it!
 
I have had two that follow me - trained to stay alongside and 'heel' when necessary. I don't see the problem if the dog is obedient :confused: I have also used a lead, but would drop it if there was a problem. I wouldn't go on the roads though, I'm talking fields/beach. They have to be as near as perfect recall though.
 
Taking your dog out with you like that on the roads is madness.


At our previous yard when we had access to over 120acres of offroad hacking we'd often take our dogs with us (without a lead) and had great fun :D
 
I've done it once or twice with my dog on the lunge line BUT I had it loosely coiled in my hand ready to drop it if anything happened AND we were just walking down the lane. My dog is obedient and will only stay on one side of you.

I've never heard of it being illegal to lead your dog when riding a bike however, I do it everyday and regularly pass police including the dog squad which sometimes train their dogs on the lane where my field is! I don't drive and she loves coming down to my field with me. There are yobs that hang around the lane and they get scared when they see a German Shepherd coming towards them, lol. Again, Pepper will not run after another dog and stays on one side of my bike.
 
I hope its not illegal to lead a dog from a bike! I do that all the time! It's the only way to really wear my pointer out.
 
Don't do it!!!

I did it a few times on my old boy, when we had our old dog, and it worked OK simply because both dog and horse were sensible and didn't do anything unpredictable.

BUT I tried it on my boy, plus little terrier and it wasn't a good idea at all. Dog couldn't deal with being so close to the horse's feet and got spooked, plus horse could tell that my weight in the saddle was changing and being pulled around, and got stressy.

In the end, the tape on the lead got around his backside and the whole thing went t!ts up, so dismounted and walked them both home.

I have to add that this was along a track not the road! Plus we were using a retractable lead with the tape fastening rather than the thin nylon, which would be absolutely disastrous if you got it round the horses's legs coz you'd get a very nasty friction burn.

Not a good idea in any circumstances IME. I'd never, ever do it again.
 
Retractable lead for that would be a disaster. If you were to do it, I would use a harness and a line with NO handle (so it cannot catch around anything) and drop it if you have to.
You'd be far better just encouraging the dog to follow, but you do need a very steady heel/recall and I would not consider it on a public road.

But I do agree, running a dog off a bike is one of the best forms of exercise there is!
 
ILLEGAL?! What a load of s**t! One of my horses is great with this operation. The other is not - its the lead she has issues with not the dog. My dog is a terrier with a harness on and in emergency I can hoist him up! Very much dependant on the horse/dog combo whether it would work. I use an extra long horse lead rope - I think a retractable lead would not be q good plan!
 
I used to take my dog out all the time in the mornings when I was at my last yard - but then he is very obedient and when we had to stop to let a car go past, he came and sat on my nearside. There is a lady at the yard I am on now, who ties two dog leads together and off the go - lady on horse and dog at the side. Mainly quiet lanes, but still public highways. It works fine for her, but her horse is very very sensible.
 
So what happens when someone else has a dog that they cannot control and you are on the horse? I think it is a very dangerous idea and absolutely not to be done on a public road :eek:
 
Geez I'm must be totally irresponsible! I used to take my brothers Labs out with me (both trained gundogs) and where we had to cross an 'A' Road I had trained them to jump up to my stirrup so I could attach a 6ft lead to cross the road (road was in two halves with big verge in the middle) and the once safely in the woods the other side they would jump up so I could unclip them.


These days I have JRT who comes out with me, but he just sit and waits to be told to cross the few roads we meet.
 
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It's more than possible to train a dog to walk with you while you ride. I think having it on a lead is a bit crackers but if thats what you do, you do.
 
i wouldnt- but that is purely because of my dog, and my horse. ;)

the horse doesnt mind dogs, but will boot them if they are under her feet: which Betty would be... either that or trying to hang off her nose... :rolleyes:

dog is an american bulldog- so big and strong, likes to chase 4 leggd furry things, so would be extremely irresponsible of me to have her out while on board. i need my feet firmly on the ground with Betty!! ;) she's fine around the horses as long as the horses are tied up, but introduce a "chase" (trot/canter) her pea sized brian goes into prey drive mode! :rolleyes:

when i was younger we used to go out riding with a bearded collie who would run along side us: horses for courses as they say. ;)
 
Lordy, I'd never dare! My dog is fab, but the horse hates him and tried to kill him last time he saw him. :( I keep the puppies well away, too.
 
well I have done it with two dogs now we only go on the rd a short while round here lots of dogs are led from bikes my dog is well behaved and we have never had one issue

now he doesnt need a lead and follows beside me till woods when i say gon on and off he goes. " if" my horse ever spooked george knows to stay put if i had to " i never had" had to drop lead

i have had many police cars go by with out a second look

i never use a retractable one i use a long reflective lead direct to dog we took out first dog and trained him 12 years ago now george 8 also trained he is very obedient has much more interesting walks and when he had surgery on his hip due to hip displacia the noise he created when he coudnt go and almost pulled his chain off the wall and when he moves on the next dog will be trained
 
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I found my dog stayed right with me, even in an area she did not know, when I took her out riding with me. Definitely would not have used a lead, the dog moved around an awful lot and would have got really tangled with a lead.

If the dog is good off lead anyway why not try going out riding with someone on foot at first, just to see how the dog is with the horse.
 
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