Dog and horse exercise.... this is probably completely mad BUT....

[Acolyte]

does anyone manage to combine the two? Usually I take my two dogs for a walk around our XC field before riding - they can have a mad 20 mins dashing around, then sleep for the rest of the evening

Unfortunately the XC field now has sheep in it for the next few weeks

so I was wondering whether it would be possible for me to take the dogs with me when I go hacking?

The hack I do is all along quiet lanes so would consist of walking and trotting max, we do meet some traffic but pretty infrequently. I have two lunge lines which I would attach to the dogs collars, a bit like riding and leading two horses?

Does anyone do this and might it work? I am very concious of big equine feet next to small greyhound feet

but then I think that hound exercise works OK, albeit that they are not on leads?

I am probably completely mad though

 

[Maisy]

I take one of mine! I put him on a lunge line on the road (which is a short distance and has a verge) and then let him off when I get to the bridal paths.

 

[merlinsquest]

I have to cross three roads when I hack.... but not actually ride along them.

I just get off to cross the roads and off we go...... Poor little dog though... he is only a little schnauzer and when we canter he cant keep up

He would be useless on a lunge line though..... he would wrap merlins legs up and make him trip!!!

 

[Acolyte]

Hmmmm, hadnt really thought of that - I was going to try and make them both walk on the left, and tension the lunge line so they cant skip around and dive underneath the horses feet

I think we might be practising in the school first

 

[Skhosu]

No, don't do it! If a car comes round fast and the dog has a scent...
OR if you get sued because your dog did something.
Not worth the risk, and as for lunge lines, if the horse spooks and gets tangled doesn't bear thinking about. Also is it your horse? If it was just fields you could fire away, but not roads.

 

[Acolyte]

Not sure what I would be getting sued for, as the dogs would not be able to do anything as they are attached to me

, but I understand what you are saying about the lunge lines etc!

BTW - it is not my horse, but owner is perfectly happy whatever I do with it as she trusts me and vice versa

Unfortunately fields would be MUCH worse than roads for me, my two are sighthounds and act accordingly, so I guess I will be waiting for the sheep to get out of the XC field

 

[Joss]

I used to ride all the time with my dog but we were very, very spoilt & had miles of off road hacking. I really would not fancy riding with a dog on the end of a lead, sounds like a recipe for disaster. Unless your horse is ultra, ultra quiet. If anything happened at all you wouldnt have 2 hands for the reins & your poor dog would end up getting trodden on......

 

[kerilli]

no way would i even consider this, especially not with lunge lines! with a very very obedient dog that i KNEW would come instantly to heel even if i was on a horse, maybe, but otherwise, no way.
fwiw i've had a dog killed right in front of me on a very quiet country road, while i was on foot... i'd taken him out without a lead to find another of my dogs (which had disappeared rabbiting), thinking i could grab him quickly if a car came along. one appeared, my boyfriend who was supposed to be alerting me if one came round the corner didn't do it, i suddenly saw the car coming really fast and the panic in my voice made the dog scoot away from me instead of towards me as i tried to grab him... straight in front of the car. i cannot begin to describe how devastating this was.

r.i.p. Mickey, you were a lovely boy.
i used to ride out with a friend who took all his dogs along, and took my jrt once, and a van driver slowly drove right over mine (luckily not breaking any bones, she was very bruised but survived) as she crossed the road to me and i desperately motioned him to stop... he ignored me and carried on, and didn't give a **** about it.

so, it's really really not worth it! only sharing these awful stories in the hope that no-one else has to go through the grief i did.

 

[chevs]

Hi

I always take my dog with me when i hack out. He absoltely loves it. He's an english pointer and would go all day long, he goes what ever speed the horse does. If i have to do road work i pop him on a long lead and he trots along beside me.

If i'm staying off roads i take my other dog with me but wouldn't take two of them out on the roads at the same time. My dogs just love going out with the horse.

It's a great way of tiring them both out at the same time!

Happy hacking

 

[Maisy]

[ QUOTE ]
no way would i even consider this, especially not with lunge lines! with a very very obedient dog that i KNEW would come instantly to heel even if i was on a horse, maybe, but otherwise, no way.


[/ QUOTE ]

.........you must have met my dog!!...........I am able to get a lead on and off my dog from horseback, and he stays to heal whether he is on a lead or not.........I only use a lunge line as it is long enough to reach down to him....I havent ever got tangled yet..........

 

[Mavis]

I would never do that, having seen the local loon do exactly the same. She was screaming (and I mean proper bloodcurdling screams) because her dog had panicked at something, gone under the horse and tangled the lunge line in its feet. The horse then also panicked, the dog was being flung about and it was pandemonium (and I was expected to extricate the dog purely because I was there!). Just because the dog is good on a lead, and the dogs and horse are reasonably predictable doesnt mean they will ever be totally predictable. What if a cat/rabbit scoots across the road in front of you? What if the horse trips and the dogs (naturally) pull away in fear?

Sounds like a disaster! And nothing like hound exercise. I wouldnt risk my dogs or horse by doing it purely to save 20 mins

 

[Maisy]

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldnt risk my dogs or horse by doing it purely to save 20 mins

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah well......I do. Have done for years, and havent had a problem yet, so it *is* possible.

OP I guess you have to weigh up how well behaved your dog is, and how adept you are at ensuring you dont tie yourself in knots with a lunge line.

For the record, I also take my daughter out hacking on a lead from my horse......

 

[Mavis]

I dont doubt its possible and Im sure you are far more dextrous and clever than me, and your dogs and horse are the very model of good behaviour. Mine aren't, much to my disappointment (and lack of training skills/dexterity)

 

[Acolyte]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I wouldnt risk my dogs or horse by doing it purely to save 20 mins

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah well......I do. Have done for years, and havent had a problem yet, so it *is* possible.

OP I guess you have to weigh up how well behaved your dog is, and how adept you are at ensuring you dont tie yourself in knots with a lunge line.

For the record, I also take my daughter out hacking on a lead from my horse......

[/ QUOTE ]

My thoughts exactly

But interesting (as always on this forum) to hear everyones views

 

[Acolyte]

[ QUOTE ]
I would never do that, having seen the local loon do exactly the same. She was screaming (and I mean proper bloodcurdling screams) because her dog had panicked at something, gone under the horse and tangled the lunge line in its feet. The horse then also panicked, the dog was being flung about and it was pandemonium (and I was expected to extricate the dog purely because I was there!). Just because the dog is good on a lead, and the dogs and horse are reasonably predictable doesnt mean they will ever be totally predictable. What if a cat/rabbit scoots across the road in front of you? What if the horse trips and the dogs (naturally) pull away in fear?

Sounds like a disaster! And nothing like hound exercise. I wouldnt risk my dogs or horse by doing it purely to save 20 mins

[/ QUOTE ]

Takes all sorts I suppose, I wouldnt be getting myself into that situation in the first place and certainly wouldnt be screaming my head off or expecting others to help if the worst did occur

The intention is NOT to save myself 20 mins, it is to give my two dogs some reasonable exercise as they cannot currently have the run of the XC field. A walk on a lead is OK for them, but faster exercise is better for them!

Why so dissimilar to hound exercise BTW? Other than the fact that hounds are loose and my dogs would not be on a road

 

[Mavis]

if youve made the decision already, why ask in the first place?

 

[Acolyte]

Where do I say I have made a decision? I had not made any decision before receiving feedback, hence my reason for asking!

If you read the whole thread you will see that I have taken on board the feedback someone has given about lunge lines being caught up etc, and I have made some comment like 'I will be waiting for the sheep to come out of the XC field then' or similar

 

[Acolyte]

[ QUOTE ]
so I guess I will be waiting for the sheep to get out of the XC field

[/ QUOTE ]

There you go Mavis Cruet, to save you ploughing through the whole lot, the actual quote for you

 

[Mavis]

sorry, will add inability to read to the rest of my shortcomings. I added my point of view, unhelpful as it was. Have nothing further to add - good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

We take our spaniel, but never the lurcher, as once he sees a deer/rabbit/cat/whatever he is gone. If you do take them with you, I'd suggest flourescent jackets for them, can't understand why more people don't use them on dogs. You can get them at any decent pet shop.

 

[Kallibear]

I took melba everywhere and anywhere with me. All over the hill and on every road we went on. I trusted her more that I could ever trust the horses.

She is extremely well trained and has good road sense. She always stops at junctions and checks for traffic herself and would never step onto the road (doesn't chase cats etc). She knows the commands 'wait' and 'stay' and obeys instantly. She also knows 'In' (to get as far away from the road as possible, inc climbing the verges if nessesary) and 'cross' (cross the road).

She came riding with us for years and years, often coming for 15miles rides. Only recently has she stopped coming as she's getting deaf and can't hear me

She has managed to train up my friends collie who now comes everywhere with us. He copied her for a good couple of years and is bright enough to pick it up quickly.

 

[echodomino]

I think it's a good idea to do both at the same time provided you are careful, especially as it saves more than 20mins if you're giving your dogs a proper run.

We're lucky in that we're on a farm and have access to all of the fields once the crops cut. I took one of my JRs up a couple of the back fields and she loved it, was really fun having her running alongside me barking away with excitement when we cantered. No joke the horse & hound (lol couldn't resist!) were trying to race eachother.

I'm lucky that my horse is careful and my dogs respect his hooves! Not that that stopped Mouse cutting him up when we cantered lol. The only time I lost her was when I let Nelson open up across the long side of the field, she couldn't keep up but when I stopped she was still following.

I'm trying to concoct (sp?) a way of getting my terriers on some form of lead or line so we can do the whole bridle path. There is one road and we have a massive grass verge along side it and then we're on a fenced in bridle path then fields back to the farm.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

I take my JRT with me, but he is very obedient and I only have to cross roads. So he runs loose and I get him to sit and wait back from the road whilst I check it is clear and safe for him to cross.

Years ago I used to take my brothers Labs with me and we had to cross a dual carriageway with large grass central reservation. The dogs were trained to jump their front paws onto my stirrup so I could clip them on a 6ft lead to cross and let them off once we were in the woods the other side. That said the dogs were very obedient and my cob was very good too.

 

[Foxfolly]

I used to take my dog with me all the time when I was in Bristol, I had a long lead rope which I used to use when we were on the busier roads.. (Had to cross the A369 Bristol road)
Scrappy was trained to go up on his hind legs and rest against the horses shoulder while I attached the lead ... or if there was a wall or high verge he would jump onto that.
I used to charge round Ashton court and he invariably was never far behind me. He just knew when he was with me on the horse that he was on best behaviour!! He used to go just in front of me on the lanes and if I shouted 'IN' he would move accross really tight into side of the road. I could also get him to sit and wait for me to catch up or stay whilst I checked the roads were clear.
He was a complete star, I don't do it now but only as we have 9 dogs to walk and he goes out with them, I think that might be utter chaos.... I can see terriers attached to horses fetlocks and hanging from their tails, or just disapearing in all different directions!!
I think Scrappy does miss it but also there are more distractions where I am now... loads more rabbits, hares and pheasants!!

 

[matthew]

I used to take my dog out hacking- although it was all off road! I kept my horse at a friends farm so you didnt need to go near any roads. The only time it went a bit tits up was when my dog hot footed it across my friends golf course chasing a rabbit- all these golfers staring as she ran across the greens, me screaming like a loon for her to come back

 

[sloulou]

I take my lab out one one ride that we do - no roads, just a big track around the edge of some fields - not even close to any roads - he loves it and is very respectful of the horse. I sometimes do this walk on foot and it takes about 40 mins - but is only about 20 mins on the horse - so I go around twice with them. Then take the horse back for schooling and leave the dog in the stable.

I wouldn't personally try a lunge line on mine, but I might consider it if the dog was more sensible and the horse wasn't a green 6 year old!

 

[3Beasties]

I take two dogs out with me, a patterdale and a Labrador (patterdale keeps up better then lab!) But neither of them are on leads as I only take them 200yrds down the road and then into a huge orchard.

I personally wouldn't take my dogs out on a lead with a horse as I think its asking for trouble. I'm trying to train the lab on the road so that he will go and sit on the side when a car comes, that way I won't need him on a lead. Is there any way you could take your dogs with you without them being on leads? Or maybe you should try going out with the dogs on a bike first and see how that goes? I would say that you need quite obedient dogs that really listen when you call them.

It is a great way of exercising your dogs so I think you should definitely give it a go!!

 

[Nudibranch]

It's a good idea if you're on quiet lanes and the dogs should pick it up quickly, though I would let them loose rather than worry about lunge reins. My previous YO had a border collie who would accompany her - and often any of us - on hacks, he was amazing, never a bit of bother and very road safe. Then again, I wouldn't dare take mine, being a scent hound he'd be off before I could say "sit"! If you trust your dogs, it's great exercise for them.