Dog attacks group of children out riding, badly injures one pony

ok, very scarey experience and am crossing all my fingers for ponies that they are better soon. But
'Just don't understand why they would want to walk a group of large dogs together in a very public, very busy local woods on a sunny afternoon when the woods is full of families, kids on bikes, kids on ponies etc. '
Nothing wrong with walking a group of large dogs at any time, same arguement could be made about kids on ponies with families around. Everyone has a right to enjoy the park. Although it sounds like they should definitely be on leads and the staffie muzzled at the very least.
 
Thats a terrible thing to happen, and I do hope you find the owners and dogs involved. I think its worth carring aschooling whip when your out hacking just incase of this sort of thing happening, purely so you can dog beat from a longer range.
 
I have my fingers crossed that everyone makes a speedy recovery and don't suffer any long term psycological damage. I really hope that the men get caught and something is done about that dog!

Towerhamlets, I agree re the schooling whip. I always carry one when I hack out as a little dog once ran at my pony and was running and and out of his legs, problem number 1. Unfortunatly at the same time as this an idiot in a car was trying to squeeze past us despite the pony being in the middle of the road trying to rear because of the little rat of a dog! Since then I always carry one for jus in case.
 
How awful, I hope the girls and ponies are ok
frown.gif
I ride there a lot and luckily have never had any problems with loose dogs, we tend to stay on the left hand piece of woodland rather than the right as there are often lots of walkers, bikes etc.
I hope you've reported the incident to police and local dog warden and BHS and taken pictures of the ponies wounds as evidence.
 
The difference is that the children were in control of their ponies, walking slowly, the men were walking several large dogs and were obviously not in control, and the fact that they were in a pack of 5 meant the dogs were perhaps more aggressive than if they had been walked in smaller groups of 2 or 3.

Some of the dogs were on leads and some were not, and when the first dog (rottweiler) went for one of the horses, the others followed, because that is a normal response for a pack of dogs.

I do think if you want to walk several large, aggressive dogs (and they were aggressive dogs because the attack was unprovoked and they kept coming at the horses from different angles) then you should walk them away from very busy popular routes, particularly bridleways.

You can walk dogs anywhere in our local woods, you can only ride horses on the bridlepath, so the children were only doing what we always tell them to do, sticking to the correct path.

Anyway, many many thanks to the many people who have wished the girls and ponies well, the cob is doing well, the NF pony not so good, wound very deep, infection likely... Will let you all know over the next few days.
 
There's nothing useful to add to the comments made on this thread so far, other than to add my best wishes to the girls and ponies. Our oldest boy didn't ride for a year after he'd come of in 2 dog attacks in consecutive weeks. He's riding again, but still very nervous of dogs. Hopefully the girls will deal with it better.

Sadly, as people become more and more and disconnected from the country and animals, these kind of incidents become more common. Then there's the issue of 'rights' that people perceive they have whilst ignoring the fact that the flip side of rights is responsibility to others.
 
Please , please report this to the Police. Bet your last pound this lot have come to notice before or will do so soon and they may be able to tie several 'jobs' together
 
I know from first hand experience how horrifying a dog attack on ones horse can be.

My 23 year old horse was attacked whilst we where hacking along a road outside a farm in North Hertfordshire. Two dogs came running out and started biting my horses legs. They eventually brought her down continuing to attack her and I fought them off using my schooling whip. Once she had got up and I had checked her injuries I followed the dogs in to the farm yard where I found the farmer who owned the dogs. He was not sympathetic at all and became quite aggresive asking me to get off his property. Once I had walked my horse home I reported the matter to my local communit/countryside police officer and District Council dog warden and both of them went to see the farmer concerned and warned him to keep his dogs on his yard and that if there where any more incidents he would be prosecuted. I later found out that the dogs had a history of many years of attacking horses etc but that none of the locals had bothered to do anything about it leaving the dogs to continue to attack horses.

The telephone number for the local Dog Wardens are 01920 484171 (Hertford) 01279 655261 01462 474549 01462 474373 This attack will be covered by the dangerous dog act

Also report this incident to your local rural police community officer 01462 425 158

If I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

Peter Natt Voluntee BHS Access Officer Hertfordshire
peter.natt@btinternet.com
 
I think you should definitely report this to the police, and the press. Whilst anyone should be able to walk in areas like this, these dogs should definitely have been on lead. As you say any more than 2 or 3 and they become a pack and even the most mild mannered of dogs might change its character. My friend and I often walk our dogs (both GSDs) in a well known beauty spot (Bickerton Hills ), where there are loads of walkers, and sometimes horses. I am happy to have my 2 girls off lead but under control, however my friends lad is not good with other dogs and horses, despite endless training- he has CD and UD Ex working trials qualifications! He is not let off the lead full stop. I think she could probably put him in a down at a distance if the need arose but it is just not worth the risk. Until irresponsible dog owners are dealt with these sort of incidents will continue to happen. Hope the girls are recovering from their fright and the ponies are soon on the mend.
 
omg, that is my worst nightmare when out hacking ... my ponies previous owner had to have her horse PTS after a fatal dog bite.

Poor kids and ponies, it sounds like they did everything right and the owners of the dogs should be bloody ashamed.

I would put up posters along the bridleway reporting the incident - as if these people come back the same thing could happen to someone else and there ponies.

The dogs should have been on leads and muzzled if that dangerous.

I would also definately report to the police and local council etc, even though the police will be able to do very little atleast if it happens again there will be a case on it.
 
Definitely report to the police

IMHO anyone owning a potentially dangerous breed should have to get a licence. We have been round the dog shelters looking for a new pet and the amount of rotty, staffy & doberman crosses is horrendous.

Apologies to anyone who owns one, but they seem to be the domain of the 'rough people' who should never be in charge of any animal.
 
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