Dogs causing Problems.

Biff&Buzz said:
On the route we hack, there are 4 large mastiff dogs in a house, they are kept outside behind a gate and railings, however they charge at the fence when anyone passes. Last week I was hacking with my friend on her big cob who is worked about dogs after being attacked in the past. These dogs charged at the fence and spooked both the horses, The cob spun and slipped falling on the road. The owner of the dogs was outside with them at the time and made no effort to call them away or check that we where ok. Luckily the big cob was u hurt. But we or someone else might not be so lucky next time.
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Oh dear ! so you hacked out with a friend who you knew had a problem with dogs. You went past a spot where you knew what the dogs where like.

You think the dog owners negligent ? Get real!
 
Has the other owner not yet tackled the issue, having to hack past this one house every time, knowing there are large dogs which worry her horse? How long has she been doing this route?
 
I tend to keep forgetting how many smug foofs there are on here, so many with perfect horse's, all must be a wonder to behold, let us all bow down and kiss your feet in admiration whilst chanting were not worthy were not worthy, smug orphans.
 
Most of us have been through hairy situations, I personally have been chased by a dog whilst on a horse and been thrown. That was a one off and hopefully won't happen again. We have a large doberman who throws himself at the fence adjoining the road at the end of out lane and on a blind corner, we cross the road to other side as horses will possibly jump and traffic is the concern. We also wait for traffic to clear before passing, no our horses are not worried by it particularly but horses will be horses and sometimes will jump if it appears suddenly.

No one is smug just pointing out you need to do all you can to keep safe, e.g. get horses used to dogs, choose timing etc
 
Pedantic said:
I tend to keep forgetting how many smug foofs there are on here, so many with perfect horse's, all must be a wonder to behold, let us all bow down and kiss your feet in admiration whilst chanting were not worthy were not worthy, smug orphans.
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No they get perfect by training and desensitising them . Its not smug its just that some cant be bothered to find the time and others just havent got the brain power to put 2 and 2 together. Choose which category you wish.
 
Dry Rot said:
So you think a dog appearing out of the blue and coming into attack at speed would not upset a child, an elderly person, or someone who is frail? I've been around dogs all my life, and constructed a fair few fences, and I would definitely be alarmed if unprepared -- and I wouldn't be trusting the fence.

Dog warden!
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But do we all have a right to not be upset by something that is safe (assuming fence holds) but scary? I mean all those groups of people are more likely to be run over than mauled by a dog but we don't offer to hide our cars...

Also, genuine questions, do you double fence/tether and fence all your dogs and horses? I mean I understand that all chains etc can snap but what do you think is a reasonable level of precaution for owners to take?
 
Chap at end of our lane with the large new doberman only let's it out when he is there and has added 4ft onto height of fence as worried it will jump out. Did giggle as we passed other day, they were out but it was stood on his kitchen table with its nose poking out the window adjoining road barking at us! I told him as was worried for the state of his table!
 
I think this also demonstrates how aware we, as riders, need to be of our surroundings and of any potential spooky hazards their might be around us and be ready to deal with them as appropriate.

Also, if your horse has a tendency to daydream (like mine!) you need to make sure you keep them alert so that if there is a sudden loud noise or a dog rushes at you, it doesn't come as quite such a shock to the system.

I feel the incident described in this thread is an accident, nothing more (and I have experienced similar in the past). Accidents happen with horses and as shocking as they are at the time, you do have to just use it as a learning experience for both horse and rider.
 
Well said Pendantic - aren't we all so very smug and aren't our horses so well trained'!
If the horses are expected to be trained and de-sensitised to such a high degree then surely dog owners should train their dogs not to react to passing horses?
You are also quite correct what would happen if the fence did not contain the dog's and they got out?
However well you train or de-sensitise a horse there will always be that one situation were it reacts to something.
Having spent many years riding a horse by itself in central London I only once had a problem with a dog and that included along the streets and the parks such as Hampstead Heath, Hyde Park. I fail to understand why owners of dogs kept in the countryside just don't bother to train them (There are of course many well trained ones).
The owners of these badly behaved dogs have a duty of care to others and should train their dogs not to react to horses and if they are unable to do so should keep them well clear of their boundaries and preferably kept indoors or in secure cages. Dogs that attack horses or other animals are a total menace and if I had my way the owners of these dogs would have them taken away from them and never allowed to own a dog again.
(Make quite sure that your horses are all vaccinated against Tetanus as dogs carry Tetanus and a single bite could infect and kill your horse).
 
OWLIE185 said:
Well said Pendantic - aren't we all so very smug and aren't our horses so well trained'!
If the horses are expected to be trained and de-sensitised to such a high degree then surely dog owners should train their dogs not to react to passing horses?
You are also quite correct what would happen if the fence did not contain the dog's and they got out?
However well you train or de-sensitise a horse there will always be that one situation were it reacts to something.
Having spent many years riding a horse by itself in central London I only once had a problem with a dog and that included along the streets and the parks such as Hampstead Heath, Hyde Park. I fail to understand why owners of dogs kept in the countryside just don't bother to train them (There are of course many well trained ones).
The owners of these badly behaved dogs have a duty of care to others and should train their dogs not to react to horses and if they are unable to do so should keep them well clear of their boundaries and preferably kept indoors or in secure cages. Dogs that attack horses or other animals are a total menace and if I had my way the owners of these dogs would have them taken away from them and never allowed to own a dog again.
(Make quite sure that your horses are all vaccinated against Tetanus as dogs carry Tetanus and a single bite could infect and kill your horse).
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TOWNIE alert!!!!!
 
We had a bloody Rotty bite one of the horse's at our yard in it's field at the weekend on it's muzzle, owners ran off, been reported to the police etc, hopefully it will be tracked down and they can pay the vets bill for the emergency call out on an easter bank holiday, plus be prosecuted for having a dangerous dog out of control on a public footpath, lets hope next time it doesn't attack anyone else, particularly a child in the face, these big dogs are a menace when owned by idiots, 4 large mastif's kicking off and and owner not bothering says it all.
 
OWLIE185 said:
The owners of these badly behaved dogs have a duty of care to others and should train their dogs not to react to horses and if they are unable to do so should keep them well clear of their boundaries and preferably kept indoors or in secure cages. Dogs that attack horses or other animals are a total menace and if I had my way the owners of these dogs would have them taken away from them and never allowed to own a dog again.
(Make quite sure that your horses are all vaccinated against Tetanus as dogs carry Tetanus and a single bite could infect and kill your horse).
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the dogs were in their owner's property. fenced property. they didnt 'attack' anything or anyone. I dislike loose dogs as much as anyone but these were on somebodies property-contained.

What would you do if it were a herd of cattle the other side of the fence? Because in the summer, everywhere I ride I have herds of cattle to contend with-sometimes they stampede bucking and farting-horses think thats great fun, sometimes the cows feint a charge at the fence, or the bulls give a good snort at us-should I ask the farmers to keep them in? double fence them?
 
ThursdayNext said:
But do we all have a right to not be upset by something that is safe (assuming fence holds) but scary? I mean all those groups of people are more likely to be run over than mauled by a dog but we don't offer to hide our cars...

Also, genuine questions, do you double fence/tether and fence all your dogs and horses? I mean I understand that all chains etc can snap but what do you think is a reasonable level of precaution for owners to take?
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Yes, my dogs and horses are double fenced. I think too much of them to take risks, nor do I want to see someone get bitten. And I don't assume anything with animals because the one thing that is certain is that they are unpredictable!

Inform the dog warden and he can decide what to do. He is a professional trained to deal with these situations.
 
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I have to hack past a dog that barks angrily and charges up and down the fence line. It startles my boys every time but i know it's there and i am prepared. They will get used to it one day!

The same dog is totally horse proof, he wanders around with his owners horses in their paddock, hacks out with her etc.

If he got loose, i wouldn't be worried at all - however angry and persistent he looks when he is quite rightly, protecting his boundary!
 
Yes! Ihatework I did live in a City and you can by all means call me a 'Townie' if you so wish - I won't take offence.
I still believe that people that own dogs should train them not to react or attack horses or any other animals for that matter and if they are unable to do so should take appropriate action to keep them away from them.
 
OWLIE185 said:
Yes! Ihatework I did live in a City and you can by all means call me a 'Townie' if you so wish - I won't take offence.
I still believe that people that own dogs should train them not to react or attack horses or any other animals for that matter and if they are unable to do so should take appropriate action to keep them away from them.
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Even in their own home/land?
 
I'm waiting for someone to complain......again!

Tiny Fuzzy when in the bottom paddock loves to run at the fence and along it if she is bored when horses hack past. Not withstanding there is a 7 ft fence, a 3ft ditch and 10 ft of undergrowth before the unmade lane, I still see some horses/ponies jogging and peering :D This is usually in winter, but as soon as the paddock dries, I'm going to be using it late spring again.
She doesn't bark, but if wound up by sprightly horses trotting past, will high blow and dragon snort :)

One lady led her horse into the yard to have a moan last winter about her......got a bit of short shrift from me regarding perhaps walking past or taking a slightly different route if her horse couldn't cope with a little pony enjoying itself :) (lady had been 'butcher boy trotting' TF had been grazing happily, but bombed across to see what the commotion was :) )
 
The older Appy is fortunately traffic proof, but not Herdwick sheep proof, small white dogs in bushes proof, and drifts of white mimosa type flowers proof. Rather than asking that all these things be removed from where we hack, I ensure that there is a bit of clear road before we pass these monsters and keep my leg on. I cannot "desensetise" her to all these random things, but can ensure my own, hers and others safety by thinking and working round problems. The world will not stop because I want to hack out, nor should it!
 
*Pony used to be scared of the pigs that lived next door
*I spent several weeks leading him past them, and then riding him past so he could get used to them
*Pony is no longer scared of the pigs that live next door (even when they run around squeeling)

It's annoying and scary when horses overreact, but such is life. The guy next door had every right to buy loud, squeely pigs and put them right next to the boundary fence. The dog owner had every right to let her loud, barking dogs out in their securely fenced garden.

OMG I is sooooo smug wiv ma perfect poni
 
Pedantic said:
I tend to keep forgetting how many smug foofs there are on here, so many with perfect horse's, all must be a wonder to behold, let us all bow down and kiss your feet in admiration whilst chanting were not worthy were not worthy, smug orphans.
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You really are very very funny .
 
OWLIE185 said:
Well said Pendantic - aren't we all so very smug and aren't our horses so well trained'!
If the horses are expected to be trained and de-sensitised to such a high degree then surely dog owners should train their dogs not to react to passing horses?
You are also quite correct what would happen if the fence did not contain the dog's and they got out?
However well you train or de-sensitise a horse there will always be that one situation were it reacts to something.
Having spent many years riding a horse by itself in central London I only once had a problem with a dog and that included along the streets and the parks such as Hampstead Heath, Hyde Park. I fail to understand why owners of dogs kept in the countryside just don't bother to train them (There are of course many well trained ones).
The owners of these badly behaved dogs have a duty of care to others and should train their dogs not to react to horses and if they are unable to do so should keep them well clear of their boundaries and preferably kept indoors or in secure cages. Dogs that attack horses or other animals are a total menace and if I had my way the owners of these dogs would have them taken away from them and never allowed to own a dog again.
(Make quite sure that your horses are all vaccinated against Tetanus as dogs carry Tetanus and a single bite could infect and kill your horse).
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I actually choked on my coffee reading that!

In the same respect then I would quite like to not have horses come over to the gate and try to nip me and look for sweeties when I stand and look at them. Their owners really should train them not to do that, or they should double fence the field so that they cannot get anywhere near the fence..........

The dogs are just acting naturally, as they would and should be allowed to under the Animal Welfare act! Yes a dog that attacks a horse is not to be tollerated, but these did not. In fact, chances are they just wanted to say hello!! My YO dog ran at our pony, didn't want to eat it, just thought that as it was near his size it may want to play.

I'm going to add this to the list of stupid stuff I have heard this week..................we had a local lady complain about a SINGLE horse poo on a country road as it was ruining her walk
 
My big fear with all this the world stops for riders who can't control their horses stuff is that it will end up restricting our right to be out and about .
What if a council decided to have a bylaw, no horses on the minor roads that are it's responsibility ,no chance of accidents then but not so good for most of us .
 
OWLIE185 said:
Yes! Ihatework I did live in a City and you can by all means call me a 'Townie' if you so wish - I won't take offence.
I still believe that people that own dogs should train them not to react or attack horses or any other animals for that matter and if they are unable to do so should take appropriate action to keep them away from them.
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You really crease me up its like all your post come straight off google or are you a teenager( some will get it!) . Why should the rider not be responsible for making sure their horses are desensitised to dogs. Logic tells me thats safer than relying on dog owners to control them ! Still at least when the worst happens we can always quote X,Y and Z act at them and feel better.
 
Fortunately for probably the vast majority of you you have probably have not suffered a serious attack by dogs on your horse.
I have and was devastated by the injuries inflicted on my horse and still am by what happened.
I was riding my horse along a quiet country lane (public highway) when two barking dogs ran out of a farm entrance and attacked my horse by biting at her neck and feet so aggressively that they brought her down on the road and continued their attack while she was on the ground.
I did my best to try to fight the dogs off by kicking at them and whipping them but by the time I had managed to chase them off they had inflicted serious injuries to my horse who required many months of veterinary care. She was never the same with dogs as she was before and I became very much cautious of dogs.
I reported the incident to the police and the local dog warden both of which visited the farmer concerned and warned him that they would put the dogs down if there were any further incidents.
I also discovered that the same dogs had attacked other horses before but no one had bothered to report these incidents. Had they then the dog attack on my horse would not have happened.
I was very lucky that my horse survived but she was never the same with dogs so please do not tell me that the fault lies purely with horse riders.
Dog owners have a responsibility to the public at large to ensure that their animals do not frighten them or inflict injuries to them.
 
There is nothing to say in the law that dogs must stay silent for their entire life. Barking at all hours of the night is a problem but during the day? Tough luck.

My horse doesn't like small dogs or animals in general. This was because he was followed/chased by a sheepdog that tried to herd him. He now jumps if he sees a small dog or even a cat and will shy away but because I can give him some confidence he doesn't do anything else.

I am a nervous rider in new circumstances thanks to previous falls. But even when horses came cantering up behind mine on a hack in a field beside him although he was scared I kept control because I gave him confidence. Same hack we saw an evil small dog in a field, walked past a loud factory and had a car with a trailer over take us. At no point did I lose control of him which would have been easy. Next time out hacking he was much better behaved even though it was very windy and he spooks at the wind (seriously..).

Now if even I can manage to train a young horse to behave on a hack when I am such a nervous rider and am often shaking in situations like that then I am fairly confident anyone here can do the same.
 
I am sorry for what happened to your horse Owlie185 (many years ago one of my horses was attacked by a loose dog but not as badly injured as yours) BUT the dogs the OP was complaining about were safely contained within their own garden, not loose.

Guard dogs guard and that is what these dogs were doing.
 
rachk89 said:
There is nothing to say in the law that dogs must stay silent for their entire life. Barking at all hours of the night is a problem but during the day? Tough luck.

My horse doesn't like small dogs or animals in general. This was because he was followed/chased by a sheepdog that tried to herd him. He now jumps if he sees a small dog or even a cat and will shy away but because I can give him some confidence he doesn't do anything else.

I am a nervous rider in new circumstances thanks to previous falls. But even when horses came cantering up behind mine on a hack in a field beside him although he was scared I kept control because I gave him confidence. Same hack we saw an evil small dog in a field, walked past a loud factory and had a car with a trailer over take us. At no point did I lose control of him which would have been easy. Next time out hacking he was much better behaved even though it was very windy and he spooks at the wind (seriously..).

Now if even I can manage to train a young horse to behave on a hack when I am such a nervous rider and am often shaking in situations like that then I am fairly confident anyone here can do the same.
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Good for you ,
A really good post .
 
OWLIE185 said:
Fortunately for probably the vast majority of you you have probably have not suffered a serious attack by dogs on your horse.
I have and was devastated by the injuries inflicted on my horse and still am by what happened.
I was riding my horse along a quiet country lane (public highway) when two barking dogs ran out of a farm entrance and attacked my horse by biting at her neck and feet so aggressively that they brought her down on the road and continued their attack while she was on the ground.
I did my best to try to fight the dogs off by kicking at them and whipping them but by the time I had managed to chase them off they had inflicted serious injuries to my horse who required many months of veterinary care. She was never the same with dogs as she was before and I became very much cautious of dogs.
I reported the incident to the police and the local dog warden both of which visited the farmer concerned and warned him that they would put the dogs down if there were any further incidents.
I also discovered that the same dogs had attacked other horses before but no one had bothered to report these incidents. Had they then the dog attack on my horse would not have happened.
I was very lucky that my horse survived but she was never the same with dogs so please do not tell me that the fault lies purely with horse riders.
Dog owners have a responsibility to the public at large to ensure that their animals do not frighten them or inflict injuries to them.
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I am sorry for what happened to your horse, and I don't think anyone here would say that those dogs and their owner were not at fault. In fact I would have been inclined to have the owner pay for the veterinary treatment.

What happened to OP was entirely different though. The doge were behind a fence. They did not escape and bite the horse.
 
Ever heard the saying why have a dog and bark yourself?
Be sensible, these dogs were enclosed on their own property.
Yes, it's annoying if they bark at horses, but we can't expect the world to stop because we ride our horses.
 
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