Dogs chasing my horse when I'm riding

RutlandH2O said:
No, I didn't say all dogs should be on lead in public as all animals can be unpredictable. I said all dogs on bridleways should be on lead because of the possibility of something untoward happening.
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RutlandH2O said:
. I said all dogs on bridleways should be on lead because of the possibility of something untoward happening.
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But what if the dog is with a horse out on a hack???

Yes if its not well behaved then yest owner should put a lead on it when they see a horse coming or say to horse owner * can you wait a minute I need to put my dog on lead as he/she is either frightening or bark or attack a horse.

But if its ok with horses I would say to a fellow horse rider * a my dog is behind me or is your horse ok with dogs?? * if not i would call mine to the side till fellow horse rider passes
 
Thankyou fiona, saved me typing it out!
My dog is no more likely to suddenly have a major personality change & suddenly start chasing stuff & then ignore commands to heel in addition than my horse is likely to bolt down a bridleway & hurt other users, which is the point I'm trying to make regarding people not knowing what their dogs may suddenly do. As has been any other off lead dog I've ever owned.
 
Ok i didn't mean this to cause such a clash of opinions! Was just hoping for advice on how to help my horse....
I think dogs should be able to run around etc and littlelegs your dog(s) are obviously well behaved etc and fine around horses, others aren't. It's just down to personal opinion... As with everything people treat their animals and look after them in different ways etc and we all think we are right so everyone is going to have a different view on this.
As a horse owner who's horse spooks at the dogs chasing my horse i do think the irresponsible owners indeed do spoil it for the rest but as with anything else.....
 
littlelegs said:
I wouldn't put loose dogs in the field either, even ones fine with them normally can behave differently when a dogs loose in the field. And its more likely to be the dog that comes off worse.
Rutland, as you believe dogs should be on a lead in public as all animals can be unpredictable, I assume you never hack? After all, your horse my have a 'never done that before moment' & bolt etc for no reason, harming yourself, drivers, walkers etc? An out of control horse does way more damage than the average dog. Or do you perhaps work on the same theory as myself, that you have calculated the chance of losing control & deemed it insignificant. I do agree dog owners should have control of their dogs. It would also stop people making judgemental remarks about responsible dog owners. But if all riders (quite rightly imo) want dog owners to control their dogs instinct to chase, they should equally be expected to control their horses instinct for flight.
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You have to start with the dog loose the other side of the fence first and also I allowed the dogs to be around the horse when he was tied outside his stable but saying that my dogs are very well behaved and their recall is excellent they would not go near the horse unless allowed to. Also would start by taking the dogs into the field at the opposite end of the field to the horse and they walked to heel around the field but not near the horse. It was a long process and I would not have put horse or dogs in a position neither were ready for, it takes time but as my cob would shy at the sight of a dog it was a process I was willing to take my time over. He is now 'dog proof' if not 'bomb proof'.:D
 
littlelegs said:
Thankyou fiona, saved me typing it out!

My dog is no more likely to suddenly have a major personality change & suddenly start chasing stuff & then ignore commands to heel in addition than my horse is likely to bolt down a bridleway & hurt other users, which is the point I'm trying to make regarding people not knowing what their dogs may suddenly do. As has been any other off lead dog I've ever owned.
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You're welcome. :D

I don't think all dogs should be on leads on bridleways, but they should be under close control.

I keep mine on a lead wherever I think we're likely to meet animals (other than dogs, he's great with other dogs) because I just don't trust what he'd do. He's a rather troubled rescue dog and I'd rather not risk him behaving badly. In the park, chasing a ball, he's off the lead to run off his energy. In the countryside or on bridleways, he stays firmly on his lead. :o
 
horseloaner said:
obviously not a dog lover.... keeping a dog permanently on a lead causes enormous behavioural problems and is not to be encouraged.
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My dog is never off the lead - hes a malamute who has quite poor recall and I cant guarantee he will come back to me if hes chasing a rabbit/squirrel/horse and rider so on the leash he stays. He is a smashing dog with a great temperament who we never have any problems with at all.

Although I have today, discovered that there is a doggy park about 10 miles from me now - like the ones you get in America - all enclosed and secure with other doggys to play with - so we are heading there next week :D

I have been chased while riding by a dog whose owner was nowhere to be seen - luckily my horse was not bothered and merely flicked a hind leg out in disgust. But I came off him once when an alsation ran around the corner in front of him and he spun and kicked and I hit the deck. As soon as he realised it was a dog the head went down and he started eating while the dog jumped on me for a play. He was very apologetic (the owner not the dog) Only once have I had a verbal with a dog owner and that was when I first got Arion and hacked him out, and their small puppy was running towards him - I asked them to put it on a lead and he didnt have one so I asked him to pick it up as I didnt know if my horse would kick it and i got a mouthful :rolleyes:.

Arion is ok with dogs - most owners I come across have good control over their animals and are apologetic if their dogs get too close and excited and maybe dont come back on the first try. I dont think all dogs should be on leads if they can be recalled - not in parks or on bridleways anyway - but I do think all dogs should be on a leash in built up areas, streets, roads and so on
 
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cinnamontoast said:
I'd be wary of that method ^^. 20 geldings surrounded my dog in the field, I was very lucky to get I'm out of there because he's trained to stop as required. Even when I got hold of my horse, he tried to strike the dog. If the dog has the brain to flee, fine, if not, I'd be very wary of allowing the dogs to run amongst horses.
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I think you have misunderstood, I have only allowed my dogs in the field with my cob on his own so the dogs are never threatened by a herd of horses, I would not take my dogs in with a herd.
 
littlelegs said:
Just to clarify I was responding to shadeyoaks comment that "I personally think all dogs should be kept on a lead in public". As said, I agree they shouldn't be off if you can't recall them. Mine doesn't even need to be called away from a horse or anything else as he wouldn't approach one. I do call him to heel out of courtesy so a rider doesn't worry about what he might do. But just because he happens to closely resemble a doberman I refuse to put him on a lead just because of other peoples ignorant predjudices.He's incredibly obedient so other peoples misconceptions are their own problem.
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When your horse comes in with a puncture wound caused by a loose dog in field, then where does the 'it's not fair on the dog owner lie'? Sorry but I bet you've never had a horse come in with an injury caused by a loose dog have you? I have..
 
My reply to OP "All dogs should be on leads OR at least come to FIRST recall"
Fair enough? What if the dog decided to chew on someone's ponies leg?
Take a look at this newspaper article, a horse DIED because of a loose dog!
http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/9635025.Dangerous_dog_attacks_horse_and_rider/
If those who are responsible dog owners are upset by my post, then you should take it out on those who are not responsible dog owners instead!
'The few spoil it for the many'
 
elsazzo said:
sorry to hijack but heres a question..... If a horse was to chase your horse and be kicked/trampled and was injured or killed, who would be liable?
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Interestingly enough my aunt was riding on a bridlepath at our local woods and was chased by a dog. Her nutty Chestnut TB had a right eppy fit and kicked the dog twice in the head - quite literally almost knocking it's head off!

My aunt was liable for all costs pertaining to that dog's recovery as she was deemed to not be in control of the horse ...
 
littlelegs said:
Thankyou fiona, saved me typing it out!
My dog is no more likely to suddenly have a major personality change & suddenly start chasing stuff & then ignore commands to heel in addition than my horse is likely to bolt down a bridleway & hurt other users, which is the point I'm trying to make regarding people not knowing what their dogs may suddenly do. As has been any other off lead dog I've ever owned.
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Your control of your dog is commendable. Major personality change? I'm not discussing one dog. When horses and dogs (yours and others') are out and about the chances that one or another of the animals may cause conflict through fear, anxiety, poor training is a possibility. You can be as sure of your animals' behaviour as you want, but what do you know of someone else's animals and their owners' ability to control them? On a bridle path it's a pretty sure thing that horses may come into contact with dogs. My view is that dogs on lead for the time that it takes for the animals to pass each other is a safety precaution. The fact that I think dogs should be on lead in other public places has nothing to do with their unpredictability. It has to do with people and their attitudes toward dogs. I don't harbour a militant stance about the subject of dogs on or off lead. I keep mine on lead and don't expect someone to tell me they should be off lead. I will, however, tell someone whose off lead dog is out of control to put it on lead.

FionaM12: There was no need to repeat the quote and not complete the sentence. Taking it out of context is a cheap shot. I was making a difference between bridle paths and other public places because of the likelihood of horses being about.
 
But Shadeyoak, all the livery owners' dogs (and YO's) run free at our yard, and I think that's fine because they all ignore the ponies, horses, cats etc. They don't all always come to first recall :o (especially YO's beagle, little tinker sneaks off rabbiting) but they're all good with livestock.

Mine isn't so good, I'm afraid, so he stays on the lead and always will. I feel sorry for him as all he seems to want to do is play with the others, but I know he's not trustworthy with other animals, so that's that.

It's about responsible dog ownership, not just one rule for all, IMO.
 
Assistant Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard, ACPO lead for Dangerous Dogs and Equine Affairs, states: "Dog attacks on horses are taken seriously by the police as they pose a very real danger to both public safety and animal welfare. An attack by a dog on a horse whilst it is being ridden, that causes injury or apprehension of injury, is a criminal offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act. In severe cases this could result in the dog’s destruction and even a custodial sentence for the owner. To avoid such serious incidents we promote and support the socialisation and responsible ownership of both dogs and horses."
 
RutlandH2O said:
FionaM12: There was no need to repeat the quote and not complete the sentence. Taking it out of context is a cheap shot. I was making a difference between bridle paths and other public places because of the likelihood of horses being about.
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I don't understand this. I didn't repeat a quote, as far as I'm aware. I just quoted two seperate statements. I didn't quote the whole of your posts, because they were long. I could have put the whole of both sentences, but it wouldn't have changed their meaning so I didn't think it was out of context.

Not a cheap shot, just clumsy editting! :)
 
My horse as a teenage was attacked by a big dog out riding once. The dog came off worse and slinked off (no sign of owner). But after that he would literally attack any loose dog that came within a few feet of him. Luckily it wasn't an issue as I rarely saw dogs and I'd stopped drag hunting by that point.

Paula
 
EmsHooper said:
Interestingly enough my aunt was riding on a bridlepath at our local woods and was chased by a dog. Her nutty Chestnut TB had a right eppy fit and kicked the dog twice in the head - quite literally almost knocking it's head off!

My aunt was liable for all costs pertaining to that dog's recovery as she was deemed to not be in control of the horse ...
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I can't believe this! If it is a public place and the horse was behaving sensibly before the dog came and attacked it then surely it was the dog that was out of control first to then cause the horse to become out of control! That is disgusting that she was found at fault and she had to fund the vet fees because the owner was irresponsible....
 
FionaM12 said:
I don't understand this. I didn't repeat a quote, as far as I'm aware. I just quoted two seperate statements. I didn't quote the whole of your posts, because they were long. I could have put the whole of both sentences, but it wouldn't have changed their meaning so I didn't think it was out of context.

Not a cheap shot, just clumsy editting! :)
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Perhaps poor comprehension of my two sentences. You didn't have to quote the whole of my post, just the complete sentences re: bridleways and other public places. Never mind...
 
Crugeran Celt said:
I think you have misunderstood, I have only allowed my dogs in the field with my cob on his own so the dogs are never threatened by a herd of horses, I would not take my dogs in with a herd.
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Except for the stallion turnout, I have never seen single horse turnout on the yards I know. Even if I took the dogs in with just mine, he'd still go for them. He's a very jealous creature. I'm not allowed to talk to other horses on the yard either!
 
The thing is rutland, the majority of dogs I meet, riding, dog walking, out & about are fine, not just mine. And the majority of ones who aren't are kept on lead by responsible owners ime. I see far more riders lacking control than dog owners. And that's with the experience of having to work through the fear left after my pony was attacked severely enough for it to have been near fatal. If someone's dog wasn't bothering her it didn't matter if it was on or off the lead tbh. As I say, I'll shout mine to heel to reassure riders he's under control. But imo all riders should learn to deal with the odd silly dog. Mine got over having close to sixty bites from a pitbull, some wounds big enough to get my hand in. So all horses/riders should be able to deal with dogs being less than perfect. Just like as a dog walker my dog has to be trained enough not to bother when idiot riders bomb round corners, or blast past muttering excuses about their horse being scared of an umbrella, pram, bike etc they saw 10 mins ago. Dogs should be under control, but they'll always be the odd one. Just like they'll always be plenty of riders hacking without perfect control.
 
Shadeyoak said:
At risk of causing an argument with pro off lead dog owners, I believe all dogs should either be on a leash when on bridleways, or at least be able to bring to heal at first call from owner.
If the dog owner can't get their dog back on first call, they shouldn't even think to let him/her off the lead and should take the dog to obedience classes.
I personally think all dogs should be kept on a lead in public, but that's my opinion, but to be fair on those responsible dog owners my first comment seems fairer.
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Agreed ^

Due to a few idle dog owners on our commons, I carry a hunting whip - this makes most dogs back off - and occasionally gets their owners in a stew as they think I have 'hit' their dogs <sigh>

Big Fuzzy is very good on the whole with dogs, but if in a silly mood & they shoot out behind us when we are doing anything out of a walk, then she tries to pretend she's scared :rolleyes: but comes back easily enough, but she makes her point!

1 owner is a ruddy pain & will not put hers on a lead & lets them charge towards horses, only last week I calmly gave her chapter & verse on the dangerous dogs act. Another walker came past whilst I was doing so & told the woman exactly what HE thought of her dog 'handling' too & then produced his warrant card & took her to the main car park for a 'chat' :D

Her dogs - at the time her came up - were both growling & circling my horse (which was standing stock still as asked to) the woman was not calling them back - despite me calmly asking her to do so - and the fella telling her to do so. She actually said to him 'I dont care what you say, you are nothing to me & my dogs are not biting the horse just being friendly'

These dogs harrass most dog walkers, riders, runners, cyclists etc - they are an unruly, uncontrolled pair......

I now look out for single fella's usually walking GSD's :D:D
 
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Our points of view are coloured by our experiences. Case in point: littlelegs' last post compared with The Fuzzy Furry's. LL has had more positive encounters, whereas others have not. Based on what I have seen, experienced, heard from friends, I tend to ere on the side of caution.
 
RutlandH2O said:
Our points of view are coloured by our experiences. Case in point: littlelegs' last post compared with The Fuzzy Furry's. LL has had more positive encounters, whereas others have not. Based on what I have seen, experienced, heard from friends, I tend to ere on the side of caution.
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I agree with Littlelegs too :)

RutlandH20, you may be interested to know that I spend a lot of time helping de-sensitise and/or educate dogs & their owners from the local beginners class of the dog training group in the village - they come up to my yard with the puppy group & practice walking past TF or BF. Then we walk past them etc etc - its lovely to see them after a few sessions calmly going past, sitting on command or coming back to their owners when called.

I just have zero tolerance for eejits - whether they be unruly dog owners, bad mannerered riders or cyclists etc etc..... ;)
 
Hevs said:
My dog is never off the lead - hes a malamute who has quite poor recall and I cant guarantee he will come back to me if hes chasing a rabbit/squirrel/horse and rider so on the leash he stays. He is a smashing dog with a great temperament who we never have any problems with at all.

Although I have today, discovered that there is a doggy park about 10 miles from me now - like the ones you get in America - all enclosed and secure with other doggys to play with - so we are heading there next week :D

I have been chased while riding by a dog whose owner was nowhere to be seen - luckily my horse was not bothered and merely flicked a hind leg out in disgust. But I came off him once when an alsation ran around the corner in front of him and he spun and kicked and I hit the deck. As soon as he realised it was a dog the head went down and he started eating while the dog jumped on me for a play. He was very apologetic (the owner not the dog) Only once have I had a verbal with a dog owner and that was when I first got Arion and hacked him out, and their small puppy was running towards him - I asked them to put it on a lead and he didnt have one so I asked him to pick it up as I didnt know if my horse would kick it and i got a mouthful :rolleyes:.

Arion is ok with dogs - most owners I come across have good control over their animals and are apologetic if their dogs get too close and excited and maybe dont come back on the first try. I dont think all dogs should be on leads if they can be recalled - not in parks or on bridleways anyway - but I do think all dogs should be on a leash in built up areas, streets, roads and so on
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I don't recall that German shepherd playfully jumping on you, mainly because I was charging it and cutting between it and Arion. ;) My hazy memory is that it then tried to run around me to get to where Arion had started grazing, so it took some cutting horse maneuvers to chase it back to its apologetic owner.

I don't like big dogs when they run/bark/growl at me. Given the choice, I'd rather encounter them on horseback than on foot because I can usually put them off by chasing them, and if one ever tried to stand up to my horse, she knows how to aim a kick and I know she would defend herself. She's even tried to defend me. One livery at a yard I used to keep her on had a bouncy puppy that would jump on you. Puppy jumped on me when I was standing about a meter or so from where I had the horse tied. Horse's ears went flat back, tail swished, and she raised a threatening hind hoof.
 
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I have met plenty of rude dog walkers too, but because I'm a dog person I notice every single one I see or hear on a ride, rather than just the out of control ones. And the owners attitude is always the main issue for me. Eg last week a young collie pup slipped its collar & tried rounding us up, barking & racing round. Owner very apologetic, it was all very amicable, agreed to meet up & let it play with my dog. Ignorant bint who's dog ran barking at my 7yr old on her pony shouted 'he's only young & playing' over her shoulder. So I let daughter trot her pony at the owner while I shouted 'only young & playful, she doesn't bite' at her over my shoulder. Something I do myself, just funnier with a child!
 
Re the dogs on leads issue I think it depends on your definition of a public place. Does that apply to ALL footpaths, bridleways etc (even ones in the middle of nowhere that go on for miles where you are unlikely to see another soul) or just to busier areas? My view is that if the dog does not come when called then yes it should always be on a lead but if the dog has good recall then I don't see what the issue is of that dog being off the lead in areas where it is safe. I think that in areas like kid's playgrounds and also anywhere with a road involved that dogs should be on leads at all times, also where there are livestock or signs specifically stating this. To be honest the vast majority of footpaths and bridleways round near me do not require that their dog be on a lead so my old dog used to spend most of her time off it with few problems apart from the odd time where she disappeared off into the woods but I really would not have denied her that pleasure and that freedom. I think as long as everyone employs common sense there should not be a need to have dogs on leads at all times on bridleways. By common sense I mean that dogs should be called back and put on the lead and made to wait patiently at the side of the path (NOT in the bushes) at the first sight of a horse and rider and that horseriders should have the courtesy to WALK past dog walkers (and indeed any pedestrian, cyclist or other member of the public) and not trot or canter until they are well away from them.
 
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