Dogs on Bridleways

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littlemiss1

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After having a well earned break from work for the christmas holidays iv been able to take my horses out much more frequently during the days to the local country park. We've been having a great time enjoying the winter sunshine and making the most of the time off. Now i would like to point out i am not riding my horse, he's only 28 inches and even before over indulging at christmas i don't think he would of taken too kindly to me on his back :D So we have been on the bridle paths, they are very strict near me with horses must be on the bridlepaths only not foot paths or dog walking paths which i am more than happy to abide with.

However may this is just me but i find it rather infuriating that people insist on walking their dogs OFF lead on the bridlepaths. They have large fenced in specialist dog OFF lead areas in this park as well as designated dog walking routes, so why do they do it on a bridlepath.

I had one man mistake my horse for a lab and another who told me to "let his lurcher cross sniff the back of my horse as the dog thinks its another dog", it was only when i pointed out that a horse would not like to be sniffed by dogs near their back legs and i couldn't be sure he wouldn't kick his dog, that he then made a hurried escape as if my horse was a dog killing machine!

I would also like to point out that i own 5 dogs myself and walk them in this park, now if i do have to go on a bridleway i ALWAYS make sure my dog is on a lead for the duration of being on the bridleway. Why is this so hard for people to do? I have young horses which will be hacking in this park shortly and to be honest the task of hacking a young horse out is hard enough without the though of someones uncontrollable dog bounding up to us.

Now most people who iv met the last few days will recall their dogs but 9 out of 10 of them don't come back to the owner as they in the owners words "haven't seen horses before" which i have pointed out maybe you should keep them on the lead incase you saw a horse as it is a bridleway. i get no response they just catch the dog standing in front of my horse and carry on walking.

So sorry for my rant but does anyone have this problem of dog walkers ignorance to horses?
 
Dogs do not need to be on leads on bridle paths people have the right to quietly enjoy the rights of way .
You may choose to have your dogs on the lead others don't .
People are just not good at training their dogs the bridle path is incidental to that problem .
 
Dog walkers just need to use common sense really, my dogs have excellent recall but even so if I hear or see a horse/pony approaching, either ridden or being led I slip on a lead or call them in close to safeguard everyone

Dogs and horses
If you are out walking or riding with your dog on bridleways, restricted byways and byways, please keep a lookout for horseriders, especially on narrow sections of paths. Most people are unaware that many horses can be frightened by dogs on the loose or barking and this can have major impacts for horse, rider and other people if they rear up or take flight. The best way to avoid this is to make sure you can recall your dog at all times - by keeping them on a fixed or retractable lead or by keeping them in sight if you are confident that the dog always responds to your control command or signal - and carrying a lead and using it when passing the horse.
 
Despite being in an area with a lot of horses I often go on my favourite 10.5 mile route 95%+ off road and not see another horse - in fact I have never met another horse on this route even though I know others use it. It would be a bit extreme of me to expect any dog walkers (usually see several) to keep their dogs on a lead on the off chance that they see a horse.
 
I'm pretty laid back about most things and don't tend to get wound up about loose dogs. I kind of expect my horses to behave around loose dogs.
I've had plenty yapping around back legs etc and maybe Ive been lucky not to be involved in a serious incident, if I had maybe I'd feel differently?

Generally if a dog owner attempts to recall or apologises if the dog is a nuisance then I live and let live. If they are ignorant wotsits I will make a comment along the lines of 'good job this horse likes dogs, my other horse might well have just seriously injured or killed your dog'
 
I was always of the opinion that footpaths mean walkers have right of way, cycle paths= cyclists and on bridle paths, horses have right of way.

My horse has been known to cow kick at barking dogs, I don't blame him. That is potentially predator to them.
 
littlemiss1 said:
After having a well earned break from work for the christmas holidays iv been able to take my horses out much more frequently during the days to the local country park. We've been having a great time enjoying the winter sunshine and making the most of the time off. Now i would like to point out i am not riding my horse, he's only 28 inches and even before over indulging at christmas i don't think he would of taken too kindly to me on his back :D So we have been on the bridle paths, they are very strict near me with horses must be on the bridlepaths only not foot paths or dog walking paths which i am more than happy to abide with.

However may this is just me but i find it rather infuriating that people insist on walking their dogs OFF lead on the bridlepaths. They have large fenced in specialist dog OFF lead areas in this park as well as designated dog walking routes, so why do they do it on a bridlepath.

I had one man mistake my horse for a lab and another who told me to "let his lurcher cross sniff the back of my horse as the dog thinks its another dog", it was only when i pointed out that a horse would not like to be sniffed by dogs near their back legs and i couldn't be sure he wouldn't kick his dog, that he then made a hurried escape as if my horse was a dog killing machine!

I would also like to point out that i own 5 dogs myself and walk them in this park, now if i do have to go on a bridleway i ALWAYS make sure my dog is on a lead for the duration of being on the bridleway. Why is this so hard for people to do? I have young horses which will be hacking in this park shortly and to be honest the task of hacking a young horse out is hard enough without the though of someones uncontrollable dog bounding up to us.

Now most people who iv met the last few days will recall their dogs but 9 out of 10 of them don't come back to the owner as they in the owners words "haven't seen horses before" which i have pointed out maybe you should keep them on the lead incase you saw a horse as it is a bridleway. i get no response they just catch the dog standing in front of my horse and carry on walking.

So sorry for my rant but does anyone have this problem of dog walkers ignorance to horses?
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I am totally with you, it is the same here in our local woods, the local riding association and local yards fund raise to improve the bridlepaths, and you go for a nice canter up a track only to come face to face with a stupid push chair or dog walker who more often than not do not put their dog on the lead. I said get hold of your dog or it will get a flying lesson or my horse will kick it.

One local woman with 5 dogs running free caused a serious accident with a horse rider who fell off and the horse bolted off. It is one thing putting your dog on the lead and standing quietly to the side and let horses riders pass. It is another thing those who don't/won't can't keep their dog under control. These woods are 90% foot paths. We maintain the bridleways with our membership and fund raising and these damn pushchairs on a bridle -path is a recipe for disaster.


My horse will lash out at a dog barking round them and I will not tell them off even if they kick it, another person was hacking and this dog came rushing up at the horse rider barking and trying to snap at the heals. One kick with one back leg and the dog went flying and was dead before it touched the ground.
 
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I ride and I walk my dog off lead on bridle ways as long as everyone has reasonable control of their animals there is no issue. On a bridle way unless it is on private land and not a right of way you've got no more right to be there than them.
 
throughtheforest said:
I was always of the opinion that footpaths mean walkers have right of way, cycle paths= cyclists and on bridle paths, horses have right of way.

My horse has been known to cow kick at barking dogs, I don't blame him. That is potentially predator to them.
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It is only cyclists who have to give way to horses and walkers on bridle paths.
 
I understand the frustration and know of a number of dog related incidents local to us.In particular a guy who had a large husky/malamute type dog who had it on a long rope. After his dog caused a horse to spook he started to avoid horses. It is the owners that helpfully try and hide in the hedge I take issue with as these are a lot more scary.
Re pushchairs, bridleways are really the only routes accessible to parents easily without having to lift them over stiles etc.
We all need to be considerate. What we do need is to get bridleway etiquette out into the wider world but without us sounding elitist. Perhaps countryfile with a suitably scripted spokesperson ( our last foray didn't send the right message)
 
TYSSANDI said:
you go for a nice canter up a track only to come face to face with a stupid push chair or dog walker who more often than not do not put their dog on the lead. I said get hold of your dog or it will get a flying lesson or my horse will kick it.
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What a delightful attitude, no wonder horse riders earn the title of rude is there? 🙄
 
I do worry about this, but on roads and byways as well. It's a dog training thing - too many aggressive, non recall trained dogs which are basically lethal to man or beast. There's three separate idiots with nasty staffy types around here, all of which are off lead everywhere, and another with a border collie with a very strong herding drive which runs up behind horses to nip their heels.

I don't mind the nice, well behaved dogs who go back to their owners, but they're a vanishing sight around here!

I'm also paranoid because I ride an 18.3 Clyde out. He's never kicked anything in his life, but if a dog running free got under his hooves, he'd kill it without meaning to.

I don't know what the answer is, though.
 
RunToEarth said:
What a delightful attitude, no wonder horse riders earn the title of rude is there? ��
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I forgot this is H&H and you get judged if you don't put the full info on here, silly me, there is always more to a situation than is posted don't you know that?


Yes and when the dog walker and pram pusher was on the horse track and was asked ( in a a decent tone) to put their dogs on the lead and move to the side onto the footpath entrance as we had a young horse with us and the dog walker said If you can't F ing control your horse then you should not ride it, so I am not putting my dog on the lead so deal with it. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Then as we went onto the other bridleway to avoid him, he let the dog go on running round the horses barking and snapping and it nicked the mare in front of me. He weil get a rude response after that. So best not judge as there is always more to it.
 
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Well assuming none of us are mind readers, it would help!

Yes, if the dog attacked one of my horses, I would be fairly furious. However the OP is not referencing an attack, they just have an issue with dogs not being on a lead, which is a different thing altogether? I very rarely have mine on a lead, it doesn't mean they aren't under control?
 
I don't have a problem with sharing bridleways with dog walkers as the more they are used the greater the chance of them staying open!
I do expect the dogs to be under control though and if I see the dog and owner in advance I give them a chance to recall their dog and will request they do so if they show no signs of doing it voluntarily as we have young horses who can be worried by dogs running round their legs.
On one occasion I had a small dog run up to my older mare barkking so I stopped to allow he owners to retrieve it as it wouldn't go back on voice commands, I then rode on and the same dog came chasing after us so I stopped again to allow owner to retrieve it and suggested they might want to keep hold till we were out of sight I then rode on and the dog chased after us again! So I stopped and waited again and again after we rode off it chased after us at this point I had had enough so I cantered off and all I could hear behind me was the owners frantically calling their dog as they were running after it. I know I shouldn't have cantered off and if I had thought for a minute the dog would catch us I wouldn't of but I was thoroughly peed off with the owners taking no responsibility for making sure that their dog wouldn't run after us barking again especially when it had shown it was willing to on a few occasions.
 
Your dog can be in control off lead, the issue is many are not and are not savey about horses so are dangerous. I mostly have good experiences- I ride on common with loads of dogs and most owners see me coming (especially on my leopard spotted mare) and put their dogs on lead or move to one side. Occasionally I have a dog run up or bark and I do have to stand still and give the owner a chance to retrieve it and apologise! Irritating but it is common land
 
My horses have to be good with loose dogs. Most of the dogs around here are not just not on the lead, there is no human in sight as they are all "latch key" farm dogs. This is on the road as well as on tracks (we don't have bridleways). Its quite normal to meet two or three loose dogs on the early part of my drive to work. Farm dogs will also cut through our fields fairly regularly on their way somewhere.

On the flip side, the dogs are good with livestock and whilst they will sometimes "stalk" us or bark if we are close to their home no dog has ever tried to attack or bite my horses. Neither of mine are remotely bothered by a non-threatening dog. My cob has no problem turning on a dog that's getting more pushy and chasing it off. My pony is more of a worry as he is an ex-stallion and has been known to strike out with a foreleg if a dog gets very close, but people here expect their dogs to look after themselves so if he kicked one I expect the dog would be blamed. We do also meet people walking their dogs, or farmers with their dogs, but I've never had a problem - just occasionally had to stop and wait for someone to catch their dog. I think people around here are more aware of the danger of horses / cows kicking.

I do think its a bit much to complain people can't control their dogs and then say that your horse will run away if a dog runs over to say hello because your horse is young, green, scared of dogs etc. (not aimed at OP, just something that has irritated me with others). We can't hold a dog owner to one standard and not apply the same one to ourselves, if your horse isn't good with dogs then train it before you take it out and about. Obviously if a dog actually attacks a horse then that is different.
 
I walk regularly on bridelways with the dog's off lead. They all have excellent recall. If I see a horse I pop them back on. We seem to be a very harmonious bunch in my neck of the woods. Never any agro between countryside users of any sort. We simply all enjoy it together.
 
laura_nash said:
I do think its a bit much to complain people can't control their dogs and then say that your horse will run away if a dog runs over to say hello because your horse is young, green, scared of dogs etc. (not aimed at OP, just something that has irritated me with others). We can't hold a dog owner to one standard and not apply the same one to ourselves, if your horse isn't good with dogs then train it before you take it out and about. Obviously if a dog actually attacks a horse then that is different.
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I don't know about other people but my horses are all used to dogs as there are dogs at the farm regularly... 3 out of the 5 have also been hunting... however they are used to dogs that are well trained and don't run around/between their legs so as a result it's not something the younger horses have experience with when they encounter it whilst out and about.
 
Never mind about dogs off lead on bridleways, we have them off the lead on unlit roads and running across stock fields, and then coming into our fields where there is no public access, where we have horses and sheep. Recall is none existant as far as I can tell!
 
Christmas Spirit said:
I don't know about other people but my horses are all used to dogs as there are dogs at the farm regularly... 3 out of the 5 have also been hunting... however they are used to dogs that are well trained and don't run around/between their legs so as a result it's not something the younger horses have experience with when they encounter it whilst out and about.
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Well ours hunt regularly and the one reason I need them to be fairly bomb proof around dogs is because hounds, especially young hounds, are not "well trained" and often waft in between horses legs. They tend to be more wary once they have been booted, but again I wouldn't want my horse to kick out at a hound. The dog walkers around here are usually very courteous but we all have to get along together so it shouldn't be an "us vs them".
 
amymay said:
I walk regularly on bridelways with the dog's off lead. They all have excellent recall. If I see a horse I pop them back on. We seem to be a very harmonious bunch in my neck of the woods. Never any agro between countryside users of any sort. We simply all enjoy it together.
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Same in my neck of the woods...must be a Welsh thing 😀
 
amymay said:
I'm beginning to think it is ����
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doesn't seem to be a problem in the parts of Scotland I've lived in either! we don't have bridleways. On footpaths if there is clearance and suitable ground bikes and horses are allowed on them but mostly they are public paths-open to all (and I was always taught that the right of way on a path belongs to the slowest-so bikes should give way to horses, horses to pedestrians.).
 
RunToEarth said:
Well ours hunt regularly and the one reason I need them to be fairly bomb proof around dogs is because hounds, especially young hounds, are not "well trained" and often waft in between horses legs. They tend to be more wary once they have been booted, but again I wouldn't want my horse to kick out at a hound. The dog walkers around here are usually very courteous but we all have to get along together so it shouldn't be an "us vs them".
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I agree, my comment was in response to the post saying that we as horse riders should train our horses to be good with dogs. I was just pointing out that mine are trained around dogs but dogs running between their legs isn't something we can train for as it's something our dogs know better than to do. Saying that we had a hound run under my mare last time we went hunting and apart from checking to see where it had gone she was pretty unconcerned about it.
 
I have come across a few very bad dog walkers recently. Those that say their dogs are good with horses as they run at the horses barking and acting in a very aggressive. Some are apologetic, some are not. One pro dog walker told me one she was walking could do with being kicked. I was unimpressed by this attitude. Mine are all very good with dogs, including my project who is clearly worried by them as we have had a few unfortunate incidents. I try to educate in a nice manner when I am talking to them, as many don't know that the dogs behaviour is unacceptable.
Mercifully the rest are all great, and we tend to see the same ones!
 
We don't do too bad where we are, but it's getting very crowded now for everyone, but some lucky people on here tend to forget some of us have MASSIVE estates rammed into every nook and cranny all next to existing Bridleways and riding routes, well with it brings brainless dross that can't drive, can't park, drop their garbage everywhere, think they have the right to let their dogs run all over private land etc Ad nauseum infinitum, lets face it, it's not the full McDonalds experience unless you throw the wrappers out of your car window into a hedgerow or someones fields, oh and don't forget the obligatory Costa Drossee cup as well, so getting some neanderthal to use common sense and put their dog on a lead when they should would boil their two solitary brain cells to destruction.
 
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