Embarrassed, annoyed and fed up

meandmyself

meandmyself

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(Sorry, this might be long- and it is HR.)

Took two of my dogs and my sister's dog -Merlin - to the beach this afternoon. It was fairly busy so I let the two older dogs off the lead. Both of them have a good recall and are no trouble. Kept my sister's dog on his long line because his recall is terrible.

We were walking about when a horse rider went past us going down the beach. I grabbed both of my dogs until he'd gone past. (My Mum had hold of the long line.)

The rider came back about ten minutes later, at a trot. (I didn't even know he was there at first- he didn't give us much time to recall the dogs.) Merlin took off- yanked the long line out of Mum's hands and headed directly towards the horse. Horse spooked, and kicked out. Rider cantered off, and I managed to get hold of the long line.

I'm quite shaken, feel awful for spooking the horse and I'm annoyed at Merlin. It's the first time he's ever seen a horse and I had no idea he'd react like he did.

If you were the rider, I'm very sorry for the dog's behaviour. Next time though, it might be worth shouting a warning as you're coming up to people.
 
Rider sounds a bit stupid.
I always stop till owner has dog back under control, even well behaved dogs can find horses exciting & I wouldn't want them getting kicked or chasing the horse - cantering off when you are near a loose dog is just daft.
 
The last thing I want to do whole enjoying my ride is to have shout at every person I get near most would think I was batty .
I can control my horses and dogs at the same time I kind of expect others to be able to do so too.
If however your dog had got loose I would just stop till you caught it.
These things happen don't worry about it.
 
siennamum said:
Rider sounds a bit stupid.
I always stop till owner has dog back under control, even well behaved dogs can find horses exciting & I wouldn't want them getting kicked or chasing the horse - cantering off when you are near a loose dog is just daft.
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No it's not daft it's the dog owners job to control the dog it never the riders fault if a dog misbehaves its not a strangers job to amend his enjoyment of what he's doing if someone can't control their dog I would always stop because I have dogs and would want to help but you should not call a rider daft because someone else badly trained dog yanked the lead out of its handlers hands.
 
Goldenstar said:
No it's not daft it's the dog owners job to control the dog it never the riders fault if a dog misbehaves its not a strangers job to amend his enjoyment of what he's doing if someone can't control their dog I would always stop because I have dogs and would want to help but you should not call a rider daft because someone else badly trained dog yanked the lead out of its handlers hands.
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He's not badly trained. He's only eight months old and we're still working on his recall. Like I said, he's never seen a horse before, so none of us had any idea how he would react. If I'd had more time to react, I would have taken him from Mum and walked him away from the horse.

I didn't know the rider was even there until he was close to us. A quick warning would have been nice. (No, I don't expect riders to yell at everyone on the beach, but surely it's common sense to let people know you're approaching them if they're not aware/facing the other way.)
 
It's irrelevant whose fault it is. The dog escaped, the horse rider cantered off. Seems daft to me.

If I saw someone struggling to get their dog back I would always slow right down & if neccessary stop and talk to the dog, mainly because I don't want my horse bitten.
 
I'm not blaming the rider. We all have equal right to use the beach.

It just really shook me up and I wanted to get other people's thoughts on it.

Merlin is fine, thanks. :)
 
The rider had every right to canter off the dog ought not have been loose it's not the rider job to go along saying hello dog owner can you hang on to your dog .
We live near a beach now I have never had issues but my horses are very very dog proof as we have a pack on the yard all the time.
But I know on older lady who lives right on the beach she terrified to go on the beach because of the badly behaved dogs after the tales I have heard I take a hunting whip when I go and would applied it to any dog who thought it was good idea to have a go at my horse her pony has been bitten twice.
Now I would probally not have cantered off unless I seriously wanted to get away .
WhenI was a child I lived right on the beach i am taking about I was out with my mum on my pony (mum was walking ) when we met our neibour on a young horse he was just trotting away from us when an Airedale chased the youngster it bolted out to sea and swam rider on board to a sand bank now the tide was coming in and the sand bank was fast disappearing so my mum sent me out to the sand bank to help it was much deeper than she had thought and my Shetland had to swim there was now a large crowd minus the owner of the dog who has slunk off it was quite windy and the waves where washing right up me luckily my Shetland was wise and set off back to shore the youngster followed I was freezing my mum who up to her waist wading out to help me whenI got back to her mum was very shaken my dad told just because she had three children did mean that any of them where spare.
OP ,Don't worry about it these things happen young horses spook you have to hold up the traffic next time it will be you being slightly inconvenienced by someone's animal however I don't think you should expect riders to warn you they are there that's your job if you have a young dog in a place horses go you need to be the one doing the watching.
 
Goldenstar said:
The rider had every right to canter off the dog ought not have been loose it's not the rider job to go along saying hello dog owner can you hang on to your dog.
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The dog wasn't loose. He was on a long line that he pulled from my Mum's hands.


Now I would probally not have cantered off unless I seriously wanted to get away.
OP ,Don't worry about it these things happen young horses spook you have to hold up the traffic next time it will be you being slightly inconvenienced by someone's animal however I don't think you should expect riders to warn you they are there that's your job if you have a young dog in a place horses go you need to be the one doing the watching.
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Well, I don't have eyes in the back of my head. ;) Beach was noisy so I didn't even hear the horse coming up behind us.
 
As the person walking the dog, it was up to you to keep an eye out for anything or anyone around you, so yes ops fault. That said, no harm was done, op has already learnt from her mistake by the sound of it, & nobodys perfect, so don't beat yourself up over it.
 
Goldenstar said:
The rider had every right to canter off the dog ought not have been loose it's not the rider job to go along saying hello dog owner can you hang on to your dog .

I agree it is the dog handler's resposibility to control the dog but a bit of understanding from the rider wouldn't have gone amiss! Rider was lucky the OP's dog didn't chase after her and that could have been a big problem. Doesn't take much to stop and wait for the dog handler to get control back surely. It just shows good manners to be aware of what is happening around you as you ride and be respond accordingly!
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I agree its the op's job to keep the dogs under control where ever youre out, the long lead was yanked from the persons hand, an accident yes, but but the handlers responsibility is to see that doesnt happen.
I dont think its the riders responsibility to call out to whoever she comes across when shes out, yes she could have stopped but she didn't, she might have been frightend her horse would get bitten, and possibly the fact that her horse kicked out, she cantered off to prevent youre dog being kicked, youll never know.
Nobody was hurt and thats the main thing, you know now, he's not so good with horses
 
oh dear.. why is it a fault and blame is always laid. It is a courtesy for a rider to shout out they are coming by just as it is a courtesy for a dog owner to get their dogs under control I would have thought a little bit of mutual respect was due. Both are animal owners and both have a responsibility.

Bugs me when dog owners let their dogs run riot but it also annoys me when horse owners think that they have a god given right to do as the please when if we all showed a little courtesy to each other we'd all get along just fine.

Sorry your dog slipped its lead these things happen at least you got him under control get yourself out there and do some training, sit/stay/wait with focus on you, distraction recall (ideally find yourself an enclosed path with a field next to it so you can get into it slowly and so dog has best chance of success and recall to you and not going off to investigate the horses field - long line if you need to)

Livestock training is well worth investing in, we usually do sheep in a pen (horned), deer which can be fun when they pop into classes unannounced, chickens and pheasants well they do appear to be all over the place etc. I usually also do a rabbit pen and hare - mainly because one of mine will course and has no idea what a road is!
 
horseloaner said:
oh dear.. why is it a fault and blame is always laid. It is a courtesy for a rider to shout out they are coming by just as it is a courtesy for a dog owner to get their dogs under control I would have thought a little bit of mutual respect was due. Both are animal owners and both have a responsibility.

Bugs me when dog owners let their dogs run riot but it also annoys me when horse owners think that they have a god given right to do as the please when if we all showed a little courtesy to each other we'd all get along just fine.

Sorry your dog slipped its lead these things happen at least you got him under control get yourself out there and do some training, sit/stay/wait with focus on you, distraction recall (ideally find yourself an enclosed path with a field next to it so you can get into it slowly and so dog has best chance of success and recall to you and not going off to investigate the horses field - long line if you need to)

Livestock training is well worth investing in, we usually do sheep in a pen (horned), deer which can be fun when they pop into classes unannounced, chickens and pheasants well they do appear to be all over the place etc. I usually also do a rabbit pen and hare - mainly because one of mine will course and has no idea what a road is!
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Thanks! He's fine with rabbits/small furries. We're working on his recall. He's still quite young and it is a work in progress. I don't have horses to train him with.
 
meandmyself said:
I wish there were more people like you about then. :-)
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It is always worth asking. My youngster was petrified of push bikes, grew six inches and pranced past them even if they were simply leaning against a wall. Since the only bit of off road riding we have is also a busy cycle path, I was a bit worried as to how he would react once he was backed and being ridden. Then I met a cyclist while bringing him in from the filed, she was pushing her bike up the hill and having a rest. I asked if she minded if he ccould get to know her bike while she took a breather, which she thought was very funny and she was very amused at how suspicious he was as he sniffed it all over. Less amused when he got relaxed enought to try and chew her front tire! :D But now he's a dude around bikes, even when they come whizzing up behind him with no warning.

And I agree, accidents happen, you are clearly not a malicious, lazy or anti-social dog owner, but you will know for next time.
 
Sorry you didn't have a great time. These things happen. Its a bug bear of mine tho when bikes horses dogs etc come from behind with no warning, its common courtesy that's all.
Its no wonder fun rides are no longer fun and polite i used to enjoy them when people called out but they seem lately to have lots with the mentality of most on this post and they are now scary!
Good luck with training with horses my 10months old lab also has problems unless focussed on a ball or stick
 
I've tied a big rubber stopped on the end of the long line now. Should make it much more difficult to pull through your hand. Mum has RA so her hands aren't very strong anyway.

Thanks DD. If I'd had more time to react, I don't think it would have happened. Try as I might, I can't see everywhere at once and with the soft sand, sea and wind, I never heard the rider coming.

Dad had a good point- what happens if it had been a child who had run out? It could have been a nasty accident.
 
Again id have to say of a child runs out in front of a horse, its not the riders fault, a child should be supervised, i do feel youre trying to lay the blame at the door of the rider here
 
marydoll said:
Again id have to say of a child runs out in front of a horse, its not the riders fault, a child should be supervised, i do feel youre trying to lay the blame at the door of the rider here
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No, I'm not. Please stop twisting my words. I have clearly said that I'm not trying to blame anyone.
 
To change it round op, what if it had been a child your dog had chased because you hadn't been observant enough? However friendly, if your dog runs up to a child who is scared, with dog hating parents, you would quite likely be in a big mess right now. I always walk off lead, but it does require you to develop eyes in the back of your head. Agree with marydoll, you now appear to be trying to blame the rider.
 
No harm was done here, but I think the rider didn't act daft at all! It was the dog who gave chase after all...

OP, have you taken the dog - Merlin - to puppy classes and obedience training? As a dog lover myself, I would definitely have done that. Even my tiny highly-strung dog (fits in my bag, so absolutely no chance she can rip lead off me) has been to these classes, and if I had a dog big enough to rip the lead off my hands, there wouldn't even be a question asked. It would be enrolled before I even brought it home...

Family friends had a dog in doggy school for most of a year (i.e. after kids were dropped off at school, dog was, too) for a similar reason. It was a big dog that regularly took its owners for a walk. ;)
 
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