Friends horse being attacked on daily basis by dogs

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keepmeinmind

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As title really. My friend lives in Cheshire and is on a livery yard with her elderly mare along with fifteen other horses and ponies. The yard owner specialises in breeding Arabs and they are kept at another farm down the road. The yard owner has no control over her five dogs, one which is a shepherd cross and the rest are pointer crosses and labrador crosses. She is allowing two of the dogs into my friends field and they are barking and running at her mare's feet. She is very concerned (and rightly so) that the dogs will escalate their behaviour as part of the pack mentality and start chasing her horse with disasterous consequences. To make matters worse her mare has been off for over 10 months with a hind tendon strain and a chipped bone in a hind leg and she has spent vast amounts of both money and time in getting the mare right so she is almost competition sound. My friend is so upset because her mare is so placid and friendly and hates to think of it being worried in this way.

She is very worried that the yard owner will just tell her to leave if she causes a scene over the dogs and there really is no where else she can take the horse to as the area is very limited in terms of livery so this is out of the question. Her horse does not tolerate any kind of electric fencing so has to be kept in a paddock and this is the only paddock available, plus the fact if she moved fields the dogs could start all over again.

What should she do? What would you do in this situation? He has already said to her that her dog has been running around her horses field and that her horse has panicked and struck out at one of his dogs and it would serve his dog right if it got its head kicked in. But that is not good enough in my eyes and does not help or resolve the situation. It would be upsetting for the horse for this to happen, horses aren't stupid and would not like to hurt another living creature.

This 'chasing' or 'play attacking' or whatever you want to call it has been seen now by two liveries on numerous occasions. My friend is very upset by it all but feels extremely helpless to be able to resolve the situation. The yard owner has no control whatsoever over the dogs, maybe they are just too much for her. Her mare has already been attacked on previous ocassions by vicious dogs out riding and to her due has stood her ground very confidently but she only has to get bitten once and this could result in the end of her if it is in the right place.
 
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The YO should take some responsibility. Surely other people's horses are at risk too? Couldn't they club together and make a complaint together - she won't want to lose all her liveries.

Can she put chicken wire or similar around the outside of the fencing - like a second fence?

A truly awful situation to be in because someone is going to get hurt!
 
TritTrot said:
The YO should take some responsibility. Surely other people's horses are at risk too? Couldn't they club together and make a complaint together - she won't want to lose all her liveries.

Can she put chicken wire or similar around the outside of the fencing - like a second fence?

A truly awful situation to be in because someone is going to get hurt!
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The YO should take full responsibility, unless I'm reading it wrong they are her dogs causing the problem
 
If it was me I would just go and see the yard owner and tell her that I wasn't happy with the dogs been in the field with the horses, your friend is paying to keep her horse there and the YO has a duty of care towards her liveries horses.
 
Tell your friend to have a quiet word with the YO - it may be that she's not aware of the issue.

If she doesn't want to do that - call the local dog warden.
 
Thanks for your suggestions. Someone else on my friends yard mentioned chicken wire but this should be at the YO expense and not my friends. He does have a duty of care over his liveries and their horses so I will ask my friend to speak to him as this cannot be allowed to continue especially as the YO is aware that others liveries have seen this happen and he has been told on at least two ocassions about it.
 
That is shocking that the YO has not got the brains or decency to do something about it. If his dogs attack a horse then his yard will be blacklisted - no one would touch him with a barge pole! His insurance would rocket too - if he could get any. And he'd have to get the dog destroyed.

Grrrr.... some people! He really should know better.
 
If the yard OWNER wants her dogs to run around that's that ,her yard her dogs instead of whining your friend should move its that simple.
 
If you run a livery business and are charging people to be there then you should do you utmost to insure the safety of the horses.

Allowing a dog to chase horses is not insuring their safety. Aside from that the dog could be kicked and seriously injured or killed.
 
TBH if the YO lets the dogs run riot (and YO will be aware they are chasing the horses and is actively choosing not to bring the dogs under control) then one person complaining is unlikely to make him change his attitude. I would move yards, particularly with an elderly horse, it is just not worth it. Electric fencing with a nice zap on the lower strands would be better than chicken wire, the dogs may just jump the chicken wire. But I would move.
 
I am sorry but this a bad mannered rabble of dogs running about if it was a pack attacking a horse on a daily basis the horse would be ripped to shreds by now why people on livery yards can't go staight to the cause of the problem and speak directly the first time something happens is beyond me.
has the horse been bitten ? not according to the post if the owner of the horse is not happy with the yard move just like that .
If lots of people are not happy they will move and owner will get the message , of course they could just talk to the owner .
And finally OP it's not your friends field it the field belonging to the yard owner that your friend rents if she's not happy move.
 
Goldenstar said:
If the yard OWNER wants her dogs to run around that's that ,her yard her dogs instead of whining your friend should move its that simple.
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Goldenstar said:
if it was a pack attacking a horse on a daily basis the horse would be ripped to shreds by now why people on livery yards can't go staight to the cause of the problem and speak directly the first time something happens is beyond me.
has the horse been bitten ? not according to the post .
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I don't understand these rude replies. It's not so easy to just move, OP has already said there's nowhere for her friend to move to.

Belittling the concerns by saying the dogs aren't biting the horses is a strange attitude. Are you saying it's okay for dogs to chase horses if they don't bite them?

I can understand this owner's worry about approaching the YO. They are his dogs on his land, although it's clearly irresponsible and unprofessional to let his dogs chase his liveries, he might not see it that way. The OP is expressing concern and seeking advce on behalf of his/her friend Goldenstar, no-one's whining.


Goldenstar, you're not the owner of the yard and the disgraceful dogs are you? :p
 
If the dogs were attacking sheep then it would not be tolerated.
To be quite honest I don't see the difference, the dogs are still harassing livestock (OK, so horses aren't classified as livestock in the UK ) it could escalate to children next. Not on. At all.

The situation needs to be addressed, a polite but serious, conversation with the dog owner is needed before a horse, or dog gets injured.
 
What a horrible situation for your friend to be in. She's paying to keep her horse in a safe and suitable environment and imo the yard owner is definitely not providing that by letting dogs run about unsupervised chasing horses, it only takes one bite for some serious damage to be done and just because the dogs haven't bitten yet, it doesn't mean they won't get carried away in the future. And as Enfys said - if it was sheep the dogs were chasing then it would be a whole different matter!
As livery places are scarce in the area then it does make things a lot trickier as your friend can't "just move" but I think she should email/ring around everywhere she can and ask them to contact her if a space becomes available. I wouldn't be happy with leaving my elderly horse in a field where it is being upset by dogs - makes it loads worse that it's the yard owners ones and not someone unhorsey who maybe doesn't know any better!

When you say that the horse doesn't tolerate electric fencing, how do you mean? Is it just that it walks through it or pulls it down? Is it possible that strands of electric tape could be put around the inside of the solid fencing / hedging of the field its in atm so that it might possibly catch the dogs and put them off going inside - if the outside fence is solid then the horse won't be as likely to pull it down if that was the problem and it might just help for the time being.
But your friend shouldn't have to be worried about where her horse is being kept, she shouldn't have to prevent this kind of thing happening! - would definitely move asap if the YO isn't going to take it seriously.
 
While the YO should not allow their dogs to run wild with liveries horses, it is happening. I would not pay my hard earned cash out to someone who gave me such a poor service, I would move. The reason of there being no-where else locally sounds odd to me, maybe nowhere locally that is as cheap, where you have such little/so much interference with how your horses are kept etc etc. In the long run the only power you have is to take your custom elswhere, just as you wouldn't keep going back to a hairdresser who made a mess of your hair, why keep paying someone who doesn't provide you with the service you want (in this case a dog free field) ?
 
Goldenstar said:
I And finally OP it's not your friends field it the field belonging to the yard owner that your friend rents if she's not happy move.
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It was just a turn of phrase. I know its not her field. Honestly.... some people :rolleyes:

Its like saying my company, my riding club, my house, its not my company its the place I work, its not my riding club, its the place I compete, etc.

Why be so pedantic???
 
I can well understand the horse owners dilema as in many cases if one complains the yard owner then throws the livery off the yard - not a nice situation.

Unfortunately there are a large number of livery yard owners who really should not be running a livery yard business and this one sounds just like one of them.

The priority of any yard should be the safety of the horses that are there and packs of dogs should not be running around loose around the yard and in fields as this is an accident waiting to happen.

I am afraid that my advice would be to find another livery yard or private yard (you would be suprised how many private yards there are about - stables at private homes).
 
FionaM12 said:
I don't understand these rude replies. It's not so easy to just move, OP has already said there's nowhere for her friend to move to.

Belittling the concerns by saying the dogs aren't biting the horses is a strange attitude. Are you saying it's okay for dogs to chase horses if they don't bite them?

:p
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I don't understand this either. It is dissapointing that people feel like this. :(

PS Fiona I love the photo of your horse in the siggy. He is just like my first horse, very nice. xx :)

Interesting how Goldenstar hasn't answered? Hmmmm.
 
starryeyed said:
it only takes one bite for some serious damage to be done and just because the dogs haven't bitten yet, it doesn't mean they won't get carried away in the future.
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I agree with this, but I'd also point out to YO that just running away from the dogs horses could sustain serious injury, especially this time of year when the ground's slippy. There's also the harm that the stress is doing to your friend's horse.

Dogs don't have to bite to damage horses.



PS thanks, Keepmeinmind, although he is a she! :D
 
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I was not rude and why should any one be disappointed I don't aggree with them.
I just think OP 's friend need to talk to the liverys yards owner br prepared for her to say my land my dogs and move and get on with her life.
 
Please do something about it!!
The neighbours to my parents dogs used to escape all the time and chase my mums goats and the horses. One day they attacked and killed the goat (not a little goat btw) it was truly awful!
My parents reported them before the incident but nothing was ever done about it - now we had to move the one remaining goat and the horses at our expense.
 
keepmeinmind said:
I don't understand this either. It is dissapointing that people feel like this. :(

PS Fiona I love the photo of your horse in the siggy. He is just like my first horse, very nice. xx :)

Interesting how Goldenstar hasn't answered? Hmmmm.
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Well I did not answer because I occasionally do other things
than avoid house work by being on the forum.
I don't care that you don't agree with me .
The YO said it will serve the dogs right if they get kicked that their view I doult op's friend will change it so she only two choices move or put up with it.
As a buisness colleague once said to me no point in peeing into the wind.
And no it's not my yard I only have my own at home.
 
I agree with Goldenstar fwiw - it's his land, he's allowed to have his dogs loose.

Whilst the op is using emotive words, such as "attacking" and "chasing", my understanding is that the dogs are loose in the field and interacting with the horses - running around their feet etc, which is not attacking, not chasing and not harassing. Ultimately, if your friend objects to the loose dogs, she should find another yard, or ask if it's ok to put fencing up to keep the dogs out of her field. She feels it is necessary - not the YO, and loose dogs who aren't acting aggressively towards the horses are not a welfare issue.
 
a couple of ways to deal with this:-

1) give some the YO's tel number to someone and they could phone and say they have just driven past the yard and seen some dogs running around chasing the horses and they were very concerned by what they saw.
2) take the chance and speak to YO, say something like "oh I heard a rumour your dogs were chasing my horse is that true you know what rumours are like? then when the YO replies you could mention your concerns about her safety and soundness".
3) you could move (but you said there were no other liveries close by - understandable).
4) make friends with the dog, when the YO isnt around call the dog over whilst you are behind your horse, hopefully your horse will give the dog a kick and it will learn its lesson, problem solved (my shettie kicked my dog and now it is a pleasure to have both of them around each other, the damn dog was constantly running after them).
 
beeswax said:
a couple of ways to deal with this:-

1) give some the YO's tel number to someone and they could phone and say they have just driven past the yard and seen some dogs running around chasing the horses and they were very concerned by what they saw.

1 OK GET SOMEONE TO LIE GREAT P!AN THAT WILL GET HER CHUCKED OFF THE YARD



2) take the chance and speak to YO, say something like "oh I heard a rumour your dogs were chasing my horse is that true you know what rumours are like? then when the YO replies you could mention your concerns about her safety and soundness.

2 OP'S FRIEND HAS SPOKEN TO YO HIS ANSWER IF THE DOGS GETS IT'S HEAD KICKED IN THAT IT'S LOOK OUT

3) you could move (but you said there were no other liveries close by - understandable)

3 YES THIS IS WHAT SHE IS GOING TO HAVE TO DO MOVE

4) make friends with the dog, when the YO isnt around call the dog over whilst you are behind your horse, hopefully your horse will give the dog a kick and it will learn its lesson, problem solved (my shettie kicked my dog and now it is a pleasure to have both of them around each other, the damn dog was constantly running after them).[/QUOTE

5 IT'S A PLAN BUT UNLIKELY TO WORK
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gemrob09 said:
Please do something about it!!
The neighbours to my parents dogs used to escape all the time and chase my mums goats and the horses. One day they attacked and killed the goat (not a little goat btw) it was truly awful!
My parents reported them before the incident but nothing was ever done about it - now we had to move the one remaining goat and the horses at our expense.
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Good grief....I would have shot the dogs.

:(
 
springer1021 said:
If it was me I would just go and see the yard owner and tell her that I wasn't happy with the dogs been in the field with the horses, your friend is paying to keep her horse there and the YO has a duty of care towards her liveries horses.
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This is what id do, and id also tell her injuries caused would be claimed on her insurance. Im astonished she lets it happen :eek:
 
Goldenstar said:
If the yard OWNER wants her dogs to run around that's that ,her yard her dogs instead of whining your friend should move its that simple.
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Not if shes charging you for livery, she has a duty of care to ensure your horses are safe, of she doesnt do anything then leVe, she wont have a yard for long when folks know this goes on
 
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