Loose dogs out hacking

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Ziggy_

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Sorry, I know this has been posted about so many times before.
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I have fab off road hacking around my yard, with one problem - the area is very popular with dog walkers, at least half of which seem to be unwilling, or unable to control their dogs.

My mare has always been 100% with dogs but even she's getting a little uptight now, and I can't blame her, our last hack ended up with a doberman running around between her legs, owner made no attempt to call off the dog and didn't seem to care.
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Just wondering how everyone deals with loose dogs out hacking, and also where I would stand if my mare was to step on/kick someone's dog.
 
I always say to dog owners that my horse may kick the dog, but generally I have always come across very kind people that do call their dogs or keep hold of them until we pass and I always thank them.

ETS: Mins would prob kick out at them should they get under her feet, so for me it's always nice to warn owners of such happenings...I would hate it for the dog to be hurt by it...
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Do you ask the owners to call off their dog?

I usually find pointing out to the owner that (1) My horse could kill their dog with one swift kick, and (2) they could be open to criminal and civil legal action due to their lack of control, makes then a little more sensible
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Tell them that your horse will kick the dog if it runs behind her and their dog will be killed if she does. Point out that you are in control of your animal in a public place and so they should be. Ride with a sturdy whip, preferably one with a good leather end and give the dog a sharp smack with it if it gets too close. If owner objects, point out the above.

People may think this is harsh but the dog is better off having a quick smack from a whip than being smacked by a shod hoof, and owners should either have control of their damned dogs or have them on a leash.

As you can tell, I haven't much sympathy for dog owners who have no control since I had a husky, a golden retreiver, a pointer, a collie and a terrier, all being walked off the lead together, hurtling towards us snarling. My horse, who's not frightened of dogs, reared and spun over a very steep path but luckily I managed to stop him from galloping off. The owner had a go at me for shouting at his dogs!
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Tw*t. Had I not been in a rush I would have rung the police but I didn't have time. I was fuming as my horse was then wary of dogs and as he hunts, I really didn't want him nervous or kicking out when hounds were around and he's only just recovered. Plus, if it had a been a novice or nervous rider, or a young horse, there would have been a very serious accident.
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I normally ask the owners to call their dog and once its under control ask what they think the outcome would be if my horses back feet contacted with it (particularly a v snappy pomeranian!)

Frank is vv good and we have had a staffy attempting to hang off his tail and he still didn't kick though got a bit jumpy, this was down the beach and we couldnt find the owner, eventually discovered he was hiding and watching in the dunes. Shouted at him to call it and he did and it went so
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I do carry a long schooling whip with the intention of if the situation got that bad it would be better to hit the dog than it get kicked but have never used it!
 
If Po feels threatened by a dog running around him barking he will kick it, he has kicked a few and kicked out at quite a few other times and missed, if they just go up for a sniff he doesn't bother.

In your case I would politely ask the owner to get the dog under control, if they are abusive and refuse I would tell them "it will get kicked", I never tell my horse off for kicking out at an unruly dog, I have in one case actually tried to run over one fekkin Terrier which just wouldn't piss off, no owner to be seen, I got fed up spinning round and just aimed him at it, it backed off then long enough for an owner to appear.
 
If there is no owner about and the dog tries to attack my horse (who loves dogs, thinks they are very interesting!
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) I will use my whip, not to hit the dog but to scare it away.

If the dog goes to bite my horse then i will either hit the dog with my whip or i suspect my horse will kick out - but havent had to yet.
 
I used to stand and ask them to get hold of their dog....also hacked with a schooling whip and had to smack on that tried to bite my old mare. She never kicked at dogs but I wasn't having a dog bite her end of. Luckily the elderly owner appologised to me and said she'd have done the same thing in my position.
 
It seems to depend on the area. If the dog seems friendly, I am tempted to lure them away with me. Its amazing how badly trained dogs respond to a bit of positive reinforcement! Do it quietly too. I did it once with a dog that was chasing me and running between my legs when I was out running. I just took it on my 30 minute run with me. I did return it from whence it came, the owners were so embarrassed and grateful, I bet they never let it off the lead again.
 
If the dog is seriously intent on being aggressive there is little that will stop them, but then again I think the horse will know and would be more likely to threaten to kick which might stop it in its tracks.

For most dogs though who are just playing around, I find that talking to the dog directly often helps. (I don't mean to excuse the behaviour, owners should have their dogs under control and put them back on the lead around horses, just suggesting something that might help if they don't).
 
Yes I talk to the dogs as well, I did have a funny situation on Darley Park where a fluffy slipper sized dog came chasing, yes chasing going yap yap yap, well maybe more of a snuf snuff snuff, I thought it's batteries might run out
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, anyway in the end I walked over to the owner so it would follow so, she could get hold of it, never fails to amaze me, the dog is how small and the horse is HOW BIG,
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and yet they come running at you, anyway on the way back from halfway across the park it spots us again, well it decides it's going to come AGAIN, bollocks to this, I cantered off, catch me if you can with your 2" legs
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When I was 15 I hacked out my mental pony. She was very handy with her back legs. We came across a stupid woman with 8 terriers off the lead. All but one of them (the old decrepid looking one stayed with her) decided to chase my pony barking. Que my mental pony having a complete tantrum. I turned her bum away from the dogs to avoid kicking incidents and shouted to the owner to call them back. She replied 'they wont do any harm and are havin a bit of fun, let them be'. I was livid and my mare took to rearing and throwing a complete tantrum. I warned the woman that she kicks and she ignored it. We walked on, one of her dogs ended up being kicked.
I heard the dog whelping and immediately felt bloody horrible. I was only 15 and the woman marched up to me shouting abuse. She asked my name etc, I gave it because i felt incredibly guilty my mare had hurt her dog.
She called the police claiming I had no control of a dangerous animal in a public place and I had apparently inflicted injuries on her dog that were so severe it had to be PTS.
I was horrified.
Once the situation was expalined fully to the police nothing more came of it, she was in the wrong, not me. And she was on private land that I had permission to ride on, the land owner doesnt allow dog walkers because they mess everywhere.

That was a bit long. Basically I went through a pretty traumatic drama with dogs off the bloody lead when I was pretty young. Now if I see dogs I will stop the horse and insist the dogs are put on a lead for me to walk past.
 
I always stand still and tell the owner my horse kicks (he doesn't) and will stand on his/her dog. I always thank the good dog owners who get them back and compliment the ones whose dogs are very good on their behaviour and training. I think that creating good will with responsible people we have to share space with can do as much as shouting at those who don't act properly.
 
I haven't had much to complain about with dogs, my mare has hunted so dogs don't phase her.
The only one was a woman standing outside her cottage with her wee westie, no fence between her and the road we were riding on. The wee dog didn't attempt to come over so the woman starts to say things like 'go on, gettem, chase the horses' I just said, ' i really don't think that's a good idea, do you?' The wee dog could have been run over or kicked, what a numpty.
The woman standing with her was telling her to stop it too.
 
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I always stand still and tell the owner my horse kicks (he doesn't) and will stand on his/her dog. I always thank the good dog owners who get them back and compliment the ones whose dogs are very good on their behaviour and training. I think that creating good will with responsible people we have to share space with can do as much as shouting at those who don't act properly.

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Some more good old fashioned welsh wisdom
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