Loose dogs that chase horses.

[burtie]

We have a minor problem on the Forest with dogs who's owners seem to have little control over and will chase horses if they are trotting or cantering.

If I meet dog walker on a track or narrow path I will always slow to a walk to pass, but out on the open greens I keep my distance but will also keep up my pace, it has not been too bad this year but today had a spaniel fly right across the green and bark at my horses heals as we cantered, he did a little buck and we carried on.

Luckily my horse virtually ignores dogs and I sympathise a bit with owners as it is difficult to train a dog to be used to horses, but sometimes I do wonder if these dogs have any obdience at all as they don't seem to answer their owner call at all.

 

[MooMoo]

Bet they'll complain if their dog gets injured.
Some people just seem to have little control over their dog at all. If they cant recall their dog, they shouldnt be off the lead.
I'd be really scared if someone's dog came charging at me like that, lucky you have a horse that doesnt seem too bothered.

 

[JoJo_]

I think its worse when dogs who live with horses bark and chase them! Where I go hacking to a bridle path we pass a big house which has a few stables and horses. Their terrier is almost always sitting outside their house and the other week he sat in the middle of the track and I took my horse around him but as we got next to him he growled then started yapping. Thought it was going to bite my horse's heals.

 

[Louisex]

i have the same problem and last month a great dane chased me on this horse that i was trying out for a loan, this dog ran over and was barking and chased me on my horse and the horse was headed for the canal and he droped his front leg and i came off and the dog was still chasing the horse (the owner didnt even come over see if i was ok and she didnt even call the dog) and as i fell off the horse trod on my leg (wasnt broken thank god but still brozed) but passers by grabed the horse and rang an ambalance but i am all good now the horse is ok too... But i just hate dog owners that can't control their dogs!!!

 

[ajn1610]

I think the BHS wanted people to report dogs chasing horses.
It has never been a problem for me round here however if a dog has had a go in the past I find if a bellow "on your bed!" in my angriest voice they back off. I think it is a command most dog owners use and it's always worked for me. The sound of your voice (or mine anyway) seems to put them off!

 

[katie_southwest]

I personally would never let my dog off her lead unless I knew she would come back to me, we constantly come across dogs on the moor and often trailing around with no owner in sight!

 

[tabithakat64]

We have a real problem with people not controlling their dogs on our main bridleway, saying my dog is good with horses as it runs up jumping and barking just doesn't cut it I'm afraid

 

[atot]

One of the few times I've fallen off have been because a dog went for us. Sodding owner didn't even call the dog back when I came off with a thump, I couldn't believe it. I walked home because I couldn't get back on as my mare was so wound up and had a paddy every time I tried. We got back to the yard, I mounted with some help and we went back out. Since we've been hunting again she is back to being very relaxed with dogs, even with the yard deerhound who thinks she is a playmate!

 

[muffinino]

Stop horse.
Wallop dog on nose with whip.
Find owner.
Wallop owner on nose with whip.

 

[custard]

[ QUOTE ]
Stop horse.
Wallop dog on nose with whip.
Find owner.
Wallop owner on nose with whip.

[/ QUOTE ]

Quite! I usually find pulling the horse up and having a screaming fit/whip waving fest at the offending dog does the job and it's the main reason I carry a whip hacking. The vast majority are so taken aback they back off, another good reason to find a nice sturdy hunting whip.........

 

[Ravenwood]

[ QUOTE ]
Stop horse.
Wallop dog on nose with whip.
Find owner.
Wallop owner on nose with whip.

[/ QUOTE ]

I always ride with a hunting crop - mostly because its brilliant to do the gates but also because I can chase away the stallion or cows - and of course lash at any loose dogs!

 

[RLF]

[ QUOTE ]
Stop horse.
Wallop dog on nose with whip.
Find owner.
Wallop owner on nose with whip.

[/ QUOTE ]
good advice

Its a regular occurance on my hacks, i have to pass many homes with loose dogs and many of the dogs run over and bark. Luckily my horses are on a yard full of yapping dogs so they are quite desensitised by it.

 

[Gonetofrance]

I turn and ride directly at the dogs.......it has always worked for me, as the dogs don't want to confront the horse. It might take a few goes, but it works. You have to be quite sure of what you are on, though.

 

[skewbaldpony]

I've got a low lying shetland cross who kicks seven shades out of barking dogs, I suppose I could hire him out? The funny thing is, he's fine with our dogs, and with hounds, obviously a discerning pony.
I used to work on a yard where they had a cracking 14.2 who, never mind kicking, used to turn round and give chase, teeth barred the whole nine yards. Scared the living daylights out of most dogs !

 

[Boysy]

Terrible experience just yesterday out with my small daughter. Having a nice canter in a huge open field, slowed down when we saw 2 people with 2 dogs, one dog gave chase but owner called it and it returned however when we attempted to move off, it gave chase again so we stopped whereupon it lunged at my mare, caught her on the hock then lunged for her belly at which point she let rip with both back legs and caught it square on the back, it flipped over backwards and ran off on 3 legs.

This is the 2nd time my mare has been attacked and i had just got her settled around dogs only to now be petrified again, we jogged sideways all the way home with her dashing looks behind her and spooking all over. My poor daughter was so upset to see that. Owners didn't say a thing or even attempt to put the dog on a lead even after it had attacked. What if that had been my daughters pony or even my daughters leg as she's so much lower down on her little pony?

I love dogs and have had several myself but wouldn't dream of letting one off the lead if i couldn't trust it not to chase another animal....

 

[barnbrookaa]

I slow up when i see dogs out on the hills if they are close by but my horse really detests dogs after my collie decided it would be funny to chase an bark at him in the feild she will back off when shouted at but still continues to do it (she doesnt bark at other horses just ours). I tend to wave the whip at dogs when they come near us as my horse as a tendency to bunny hop on them oops

 

[SpruceRI]

Just the other day I met a chap with a huge German Shepherd. He said he was going the same way through the woods as I was.

I asked him whether his dog would chase me and he said "I don't think so"....and then said he'd give me 5 mins to get away. So I trotted off, got hardly any further and the b*stard had let the darn thing off.

Presumably within 30 secs of me leaving him as I then heard him bellowing for the dog, so took it that the beast was heading in my direction.

Turned round to face upto it as I find they're less likely to give chase if you face them. It came hurtling round the corner, I said "sit down" and it did!!!!

Owner still bellowing for it to come.....it ignored him and just sat there looking at me, so I said "stay there", and walked away from it....and it stayed there.

It's probably still there now!!!

 

[henryhorn]

We teach all our yougsters to turn and chase any chasing or barking dog, so much so that the old stallion used to attempt to leap onto the pavement towards it if a dog went for him!
It's a rare dog that doesn't run tail when confronted with a charging half ton of horse, and it stops them doing it in future.
Their owners soon grab 'em too, it makes them aware that their dog may just get hurt if it keeps being irritating.
Round here many people hack out with their own dogs, so it's more likely to be the rider's dogs chasing others than them chasing the horses..

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Agree with Henryhorn, as long as you train the horse too. I had my last horse from a trekking centre in west Wales. One of his most gorgeous treks is a beach ride down onto this vast empty, sandy beach. You can ride there all year as it is only approachable via a sheep track. The owner - a really great, safety conscious guy - was with a group of us one day and some walkers had a stupid yappy dog that they just let run wild and chase the horses. So he deliberately rode his horse in front of it so it chased HIM. Then he turned his horse in a circle until HE ended up chasing the DOG! It was petrified! He said they never do it again!

 

[Rachel_M]

It's not always the case of the dogs being untrained. I know my dog, even though he will listen to me 99% of time, will still have times when he just gets so excited at something that he doesn't listen to anything until he calms down.

Thankfully, my dog knows that horses are bigger than him, so he'll just bark from a distance and then run further away.


I don't seem to have much trouble with dogs up here. I don't ride on the beach, so can't comment on that, but never came across anything that bad, thankfully.

 

[somethingorother]

Out on a hack round the woods once 2 dogs came careering out of the opening which leads to a council estate (green is hard come by here ) they were biting at the mares legs so much i had to rip a big branch off and beat them off her with it until they gave up and presumably waited for another victim. There wasn't even an owner in sight, they were clearly just left to run riot wherever they wanted. Dont think i would trust them to leave a running child...