My horse kicked a dog this morning...

LittleBluebell

LittleBluebell

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Whilst out hacking early this morning, a chocolate lab came running up behind us (from a path that connects to the bridleway) and proceeded to chase my horse, although not maliciously (trying to play chase). He lashed out a couple of times and then managed to catch the dog in the face. The dog yelped and ran back to her owner, and after calming my horse down, i went back to check on the dog. I apologised and gave the guy my name and number. I was just wondering what happens really, as he was talking about letting the police know and would be taking the dogs to the vets. Any advice/info greatfully received.

Sorry for the essay
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The guy is having a laugh if he thinks the police will take this matter up. He should have had the dog on a leash. Simple enough I would have thought. It isn't your fault and the dog should not have been running behind a horse, which would have been prevented had the guy had it on a lead when near a bridleway especially.

Let him take it to the vets - important really as there may be breaks. But I really don't see why he thinks the police will want to know or why he believes HE has a case against YOU!

I've had similar happen before, although luckily George didn't manage to boot the collie in question - very close though.
 
The dog should have been on a lead. If the dog was chasing your horse and your horse kicked out, them im sorry but its the owners fault. Im sure the police wont do anything as the dog was out of control, even tho only wanting to play. More people need to pay attention to what there dogs are doing off the lead!!! And if the guy contacts you demanding that you pay towards the vet bill, tell him to swivel!!!
 
if your horse is insured i would ring them as most have legal advice i believe i know petplan does. also as it could possib;le be a 3rd party claim for the dogs vets bill so they would need to know.

however for what its worth its not the horses fault the owner should have its dog under control and if they can't it should be on a lead.
 
Why were you apologising for being chased by his out of control Dog???
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Seriously, if he'd had it on a lead, it wouldn't have got kicked. It had obviously upset your horse, and could have caused a serious accident. I'd be complaining to the police about him.
 
What Lanky said, the dog should have been on a lead or at the very least under control. Do you think the dog owner would have been so concerned if your horse had spooked and bolted off?

If he tries to get you to pay a vets bill I would tell him to sling his hook.
 
This happened once to me and my best mate, two staffs came round our horses jumping up, the one staff latched onto my mates horse, he kicked out caught the dog straight in the head and it died there and then
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It was awful but it was the owners fault for not having the dogs on the lead, we even waited up the pathway a bit first and asked him to catch the dogs but he just kept coming.
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we just said sorry and left, i know it sounds awful but there was nothing more we could of done
 
dog was not in close control. I don't think they will have a leg to stand on!!!! You acted commendably and let him threaten you all he likes as in the end he should have had the dog under control!
 
Thanks for the support guys
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Was really worrying about it this morning, my horse has never done anything like this before, although we have been chased by a few dogs, i'm guessing he got fed up with it. I did say she should've been on a lead, but he said she was fine with other dogs, and didn't seem to understand.

Thanks again
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The owner should have had the dog on the lead, it was not your fault.

Even though all of m dogs are used to being around the horses, if we meet any while out walknig I immediately put them on the lead. You don't know how either dog or horse is going to react.
 
Gosh how frightening for you! Hope the horse is ok
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If the man is silly enough to go to the police he may cautioned for allowing his dog to be dangerously out of control.

I would call you insurance company to make them aware of the incident, it's better that they get a heads up. Very unlikely he could claim against you for vets bills, stupid man should have the dog trained or on a leash.
 
You have done nothing wrong - and do not pay any vet's fees.

My horse killed a dog many years ago - again dog not under control and darted between the horse's legs. It was very upsetting for all - but not mine nor my horses fault.
 
same as all of the above..

His dog was out of control and clearly causing your horse a problem.

Maybe he will learn next time.... not you or your horses dfault at all, in fact I would be shoutiing at him as an irreponsible owner.

It is infact law that all dogs must be kept under control at all times when on or near a bridleway.

just ignore him...if he phone tell him to talk to you through his solicitor.!!
 
Bridlepath therfore Dog should have been on a lead.

Like Morrighan said You could have had a very nasty accident if the dog had hurt your horse. Therefore you would have had to vet to your horse. Or worse still caused you to come off.
Some time ago OH came off on Thursley common when lady on the bridlepath with 2 jack russels off leads went under his horses front legs yapping away. He was hurt as the mare caught him full in the face when she reared to get away from the dogs. Bless him when he fell off he still had hold of her. Not once did the lady say sorry. OH had trip to A&E for the headache and dizzyness. OH very shocked as only novice rider. Mare had never reared before or since but did not like small dogs after that.

Might be worth a call to your local police station on the desk number to tell them.
 
As others have said it's probably a god idea to give your insurance company a heads up but really he's the one at fault for not having his dog under control in a public place. You may well hear nothing more about it, he was probably just panicking & will think better of it when he calms down.
 
I'd agree with erinite - a call to the local police to log it might be worthwhile in case he tries anything but as dog not under control would be his fault & yes, let your third party insurers know (wheter through horse insurance or membership eg BHS).
 
I had a similiar thing happen to me, when my horse Biggles got attacked by a loose staffy. It was the most frightening thing as I think the owner had the dog as a fighting dog. He wouldn't leave my horse alone and eventually kicked him in the jaw breaking several teeth. The owner was going ballistic and threatening me with vets bills. My horse was bitten on his stifle area, fortunately the horse was tall and the dog was unable to master enough jump to attach himself to Biggles jugular and tail which he had tried to do on several occassions. Biggles who was an extremely nice natured warmblood was initally good tempered and patient but eventually had had enough and when the dog ended up between his legs kicked it. Some house owner where the waste ground backed onto ran out of his garden with a shovel as he was prepared to beat the dog over the head. If it had been a toddler it would have ripped it apart. As it was a dangerous dog and I had suspicion that it was being used in illegal dog fights due to its fiereness I reported the incident to the police and they said I was to dial 999 if I saw the dog loose again. They took my complaint very seriously. Fortunatley the wound on the horse healed well and he had not lasting physical or phychological effect and I actually ended up making £50 by selling my treu life story to Gallop! Magazine who were in publication at the time!!! It was a truly terrifying incident but the onus was on the dogs owner to control his dog, not me to control my horse. I expect if my horse had run up to the dog and started to try to attack the dog then that would be my fault.
 
I must be odd as I would have gone back to give the bloke a bollocking for not having his poor dog under control, not to apologise.
 
Did the owner attempt to call the dog? Or was he even in sight? If not, don't worry too much about it, the dog ran off so it was probably fine. I wouldn't even have apologised, tbh, he should have been in control of his dog.
In my experience when hacking out, people have a lot less control over their animals than I do and cannot call their dogs off. They fail to understand why this is a bad thing and this is the reason it is a good idea to have control over your dog! It wasn't your fault and I'm sure the dog will be fine.
 
I bet the dog isn't insured so the guy was taking advantage of your concern and thinking he'll be able to get you to pay the vet bill if needed as you were so worried, he sounds ureasonable!

I've been training our puppy and she's run after a few horses before I could get hold of her and I always apologised to the rider - my thinking is if she gets kicked it's our fault not their's.
 
I would not have stopped, given my information, etc, but even though you did I would not worry about having to pay for him. It is his responsibility to control his dog.
 
No, he didn't call it, he was a fair way back and kept asking what had happened, so obviously didn't see it. There was a line of trees that would've blocked his view.

Yeah, we have been chased by a few, thats why i try to go out early, and R is normally really patient, although gets a bit fidgety, this is the first time he's kicked out. I just felt bad for the dog. R's absolutely fine though, we had another one chase us after that, but the owners managed to call it back. We just wanted to get back to the yard!

Thanks
 
Same thing has happened to us as grooms collie got behind our 3/4 shire (she was used to her horses at home who all obv knew her and didn't kick when she got too close) and Maggie booted her clear across the stable.... even groom admitted it was his fault as although she was a sheep dog and highly trained (very good sheepdog at that) he should have been keeping an eye on her.
 
that is so bad, my mums friend was parralized because of a dog running out at it, the horse fell down a ditch a went over backwards and landed on her! you could actually do him on the Dangerous dog act!! look it up on tinternet!
 
Hey come on - I know how I would feel if a horse kicked my dogs, instant anger! And I'm a horse owner myself !!

Perhaps when he settles down he will understand its one of those accidents that happens with animals.

Did you get his no? If you did perhaps ring and see how pooch is and try to be amicable. Its a natural reaction to jump to the defense of ones' pets.
 
This is annoyingly something that seems to be on the increase...ie out of control dogs. My mare is a poppet with dogs but after various scary incidents out hacking over the past 6 yrs (once involving 3 larger dogs setting on her) is now very wary when loose dogs come chasing round her feet. I am fed up of owners who after trying to call dog/dogs for 10 mins unsuccessfully you get the 'he won't do anything..he's only trying to be friendly'. My mare is at this stage a quivering wreck and its all I can to stop her standing up and spinning and or depositing me.
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As all the other posters have said you have nothing to worry about with this chap being able to make any claims against you...and don't feel guilty..its him who should have apologised to you!
 
You have nothing to apologise for. The dog was not under control, so the dog's owner is liable for any incidents that occur. You really have nothing to worry about.
 
Dogsd must be kept under control at all times. (See below)
Any dog is dangerously out of control if:
• it injures a person, or
• it behaves in a way that makes
a person worried that it might
injure them.
The law applies everywhere the general
public is allowed to go and anywhere your
dog goes where it is not supposed to be.
The maximum penalty for allowing a
dog you own or are in charge of to be
dangerously out of control is two years’
imprisonment, or a fine, or both.
In addition, if your dog is dangerously out
of control in its own home or garden then
the police or anyone else that is worried
about the dog being a risk could also seek a
control order.
If your dog injures another person’s
animal, or an owner of an animal
reasonably believes that they could be
injured if they intervened to protect their
animal from your dog, then an offence may
be committed.
If you do not keep your dog under control,
your dog could be destroyed and you could
be banned from keeping a dog.
Or you might be ordered to keep your
dog muzzled when taking it for a walk.
If you use your dog to injure someone then
you may be charged with malicious
wounding. The maximum penalty for this is
five years’ imprisonment.
Control of Dogs, The Law and You
YOU COULD BE BREAKING THE LAW BY ALLOWING YOUR DOG
TO BE DANGEROUSLY OUT OF CONTROL…
…AND SOME TYPES OF DOG ARE BANNED
WHAT IS MEANT BY
DANGEROUSLY
OUT OF CONTROL?
Whether your dog is a banned type depends
on what your dog actually looks like, rather
than the breed or name by which it is called
(whether a crossbreed or not).
The law refers to four kinds of dog which
are banned:
• Pit Bull Terrier
• Japanese Tosa
• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Braziliero
While it is the characteristics of a dog which
are most important in judging whether it is
banned, such dogs may be called by a
number of names.
Pit Bull type dogs can be called:
• American Staffordshire Terriers
(Am Staffs)
• Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier (ISBT)
• Irish Blue or Red Nose
Also, some kinds of American Bulldogs have
been found to be Pit Bulls.
WHAT IS
A
BANNED DOG?
Descriptions of the banned types are on the
Defra website. The address is at the bottom
of this factsheet.
If your dog fits one of the descriptions, it
may be treated as a banned type no matter
what type or breed its parents were.
You may not own, breed from, sell,
give away or abandon any banned dog.
The police may seize your dog if they think
it is a banned type.
The maximum penalty for possessing a
banned dog is a fine of £5,000, or six
months’ imprisonment, or both.
Some of these dogs can be exempted from
the ban, but only where a court gives
permission for this. For more information
about this exemption, please visit the
Defra website
 
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