Teaching puppy to be around horses

[boxcarhorse]

Does anyone have any top tips on how to teach my puppy to behave safely around horses? I'd love to have him on the yard with me - but at the moment he has a death wish and thinks jumping up at horses and running inbetween their legs is a great game.

Any ideas gratefully received!

 

[wipeout]

I am going through this at the moment too. I have been walking mine first to try and tire him out a bit before we get near the horses. I allow him to approach them as long as there is a fence or stable door between them. I always have treats and I call him back to me. At the moment his recall is pretty good but it isn't absolutely 100%. Once it is I will trust him to be nearer to them.
If I am working on the yard I tie him up outside so he can see what I am doing. He is really good and doesn't make any noise while I am busy. I return to him frequently and praise him for being good.
I get my OH to lead the horse and I follow with pup on the lead. He still pulls a bit at first but soon settles on a slack lead. Again, once this is the norm and I can be sure to get his attention back in an emergency then he will be allowed off his lead.
Hopefully I won't have to go through this procedure for too long but I want him to learn to behave politely!

 

[Cop-Pop]

I was lucky in the sense that Yellow Dogs first visit to the yard he escaped from where he was tied up and tried to play with the shetland who then chased him across the field giving Yellow Dog a very healthy respect for horses - even the mini ones! Luckily he wasnt injured but 8 years down the line and he still knows to give horses a wide berth!

 

[Naryafluffy]

Do you have a tolerant horse on the yard that you could introduce the pup too?
When my friend was lucky in that there were already 2 grown up dogs on the yard that didn't bother the horses so the pups kind of learned from them. They were also allowed to play around my horse as she doesn't bother about dogs, it allowed them to be around a horse that wasn't going to give them a reaction. It has kind of backfired though as the dogs just don't bother about horses now at all, even when one is cantering towards them in the school the male dog just watches it coming (the female is better in that she sits in a corner and watches).
Done similar to the other poster with my friends ridgeback who was older when he was first introduced to horses and thought playing with them would be fun, he was always on a leash if there was a horse tied up outside it's stable and only allowed off leash if they were all in their stables, same in the school. Used to take him into the school a lot to watch the horses working and using the leave command if the ears/tail went up, reward when looking away from the horses after the leave command. We now walk beside the horses (again my horse because she can't be bothered reacting) him in one hand and the horse in the other and he's getting there. i think his age had a lot to do with how long it's taking him, but can now be allowed off leash when the horses are tied up outside the stables, not let him loose when they are working as it's the kids riding my horse and I don't want to risk her reacting to the dog because the rider doesn't know/isn't capable of giving her the confidence if a dog does run at her (she doesn't do it with me and we frequently have dogs running up to us in the woods, but I've had her 18yrs and she has more trust in me than the kids that have been riding her a year).
Good luck, there are probably people on here with more experience and better ideas than I have.

 

[Jericho]

I have my horses at home so it was imperative our pup got safely used to horses as soon as possible. At first I generally let her mooch around on the other side of a fence (the garden was next to the yard) and then she would come poo picking with me so gotmto be around the horses at a distance and then she would started to just be around them on the yard.

Any barking was not tolerated nor was chasing - couple of scary moments when the horses had a burst of energy and she decided to join in but her recall is brilliant.

Somehow she seems to know to watch for moving legs - she loves foraging for hoof pickings around their hooves but keeps a wary eye open and moves very quick (she is a JRT).

Thankfully my horses are quite careful and very well mannered and not spooky or aggressive with or bothered by dogs which helps a lot. I have had other horses which I perhaps wouldn't be quite so relaxed with. If in doubt I would have of course kept her away. The key I think is gradual but consistent exposure.