This pony is an absolute saint

[Fieldlife]

I think I would have tried to get the horse to chase the dog / waving my stick at the dog and shouting at it. Turning and riding at it aggressively with aggressive language might work. My horse does go in the water in the beach, so that might work as deterent. My horse probably wouldnt manage to out run the dog. Though I have been chased whilst galloping and the dog did lose interest and give up.

I had an incident that summer where we were cantering in open space. Realised a small dog had joined us barking at heels. Pulled up. Owners could not get dog to come back. Could not catch it up close either. Dog was running round horses barking, wanting to play. Not vicious. If we walked off dog came with us. I tried herding dog back to his owner with my horse, but dog thought this was a fun game too! In the end another dog walker distracted the dog with a stick and to play with their dog and caught it. This took about 20 minutes. Fortunately my horse was good with dogs, and other horse was largely shielded by my horse. In some ways it was good dog desensitization for my horse as he was calm with the dog running round him.

I'll never forget being chased by a collie, about half a mile towards a main road. Managed to turn and face dog and get back. Rode up to owners who wouldnt look up or acknowledge me.

I do think in busy public places all horses should be good with dogs, including them running and them barking (which this horse was, and was clearly dog owner at fault). Personally if my horses wasnt good with dogs, I would be scared in some of the places I ride.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Years ago there was an occasion where a dog got into the field with my sister's horses. Not sure on exactly what the dog did but my sister's mare kicked it and broke its shoulder. Owner accepted it was their fault and we heard nothing more about it. On another occasion we were riding on a track through allotments. A Scottie jumped over the low fence round the allotment and rushed up behind our ponies. That got kicked yards and ended up with a swollen eye. It did recover ok. That time if our horses had panicked and taken off we were only yards from an open gate onto a busy road. Could have been carnage. Never went that way again.

 

[Caol Ila]

On my old horse or on one as well trained as the pony in the video, I too would have charged straight at the dog, waving my whip and screaming like a banshee. That used to be my go-to method, and it worked 99% of the time. Most dogs panic when they become the prey and run back to the owner. Doesn't work now because Fin won't do that. Hermosa probably will in time. She's meant to be either a war horse or a bullfighting horse, after all.

Only had one that wasn't afraid. A young GSD. When I rode at it, it just circled around to the back end of the horse to nip at her heels. I was forced to keep spinning Gypsum in circles so it did not bite her back legs. We were stuck there for like ten minutes. I could not stand or ride on. Meanwhile, the owner stood about 20 yards away screaming its name uselessly, and a random - and very ballsy - bystander tackled the damned thing.

If you read the comments on the video, you'll see that the videographer is the horse owner. She says the rider lost control of the horse and horse took off over the dunes, chased by the dog. A passerby grabbed the horse and the horse's owner managed to intercept dog.

It did look like the rider was going after the dog with her whip once she dismounted.

 

[ester]

This is one of the reasons I always ride with a long schooling whip - I have and would again - hit a dog hard when they have come at me. My rational is that it's less nasty than a horse kick

I also find it useful for smacking car windscreens when they are too close - makes a hell of a noise !

I think she was using one when she was off horse

 

[ester]

I do certainly try to ride at them

 

[suestowford]

Back in the 80s & 90s I used to ride in one of the London deer parks and there were often out of control dogs there. There have always been idiotic owners but maybe there are more of them nowadays.
I have also ridden a lot on a popular beach nearby, it's huge but still get the occasional clash with a dog. The worst one was the sand-coloured dog, none of us saw that one coming!
Mostly the dogs would want to chase, so the faster the pony was moving, the more the dog chased. Generally we'd either walk or halt altogether. It certainly pays to have a saint of a pony in those situations.

 

[NightStock]

My previous horse (warmblood) and I used to ride on the beach regularly, she was a sensitive mare but fantastic with dogs, my method was to always stop and turn to face dog while owner tried to catch it.

The only time this didn't work was the time two large dogs and a Dachshund chased us, I stopped and turned, the big dogs both stopped but the little one kept coming. Ideally I would have cantered off but I realised the big dogs would chase then, so I had to stand my ground while the wretched sausage dog was jumping all over her legs, it actually was hanging off her leg at one point and my sweet mare did her best not to hurt him. The owner then proceeded to try to catch it, to no avail so I jumped off and grabbed it. I made a big fuss of my mare and she had no problems afterwards but I did speak quite strongly to the owner, pointing out her dog would almost certainly be killed if it did that to another horse.

 

[NightStock]

Just to add, I always used to fantasise about learning to lasso, and image what reaction the owner who seemed oblivious to the havoc thieir dog was creating, would have when they see you disappearing with their beloved! That would get their attention.

 

[ycbm]

My worst episode was a border collie that was supposed to be herding sheep. When the farmer finally got it to herd the sheep it went and bit several of them. I'm afraid that dog needed putting down. It wasn't even young.

I was once out on the horse in my avatar when a ridgeback belonging to a neighbour went for his throat. He avoided it, ran forward and stuck his face down into that dogs face and said "you and whose army? " and the dog ran back into its garden.

 

[suestowford]

I think some dogs do get a bit of a shock when a horse comes for them. Even if it's in a non-aggressive way. I think this is particularly so with larger breeds of dog, as they are used to being the biggest/strongest. Suddenly here is something 5 times their size, coming at them. Your horse was an educator ycbm

 

[SEL]

I think some dogs do get a bit of a shock when a horse comes for them. Even if it's in a non-aggressive way. I think this is particularly so with larger breeds of dog, as they are used to being the biggest/strongest. Suddenly here is something 5 times their size, coming at them. Your horse was an educator ycbm

My Appy chases dogs. She's actually good training material for dog walkers because she couldn't give a **** about a barking, growling dog. I've had a livery's terrier hanging off my schooling whip while I was on her and she couldn't care less.

Her field is her domain though. A farmers collie got in once and had my Ardennes at the gallop. She was very protective of M and went after the collie with ears back and neck snaking. That dog was forever escaping and chasing horses but you'd see it clock her and do a divert.

She went flat out after a dog that got into the field and fortunately got back over the fence quickly. It's owner asked what she'd have done if she'd caught it and I honestly don't know. She licks dogs she likes but she's over 600kg and a dog wouldn't walk away from a well aimed kick. It's the reason she was never allowed in a field with a footpath. I used to see people ignoring signs and letting their dogs off the lead which would dive under the fence into her field. Most of the time she'd ignore them thankfully and just watch them roll in fox poo

 

[Cortez]

My best tactic for aggressive dogs is to stop and keep turning the horse towards the dog, then give it (dog) the hardest whack I can with a dressage whip and follow it until it goes away.

I had a horse that used to kill* anything that came into his paddock, the tally included dogs, crows, a coyote (this was in US), a snapping turtle, a snake and multiple bullfrogs. He also threw a sheep over the fence. He was a bit "special", but many horses don't like intruders.

*usually by kneeling on it, but I've seen him also strike, kick and bite, then run around the pasture flapping the trophy and scaring the other horses with it. He was quite weird

 

[Cherryblossom]

My old mare used to chase the aggressive german shepherd on our hacking route- they soon stopped coming out of their lane!
A friend once was doing canter work at the back of a big forest park. Pulled up after quite some distance to discover she’d been joined by a spaniel at some point. I think the mile long uphill sprint after his dog may have taught the owner some sense!