The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Pet peeve - dog in the arena while riding

7K views 44 replies 24 participants last post by  NordicJuniper 
#1 ·
The second time in two years at two different boarding facilities I was dumped by my horse because the barn owners dog decides to make a mad dash through the arena. Today while jumping, At 55 years old, I don't think I should have to subject myself nor my horse to this! The first time the barn owners dog ChASED us around the arena because the BO was yelling, Get it! , referring to getting the canter. Obviously this pit bull had heard this demand before. I just don't get the dogs being anywhere around the arena. Invisible fences or not...they aren't working!!! I am so annoyed..and sore....wish I had a shorter horse and not 16.2.....long way to get dumped.
 
#3 ·
Isn't everything nowadays? *rolls eyes*

My BO's dog can usually be found in or around the arena. At first I was surprised but then was impressed at how it was such a non issue for the horses.

A dog actually chasing you is unacceptable, but a dog just hanging around the arena could be a good training opportunity.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
  • Like
Reactions: flyinghighleo
#4 ·
We have two dogs that run in the arena when the horses are lunging, but if your riding they don't come in.....that's the beauty of having QHs with cow horse bred in to them.....they very willingly chase the dog out!

The lazy barn cat is another issue....he's tabby and blends right in with the footing.....

BO says, 'anything other than horses in the arena is fair game' but I sure hope it's not my horse that rounds up the BOs dogs!!! I've just recently seen him go after the dog...ears pinned.....hmmm he might need to go see some cows!
 
  • Like
Reactions: flyinghighleo
#7 ·
I was practicing barrels in a friend's arena and when I came around the third barrel and was running back to the gate his dog ran in front of us. Pharly stopped and I came out of the saddle and landed on his neck. That scared him and he reared. I fell off and cracked some ribs.
 
#9 ·
The barn where I board my horse also does therapeutic riding for handicapped people, so given then nature of the program, my BO has to follow a very strict set of rules to remain as legal and safe as possible. One of our rules is no one, human or animal, is allowed in either of the arenas during a lesson without the rider's, or the rider's guardian's permission. If something were to happen to cause one of the horses to spook, and if the rider were to be injured, the consequences could be very serious. All of it is spelled out in our contracts, and in the liability release.

Does your barn have anything like that? Maybe stating that the BO will have dogs on the property and they might interfere with your riding? Because if not, I'd seriously consider talking to her about it. Not in a threatening way, but just was a heads up maybe? If it happened to someone else, they might not be as tolerant as you. It's something to consider for everyone involved, including your BO. Just to be safe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: themacpack
#14 ·
I don't disagree that it would be a terrible thing, I'm just saying that a lot of times in claims like these it's considered "assumption of risk" and there isn't much of a recourse. People can sue all they like... doesn't mean they'll win.

A dog actually chasing a horse would have a better chance of there being a winning case than a dog running through the arena and spooking the horse.

Of course laws vary state by state... we only practice in MN in WI.
 
#17 ·
If a dog was indeed agressive (i.e. prone to unprovoked attacks), I'm sure this would not of been an isolated situation. It sounds as though it was bad timing for the Op.

Dog, cat, person, horse, snow falling off the roof, truck driving by, ATV's, etc. A horse will encounter many things in their life. Some may startle them, some that 'should' - won't and other things that shouldn't - do.
 
#16 ·
sorry that you fell off, and yes the trainers dog should know better but I would consider it a training opportunity. Sorry if this sounds unsympathetic but it doesn't matter how controlled your enviroment is at home or how well behaved the dogs there are, you will eventually want to ride or even just deal with that horse on the ground somewhere else. And in that somewhere else there is going to be badly behaved dogs and all sorts of other small rude objects including children and your horse needs to know how to cope. I would rather my horse learn to ignore dogs etc in the safe confines of a ring before I am on a road with traffic or at a show with little kids that will not be able to get out of the way if Dobbin goes sideways because of a loose dog. I had a bunch of free range chickens that would wander through everywhere including the outside rings - now that was despooking.
 
#19 ·
The trouble is that some dogs turn it into a habit to chase horses. I have worked on cattle stations where dogs were used extensively, and if they worked as they were supposed to they are one of the most valuable things anyone working cattle can have and I have been told by dog advocates that 1 good dog is worth at least 3 men on a horse (I had a cattle dog when I was a ringer, but he got a kick in the head from a bull when he was still a little fella and figured heeling cattle was for suckers after that so he wasn’t much of a cattle dog from then on, but he was my dog and I loved him and had him for 16 years (even if he did end up being more just a pet than a work dog); but then he never turned into a horse chaser either. And for example, my uncle used to have a little place of about 38,000 acres and he could muster the whole place with only him on a horse and a posse of dogs, he had, and has, good horses, dogs and cattle. But if any of those dogs got into the habit of trying to heel horses instead of cattle their days were numbered. A good work dog is worth its weight in gold, but once they make chasing horses a habit they cross an unforgivable line as far as I'm concerned; a bullet is what they get.
 
#20 ·
from my point of view this isnt the dogs fault nor should it be said the dogs were bad. its the owners fault for not training the dogs how to act around horses.

that being said i also think as a rider you/we should be ready at all times for something unknown like this to just happen. as an outdoor rider having dogs chase or come up fast behind the horses is normal. most dogs are not trained to be around horses. if i was in an indoor arena and the doors were wide open then that leaves the issue who left the doors open to allow the animals in. but nevertheless be prepared for something to go wrong.

then what would be said if a bird so happened to fly into the arena and spook the horse and you were dumped... or if another horse was in the arena and freaked and caused your horse to freak... it all leads too how the rider handles the situation and how desentized/trained the horse is. which imo every horse should be completely desentized especially if your worried about injury.

but thats just my 2 cents...
 
#21 ·
Sorry but seeing as this was a pitbull it had no business being let to chase horses. And no this is not breed bashing, I own a pit/rott. These dogs, if they ever actually catch a horse, will not stop. Luckily my dog got arthritis fast as when she was younger once she found out she could catch deer she routinely brought them home.

And since this dog doesn't seem all that well trained if it was running from the owner when she was trying to catch it, I would be worried what other training this dog lacks. A pitbull is not a breed to let training slack with.
 
#23 ·
Sorry but seeing as this was a pitbull it had no business being let to chase horses.

And since this dog doesn't seem all that well trained if it was running from the owner when she was trying to catch it, I would be worried what other training this dog lacks. A pitbull is not a breed to let training slack with.
Unless I am reading wrong - the pitbull was at her previous barn. Not related to this incident.
 
#22 ·
yes the dog is badly behaved and shouldn't be chasing horses. The dog is not the OP's to train or shoot. She can however train her horse to react appropriately to a dog chasing it, because there are more badly behaved dogs than well behaved out in the world whose owners are not going to do anything about.
 
#25 ·
Sure, might not be the OP's dog to train or shoot, but if it were me, and it looked like any mut were going to bite my horse, I'd be telling the barn owner I didn’t give a damn who owns the dog, it bites my horse, by by fido. Im not familiar with this whole barn owner thing or barns, and it seems from reading posts on this forum there’s quite a bit of politics involved with the whole barn owner deal, I don’t even know if we have barns as such in Australia, we probably do but call them a shed or something, but it seems they (barn owners) provide, for a cost, facilities in which people can keep horses; right? Seems incredibly negligent and irresponsible and a breach of some sort of duty of care if they have some mut running around putting horses and their riders in danger.
 
#26 ·
Wait! Did I read that right? Did you say the barn owner was actually encouraging the dog to chase the horse? How incredibly stupid is that? I would most certainly have had words with them at that point. That is uncalled for and very dangerous. Dogs in the barn is one thing, I don't think they should be encouraged to chase a horse at any time.
 
#27 ·
Wait! Did I read that right? Did you say the barn owner was actually encouraging the dog to chase the horse? How incredibly stupid is that? I would most certainly have had words with them at that point. That is uncalled for and very dangerous. Dogs in the barn is one thing, I don't think they should be encouraged to chase a horse at any time.
I believe the OP said the trainer had said "get that" referring to what the OP was doing on the horse but the dog interpreted it as a command to get the horse....
 
#28 ·
We lost our house at one point in time and instead of selling my horses I took them to a friend's house. She has a dog that chases horses and I told her up front if my donkey kills your dog it isn't my fault. I had no where else to take them and they were kind enough to step up for me but I didn't want any bad blood if her dog got hurt. So they really started getting after their dog and everything was ok but it sure made me nervous. The dog did sneak up behind Phar Lap and Shadow and bite their back ankles a few times. I didn't like it but they would kick at the dog and take care of themselves. They have horses themselves and I am surprised they would even want a dog like that around their horses. BUT their horses and now mine don't spook at dogs at all anymore.
 
#29 ·
Why don't you take a lead, catch the dog before you ride and tie him up until you finish?
 
#30 ·
situational awareness here. if you know theres any kind of dog that is a guard dog/breed is more aggressive, then use caution around them.

all the training in the world cannot prevent EVERY SINGLE situation. maybe the dog is well trained. maybe it isnt. maybe it was having an off day or it mistook a command that it knows.

maybe the horse was spooky, maybe it was rider fault....maybe all three.


what it all boils down to is the BO being aware of the hrose and the dog, the rider being aware of horse and dog, and then just keeping an eye on surroundings.

these arent inanimate objects were talking about here. these are living creatures that go off of their own instincts, and are also at the same time supposed to go against/for orders that we humans give them.
 
#31 ·
When the dogs come in the arena.....I line my horse up and run right at em!

Damn....we need to get some cows!!! :lol:
 
#39 ·
Yes. That works. I notice when I ride through a neighborhood or on a trail, if a dog seems aggressive or charges, the horse will get antsy and feel like he's about to bolt. If I turn him straight into the dog, it almost seems like both horse and dog do the math very quickly (1200 pounds, vs 75 pounds...). Every time, the horse calms down and the dog turns and runs away. The dogs I do this to don't do it again.
I realize that doesn't help when you're in an arena focusing on riding and a dog just shoots out from under the railing. Maybe if several of you get together and agree that whenever the dog enters the arena, start walking it down. I bet the dog would learn quickly. Most dogs stay away after the first kick to the head or trampling as well.
 
#33 ·
Yes it's amazing how they learn to stay away after one good chase.....I chased the dog today actually, it was a little unnerving the way my horse sped up when the dog turned tail.....hmmmm might have a dog killer!!! A little dirt in your horse isn't always a bad thing - sometimes!

I love my dogs....that's why they stay home and don't come to a barn full of cow/cutting/reining bred horses........
 
#34 ·
I am sick of dealing with dogs at my barn. The BO has 3, and that is her perogative, but now borders are starting to bring their dogs even though there is supposed to be a rule about *not* doing that. People are bringing them on the property or leaving them in their cars where they bark incessantly. WTF? Why do people feel the need to bring their damn dogs everywhere?

I have a dog, perhaps I should start taking mine too. I have one of those cow horses, and she will fire off a deadly kick to any dog bothering her hiney. I warned an owner of this the other day when the dog was following too close, but I am done with that. From now on, if they get kicked, they get kicked. Not my problem.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top