Can coyotes pose a danger to my horses?

We have large packs of coyotes. You hear them calling all around us at night.

We have never had a problem with the horses. We raised cows and calves for years and they never killed one. They have not killed our dogs. We have, however, had some pet ducks and cats go mysteriously missing. I have heard people say that they have lost a few goats to them.

We have two large packs. One that runs the ridge on the property next to us and one that runs the hollow through the backside of our property. There are cows calving most of the year and hoses foaling. No lone horses but even then they wouldn't take on an animal that size unless rabid. Our new neighbors wiped out both packs and now we are overrun with rabbits, rats, mice and every other bothersome critter. They never ate a chicken as the chickens are locked up after the morning run and before the evening run. We loved listening to them. The pack was thinned if there was a noticeable decrease in normal levels of what they preyed on to keep things in balance.

They seem to run in packs at night to hunt, but I've never seen them in packs during the day around here (and I see them lots).

They rarely bother livestock here, other than sheep. They don't even seem to go after calves, unless one is sick, but we do have lots of deer for them to feed on.

They will definitely take out dogs, though. One of our family dogs was killed by coyotes when I was a kid (and she had another dog with her that managed to escape).

I wouldn't worry about your adult horses. However, if the coyotes are hanging around your yard a lot and have completely lost their fear of humans, you might want to take a shot (assuming its legal).

In very rare cases they've went after children. In eastern Canada, they've even went after adults, and even killed a young woman in the Maritimes > Coyotes kill Toronto singer in Cape Breton - Nova Scotia - CBC News

However, this is extremely rare.

Sorry for the double post, but I just wanted to say, personally I really like coyotes. They're smart, they eat lots of pests, they're beautiful, they're fun to chase on horseback for short distances, and they rarely cause us any problems. I've personally never felt threatened by them.

Just don't let your dogs chase them, as the coyotes will lure dogs out, then attack them.

We have coyotes here. While they could kill my cat, I'm not worried about the horses. I've even seen the coyotes during the day around the ranch while riding.

Not sure where the original poster is from, but you can watch their tracks in the snow to see if they have any interest in your horses. We find them coming up past the pastures but not Once have they ever ventured into or within 20' of the fence. So it doesnt bother me. I kinda wish they would, my gelding has a special place in his heart for unruly k9's. Under his hooves, lmao! He'd stomp a coyote just for fun.
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You're sure they are coyotes and not wolves. Some nights I hear wolves howling as it's a form of communication. My large dog would start howling. I knew by his voice if it was wolves or the smaller coyote. A fellow who had wolves eyeballing his calves found they seem to know the scent of a rifle. He got a nanny goat and put her in a stout cage outside the barn with her offspring safely inside. He climbed up to the peak of the roof with his rifle. The nanny did her job calling to her baby and in no time 5 wolves moved in and he got three. The others never came back.

I don't think that they would come onto the property, and I don't think that my horses wouldn't be able to protect themselves, but they do bother me.
There is a product I've seen advertised to deter coyotes. It is a pulsating light that you use a timer on to periodically flash. I've lost the magazine where I saw the product, but I think you could find it.
IMHO, if you are worried, you are probably right. My dog, "Rose" hates coyotes and thinks that her 60 lb frame can take them on. Both she and "Pyg" stay in side at night, too, like yours do.
Our town is discussing a hunt to clean our coyote population out this Spring.

We get big packs near us at some times of the year. My 3 horses share a corral, and it would be very stupid for a coyote to enter.

My dogs were trained by Dan the Dog when they were pups. Dan lives with my oldest daughter now, but he used to get loose and spend 1-2 days out in the desert. Dan hated coyotes, but he didn't mess with them. He taught Rusty and Jack that coyotes were to be feared and avoided if possible.

It isn't legal to shoot a gun on my property. Pity, because I think coyotes are best enjoyed from a few hundred yards away.

The only problem we have with coyotes and horses here is when they start to chase a horse who is enclosed in a smallish area. Like a few acres. Occasionally, a horse will run through wire.

They are a dog, and pretty much like to chase things like dogs do. In our large pastures the horses will outrun them or make a stand a put a hoof to their head. Neighbors have found a couple dead coyotes that had head injuries and have found fatally injured ones that appeared to have been kicked to the shoulder area or stomped.

Healthy cows will head butt one to death if it goes after a calving cow (that hasn't gone too far off to calve) and they'll go after bear the same way. Donkeys are pretty hard on coyotes, too.