Dogs-their owners, that is!

[Moanranger]

Just venting, really. Hacked over 4 miles today to a competition, mainly road work. Drivers by & large very considerate, including motorcycles, who generally powered down when passing.
But wouldn't you know it, the only serious issue I had was with a whippet, a couple of hundred metres from my yard - off-lead, started chasing my boy who bolted ( but stopped). I had a good go at the owner, and said what I always say: "my horse will kick your dog". She was jogging but was really too far from her dog to control it. Having ridden on commons for years I unfortunately have a lot of experience with loose dogs. I generally turn & chase them, which is a useful learning experience for said dog, but does not work in all cases.
What are your experiences?

[Gabilan]

Dhorse has always lived with dogs and he's hunted with hounds. It's rare he's bothered by a dog. I've encountered a few daft owners but far more who are good. The only thing that would really bother me is a larger dog going for him. But he knows he has my full permission to boot it into the middle of next week if that happens.

[frostyfingers]

We have a large dog round here that is always walked off lead (I don't know the breed) but as soon as it sees you it crouches down and fixes you with its eyes, my poor previous horse was really brave and stood up to it as it approached at speed but lost his nerve when it got to about 10 feet and he whipped round, luckily I was expecting it.

The owner's response - "oh he won't hurt, he's just curious" yeah right. I know roughly what time she walks it so try to avoid it but don't always succeed and she just won't call it back in time or try and stop it.

[Spam88]

To be fair though, it's a complete pain when horses pop up where you're not expecting them. There's a path down to the beach near us where there are frequently horses, so we never let the dog too far from us when we take her down there, so we can always get hold of her collar quickly. There another location where she gets her regular walks, which is where everyone walks their dogs, all off lead. I have literally never seen anyone on a horse there, and then one day I was walking her and a horse and rider came cantering along.

[Gabilan]

Off road, riders are often restricted to bridleways. I'd also check any regs regarding your local beaches. I don't really understand how a half tonne animal "pops up from nowhere". When I had 3 terriers I made sure that if I couldn't see a long way ahead, the one likely to chase was on a lead. The other 2 knew to leave horses alone.

Riders and dog walkers need to train their animals and keep an eye out for each other.

[Moanranger]

As ar as " unexpected" the lane where I encountered the dog is thronged with yards & paddocks, so horses are very much the norm!