Right of Way, Horse & Dog

[Beastiee]

I'll try to keep this short.

I've got a dog, he's always on a lead when we're out. I live rurally, the field next to my garden is the only route to reach any public footpaths to walk my dog. The field has a public right of way across it as it's on a designated national trail.

It's owned by a neighbour who has just put a horse on the land. My dog has no reaction whatsoever to horses, he ignores all livestock. The horse he's put on the field is clearly agitated by my dog, as I try to walk across the field (I pick my time, when the horse is the furthest away) the horse will run up and sniff at the dog's back end and sort of push him, I'm assuming this is a warning of 'get away'.

Again, my dog ignores totally as I swiftly walk across the field, but the horse will follow and keep pushing him until we're out the gate. It's happened twice now.

Obviously I don't want the dog, or me, to get kicked/attacked by the horse so I can't walk across the field again to risk it - would I be unreasonable to tell the owner his horse is causing an issue? Neighbour has form for being difficult.

I contacted our local council via the report it online on their website as one field locally had a herd of boisterous bullocks in it that was cutting off a circular walk. About 3 days later, an electric fence appeared although the farmer did kick off on the local FB page and say that they'd been hand reared and were just curious. Doesn't mean I want to go through them thanks.

Don't buy land with PROWS if you're going to be an arse about people using them.

@Beastiee You sound like you are being very sensible and aware. I would be very wary about a horse, and I am pretty experienced. I have known horses to stomp on dogs with their front legs.

I would ignore the horse, don't pet, and if if approaches again calmly put your hand on his shoulder and push gently, very horse knows this means stop or back.

Sounds to me as if the horse is just curious and probably wants to play.

Take a spare lead and waft it in the horse’s direction if it gets too close.

From what you describe, the horse is being friendly and curious, not aggressive. It's very rare for horses to attack unprovoked - they're prey animals, not predators.

I would just keep doing what you're doing - if the horse does get aggressive then the best thing to do is let your dog loose so they can run.

@thedancingbear the last thing you should ever do is feed it anything!

1. it will always expect food from you and will harass walkers and potentially become aggressive.
2. you should never ever feed other peoples animals without their permission. You have no idea what health issues it could cause or aggravate.

I'm not 100% sure but I think that it is a case of walk across the field at your own risk, like with cows. There is a couple of lovely walks near me that I cannot do because the cows in one of the fields tend to give chase if you have a dog, even if the dog isn't bothering them. Sometimes they'll even chase people who don't have a dog with them.

You can report it to the local authority if you feel the horse is agressive and dangerous. Perhaps give them a call for advice first.

Do you know if any other walkers have experienced problems?

Because I live rurally, livestock is in every field until I reach woodland a few fields across. He's a large dog and very quick so the potential for damage is too much of a risk - the local farmers wouldn't hesitate in shooting him (I wouldn't blame them).

Dogs should always be on a lead when around livestock. Read the Countryside Code!
Landowners have the right to shoot a dog if they think it is a danger to their animals so always, always have your dog on a lead.

The more you walk through it the more the horse will get used to it and not care. But I’m both a horse and dog person so I’d have the confidence to keep walking through but understand if you don’t.

I've had a horse that killed dogs and sheep, it would start by showing curiosity too. I think informing the owner is sensible, it would be the owner who faced strict liability if you or your dog were injured, especially if he was aware of the risks.

😂 the PPs joke reference obviously went over your head!

Note the clue in the sentence structure - "what about the bag of grain?" not a bag.....

Never, ever take food on a walk or feed a horse that you don't own! Not only can food lead to aggression but you could end up killing the horse as many are on special/restricted diets.

Maybe you should read the Countryside Code yourself…

”Let your dog off the lead if you feel threatened by livestock or horses. Do not risk getting hurt protecting your dog. Releasing your dog will make it easier for you both to reach safety.”

Thank you that's much appreciated - the gentle hand on the shoulder push is so helpful to know. I don't want to spook the horse, if there is a way that I can walk through safely then that would be brilliant.

He's huge (beautiful though) and with little experience of horses, it's intimidating when you can't tell what they're thinking or predict what they're going to do.

:-) just to say I got this @thedancingbear. Not least because of my discovery that Professor Layton now has an app...

So many ill informed comments on here eg feed the horse/let your dog off the lead etc. Really shows how ignorant so many people are about walking in the countryside/through livestock etc.
Just to clarify:

• always keep your dog on a lead around any livestock if you don't want it to get shot
• never ever feed horses that you don't own as you could end up killing them or making them ill
• Read up on the Countryside Code and learn correct way to behave in the countryside

https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/animalsrightsofway#:~:text=If%20an%20animal%20causes%20injury%20to%20anyone%20using,a%20public%20footpath%2C%20bridleway%2C%20restricted%20byway%20or%20byway.

This is my concern.

That is different to what you said about just letting it off randomly.
In this scenario the horse isn't acting dangerously or aggressively so no need to let the dog off lead

@YellowReadingLamp it might be a joke to you but it's no joke when your horse is dangerously sick because idiots have fed it!
So yes it does need saying sadly

It isn't funny when you have a £££ vet bill and your horse dies because some idiot decides they were entitled to feed your horse in its field! This happens on a regular basis across the country.

None of which affects the farmer's right to shoot your dog if it is causing alarm to their animals. Even if one of their animals "started" it, the farmer has the right to finish it.

In the OP's case it sounds like a non-issue. Horse legally in field is curious about dog legally in field. It's not a problem until it is - either the horse attacks the dog/owner, in which case the owner can sue, or the dog bothers the horse and the farmer shoots it. The OP's choice is to take the risk and hope nothing happens or play it safe and not use that route. I know that "the field next to my garden is the only route to reach any public footpaths to walk my dog" but surely there is a road or something to get to the house? Or was all the furniture carried across the field when they moved in?

Which isn’t what I said at all. Perhaps read my posts again while you’re brushing up on the Countryside Code.

Every situation (and dog) is different - there is no one size fits all here.

Used to live on a working farm with my horses.

I'd consider shooting any dog that was off the lead for bothering stock. We had lots of footpaths and most people were sensible enough to keep dogs under control.

Don't try to feed other people animals it will only cause them to be more pushy with you as you walk through the field. The horse will learn to bully you for treats.

I used to keep my bull in the bottom field and despite what walker's think they are entitled to, a beware of the bull sign is a curtesy and I certainly wouldn't be bothering to fence of a little path. The council won't do anything, they have no authority too because a horse in a field is a non event.

Keep the dog on the lead. Ignore the horse every single time, it will eventually work out that you don't pet it or feed it and will stop bothering you. It's not going to attack you, horses rarely attack when they have the option to leave.