Bright white fluffy dog- how do I stop frightening horses?

[Newfluff]

I have a large very fluffy and very white dog. He is well trained and is at heel/sat whenever we meet horses. He does not bark or interact.

We've had a few issues with horses spooking when seeing him, if the horse seems spooked I stop, put him in sit and wait for the horse to pass.

Today a horse rider shouted that I needed to learn how to pass horses, so I am here asking.

I step to the side of the road, dog sat at heel, I couldn't get further away as ground off road is bog and I don't see this as a reasonable option. Rider said that my dog was spooking her horse.

Is there anything I can do to stop this? I don't want to spook horses but I can't walk elsewhere and these are rural roads/bridleways.

Thanks.

@Newfluff oh the squirrels. Yes I have absolutely zero control when it comes to squirrels.
Luckily the only woods around here are incredibly quiet and I can always keep track of her in them because of the awful high pitched yelps she makes when she spots them.

Mine doesn’t care much for the horses either. She shouts at mine from a distance when she thinks they’re being naughty but when they’re on the same side of the fence as her, she’s a wimp. It didn’t help that I have a youngster who likes to try and chew on her fur and she freezes in terror.

Another dog owner who thinks their dog will never misbehave 🙄
The one my horse kicked in the head probably thought the same.

I must commend OPs training of her dog, mine is a terror in comparison. My horse is definetly better trained.. My retriever would be up stiffing them and getting kicked in the head 😂

EDIT - Perhaps seeing the dog off lead has the rider to hesitant to proceed as they dont know how obedient your dog is? Not many I meet are this well behaved. Horses take their confidence from their rider quite often and sense when we are hesitant and start wondering what were are worrying about

Perhaps seeing the dog off lead has the rider to hesitant to proceed as they dont know how obedient your dog is?

Yep - this has been mentioned a lot and I think it's totally valid. I always, always put my dogs on lead around horses and as a rider I would always ask someone to leash theirs.

I don't care how well behaved they might be, any dog can bolt or have a moment of madness.

Dye him green and brown so he's camouflaged.

Can’t win with horses sometimes! I’ve been shouted at before for continuing to walk along with my dog (on lead and the opposite side of the road, busy sniffing the bushes and not even looking in the horse’s direction) because the horse didn’t like it. I’m not stopping as soon as I see the horse and waiting for it to come all the way up the road and walk past, which could take several minutes. My dog doesn’t react, so it isn’t my problem. If a horse can’t handle seeing a very ordinary-looking dog who isn’t interested in them in the slightest, perhaps they shouldn’t be hacked down roads where it is very likely they will encounter a dog.

We both have every right to walk where we intended, but the onus has to be on the person with the triggered animal to manage that trigger. If the problem was my dog, I’d manage him, but I am not going to inconvenience myself or him to accommodate someone else who can’t control their animal.

The issue is that horses are flight animals and each one is triggered differently. So it isn't a case of not being able to control them, we can't override their natural instincts if they are scared. You try stopping a half ton animal! Part of using public areas is to be thoughtful and respectful to other users.

I find your comment of "but I am not going to inconvenience myself or him to accommodate someone else who can’t control their animal" extremely entitled and arrogant. A fleeing or scared horse could easily kill your dog with a kick or harm yourself, why you wouldn't take that seriously I have no idea! You obviously have no experience of horses.
I am a dog and horse owner. All my dogs are highly trained around horses because I know horses can be lethal to dogs.

I agree with those who say 'Keep walking' - then the horse has the chance of seeing the 'dog movement' and filing it in its stupid horsie brain under 'dog'...

As a prey animal, the horse may be more suspicious of a stopped animal that looks like it's 'lying in wait'. By keeping moving and making your presence known, you show you have no designs on attacking it.

It's good of you to care about how you can help. And don't worry, there will be much greater challenges for the rider - lycra demons on bikes whizzing up out of nowhere, clown comics in cars who find it funny to honk, shouty kids throwing things, actually barky dogs that chase the horse... The rider probably got nervous when they saw you from previous experience and transferred that to the horse.

I am not going to inconvenience myself or him to accommodate someone else who can’t control their animal.

I am so glad I don't know anyone IRL with this kind of attitude.

It's hardly an inconvenience to wait a minute or two to keep everyone safe 🙄

Horses can do huge damage to dogs and humans. A bit of thoughtfulness on both sides is helpful. But there are some videos out there of dogs attacking horses and as a rider I have no idea whether it's an obedient dog or an attack dog. That's why you need it in a lead. It believe its a legal requirement to have your dog on a lead in right to roam areas between Feb and end of July.

He’s on lead and on the other side of the road, not even looking at the approaching horse. Like I said, you can’t win as some riders expect you to stop and some expect you to keep walking. This rider shouted at me for continuing to walk as I was obviously expected to know that her horse was afraid of dogs. My point was that why would such a large, apparently uncontrollable animal who is afraid of dogs be put in a situation where they were likely to encounter dogs, and that it is somehow my fault and I am ‘entitled and arrogant’ for not having my crystal ball with me that day.

Don't start making stuff up to suit yourself.

We don't really have right to roam in England and leads are not mandatory in most areas, some councils have by laws and need to be on lead in livestock fields but rural roads/forests/droves don't . (of course I would use one in lead areas but I have never needed to go somewhere like that)

But I do agree with @WetBandits if a horse is that much of a liability I'm not convinced it should be on the road meeting lots of dogs.

But these aren't those types of horses. As discussed they have never shown interest in previous dogs just this white one.

Yep, EnduranceWithDarcey is a great TikTok account that highlights how dangerous dogs can be around horses, and almost all the dogs are owned by owners who say "well, he's never done that before".

She's had her horse bitten, she's been thrown off because dogs have been running around her horses ankles and barking - it's horrendous and so scary - all because people don't think they should either stop and wait, or pop their dog back on a lead - or even just ask what the rider should prefer. It's baffling to me.

If you're not sure what to do for the best, why not call out to the rider and ask?

I always pop dogs on leads and call out "are we okay to keep going or would you prefer we waited?" - no rider has ever objected to being asked and in fact, they pretty much always thank me for being so considerate.

There's even a lovely lady who rides locally who has helped me desensitise one of the dogs I walk to her horse - she stops and lets me calm the dog, then she walks past slowly and let's the dog get used to her, it's great and her horse is lovely too.

It is in the highway code that dogs should be on leads on paths shared with cyclists or horse riders. Although not legally enforceable it's the sensible & responsible thing to do.

All animals can be unpredictable even the best trained ones. I'm a farmer & have 2 highly trained sheep dogs, a working cocker trained gun dog as well as the horse/ponies. All are highly trained but none are 100% perfect. I wouldn't risk taking any of them out without a lead on me.

As a horse rider I've had so many incidents with 'im so sorry that's never happened before my dog is highly trained etc' it does make me nervous when I see a dog without a lead. The ones with the genuinely highly trained dogs - police dog handlers, gun dog handlers, farmers etc put the dogs on a lead before we have to ask!

Just for clarity, from the gov.uk website...

And from the Highway code....

I think the majority of riders have been chased/annoyed/attacked by at least one dog off lead that "has never done that before". How are they supposed to know if you're any different?

I pulled my dogs off the (shared) pathway and stood with them about 10 feet away to let two horses go by, as one of my dogs had developed a fear of horses. Don’t ask. I was shouted at by one of the riders because the dogs were (at heel) facing in the direction we were going and apparently it made her horse nervous - we should have all been facing the path. We moved to face the path. A nervous horse trumps a nervous dog. They’re all weirdos though.

From the Natural England website . . .

The access rights that normally apply to open country and registered common land (known as 'open access' land) require dogs to be kept on a short lead between 1 March and 31 July, to help protect ground nesting birds, and all year round near farm animals.

So @Newfluff perhaps you would like to learn the law and follow it. As a responsible dog owner and all that.

The thing is, all horses are different and only the rider knows the risks and safest option available (for everyone) at the time. It could be that a horse has always been fine with dogs but has literally 5 mins before meeting you, had an incident with an aggressive one and is understandably on edge but on it's way home. If a rider is raising their voice it's generally because they need to make sure their safety advice is audible and clear, for everyone's safety. There's no need for rudeness by anyone though. Unfortunately at times, there's no one fixed way to pass a horse safely - other than taking a rider's guidance, who knows their animal best and how it's likely to respond.

@PrincessofWells open access land is a specific category which carries particular restrictions. Less than 8% of land in the UK falls into this category.

I find it very odd that the OP came on seeming totally reasonable and willing to even consider putting a coat on her dog in summer but is now digging in her heels and refusing just pop a lead in her pocket for when walking near horses.

I ride and have dogs - would 100% be nervous to pass an unknown off lead dog on any horse and mine are well trained and used to horses. No dog is 100% reliable, not even yours and a rider doesnt know how it will react. It's not a case of not trusting your dog, it's a courtesy to the rider.

registered common land (known as 'open access' land)

There is precious little of this in England. Where I am walking isn't common land

Because I was sick of the PA approach, and tbh this entitlement of some horse riders. This also isn't AIBU, I know the rules where I am, this desire to 'catch me out' and the passive aggressive replies So @Newfluff perhaps you would like to learn the law and follow it. As a responsible dog owner and all that. When actually they are talking rot.

It is shared land. We are a distance away, dog is as close to heel that you wouldn't know he wasn't on a lead. He looks away from the horse. All the other dogs have been fine- it is a very horsey/doggy rural area.

My white dog spooks horses, walking on rather than stopping has seemed to have made a bit of difference.

Lots of very helpful posts from people that own horses before the holier than thou jumped aboard.