Horse Talk

[ShrekDawg]

Good point. My horses are used to dogs and will actually chase a dog if allowed to but a lot of horses will get nervous.
I have been riding out on the roads before and had loose dogs come up on the road to bark at the horses and had to call the owners to come grab them before my horse turned them into a pancake.

As long as the dog stays out from UNDER the horse and doesn't bite, I can control the horses and keep them from hurting the dog, but that dog decides to nip at a leg and all bets are off. I'm not even going to TRY to stop the horse. A friend of mine even watched my herd chase coyotes out of the field where they had tried to cut through.

Wow your horses sound amazing and very intimidating, at least to canines! Haha I would love horses like that. There was this one at the barn I used to ride at that was sooo spooky and/or kind of hot so he was just hyped up a lot and spooked at stupid stuff lol

 

[Kusanar]

Wow your horses sound amazing and very intimidating, at least to canines! Haha I would love horses like that. There was this one at the barn I used to ride at that was sooo spooky and/or kind of hot so he was just hyped up a lot and spooked at stupid stuff lol

They have just learned that most dogs are chickens. The reason the dogs are running at the horses and barking is because they are afraid and trying to drive away the big mean thing. If the horse stands it's ground or confronts the dog, 99 times out of 100, the dog will break and run, they will circle back, but they will give ground.. And who can blame them? Most of the time it's a dog that has never seen a horse before and a horse is a 5 foot tall, 1,000 pound monster and the dog is generally under 3 foot and 300 pounds...

If you are "attacked" by a dog when riding, if you turn towards it and force the horse to walk towards it, and the dog backs down, the horse learns that the scary thing moves when the horse pushes into it, especially if it happens several times. Also, horses LOVE following scary things. Don't believe me, walk out in a field of horses with a plastic bag or something else they are afraid of. Walk through the herd, yes, they will scatter, but I bet in less than 5 minutes, they will be 20 feet behind you following every step you make rather than just going to the other side of the field where the bag isn't.

 

[ShrekDawg]

They have just learned that most dogs are chickens. The reason the dogs are running at the horses and barking is because they are afraid and trying to drive away the big mean thing. If the horse stands it's ground or confronts the dog, 99 times out of 100, the dog will break and run, they will circle back, but they will give ground.. And who can blame them? Most of the time it's a dog that has never seen a horse before and a horse is a 5 foot tall, 1,000 pound monster and the dog is generally under 3 foot and 300 pounds...

If you are "attacked" by a dog when riding, if you turn towards it and force the horse to walk towards it, and the dog backs down, the horse learns that the scary thing moves when the horse pushes into it, especially if it happens several times. Also, horses LOVE following scary things. Don't believe me, walk out in a field of horses with a plastic bag or something else they are afraid of. Walk through the herd, yes, they will scatter, but I bet in less than 5 minutes, they will be 20 feet behind you following every step you make rather than just going to the other side of the field where the bag isn't.

That makes sense, I think mine was definitely afraid. He likes to put on a big scary front but he's a huge baby haha terrified of loud noises. I bet if a horse confronted him, he would definitely tuck tail and run. Although I'm not sure. Being half LGD he might want to protect me but even so, I don't think so (unless maybe the horse was actually threatening). He's a big huge baby and he's also far from stupid and has incredible self preservation skills so I don't think he would just stand there in front of 1,000 pound horse and let himself get trampled or killed haha

And wow really!? That's so interesting! It makes sense though, they probably get over the fear factor pretty quickly and then are curious?

 

[ShrekDawg]

And honestly I would probably be scared and turn the horse around but I might practice not doing that if I ever need to hah

 

[Kusanar]

And wow really!? That's so interesting! It makes sense though, they probably get over the fear factor pretty quickly and then are curious?

They are still technically scared, they will snort and blow, and if you turn around and take 1 step towards them they will scatter and hop away again, but if they follow the thing long enough, they do start getting over the fear and will sneak closer and closer...

And honestly I would probably be scared and turn the horse around but I might practice not doing that if I ever need to hah

Actually, if a dog is being aggressive, the WORST thing you can do is turn your back on it. If you turn your back, you have told the dog that you are afraid and you are prey, that will actually encourage a real attack.
A few times I haven't been able to completely get rid of a dog, I had chased it at a trot around a house a few times and it still came back every time I went to walk off, then I DID turn my back, but I kept an eye on it and if it had started getting cocky I was going to spin back around and chase it's butt around the house again to reinforce that I, and my horse, were the boss and he was going to run when we said to.
So, if the dog has spotted you and is charging, call their bluff, if you run, they will chase. If you are far enough out that the dog hasn't noticed you or reacted to you, then it is safe to turn around and ride away, but you don't want to encourage them to chase or attack.

 

[ShrekDawg]

They are still technically scared, they will snort and blow, and if you turn around and take 1 step towards them they will scatter and hop away again, but if they follow the thing long enough, they do start getting over the fear and will sneak closer and closer...


Actually, if a dog is being aggressive, the WORST thing you can do is turn your back on it. If you turn your back, you have told the dog that you are afraid and you are prey, that will actually encourage a real attack.
A few times I haven't been able to completely get rid of a dog, I had chased it at a trot around a house a few times and it still came back every time I went to walk off, then I DID turn my back, but I kept an eye on it and if it had started getting cocky I was going to spin back around and chase it's butt around the house again to reinforce that I, and my horse, were the boss and he was going to run when we said to.
So, if the dog has spotted you and is charging, call their bluff, if you run, they will chase. If you are far enough out that the dog hasn't noticed you or reacted to you, then it is safe to turn around and ride away, but you don't want to encourage them to chase or attack.

That's interesting. So maybe they're trying to subtly check it out?

And thanks for all the info! I hadn't thought of that but that's a good point. I'll try not to run if it ever happens

 

[Kusanar]

That's interesting. So maybe they're trying to subtly check it out?

Pretty much, plus, if the thing is running from them, then that means that they are a predator and the thing has made it's self prey. They may be cautious in case it turns around, but they are less afraid of something that runs from them than something that stands still or moves towards them.

 

[Peaches Lee]

OK, I'm in love with this horse. Just curious if anyone thinks 9500 is a fair price for a ten year old 15.3hh Quarter/ draft cross gelding who can: Do arena work, (WTC), do any trail class or obstacle course you can throw at him; jump at least 2.0, do training level 1 dressage, leg yield, load himself into a trailer, do beginner lessons, trail ride, & pull. WE want him for a lesson horse and also for a mounted patrol horse. Should I try to talk the owner down on the price??

I think it is on the mark, draft crosses are popular for their steady, dependable temperaments and that is usually the range you'll find them priced at.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Pretty much, plus, if the thing is running from them, then that means that they are a predator and the thing has made it's self prey. They may be cautious in case it turns around, but they are less afraid of something that runs from them than something that stands still or moves towards them.

That makes sense!

 

[chicknmania]

Have you looked at the mounted patrol requirements yet? I know there are certain things they need to know and be ok with dealing with. If you have access to small children or dogs that aren't used to horses, it would be good to take those with you. Small kids are scary things and you can usually get them to scream bloody murder and make unexpected and sudden movements. Dogs that aren't used to horses will usually bark and sometimes even growl at them which will give you a good idea as to how the horse will react. Kids and dogs are also something he would see daily in the police force.

I have studied the requirements, although not for this specific department, I imagine they are similar. That's what attracted me to this horse, they have videos of him doing most of the stuff that I've seen on mounted patrol tests. I don't know about kids or dogs, we don't have any to take, but we do have a trainer at home that will work with us and the horse, and really, he's the best out of all that we've looked at so far, and we've looked at several. The owner says he's only spooked once...at a semi tractor trailer...but then, he's only had him about a year. I'm a little wary, though, as for some reason the horse has been for sale since April, and that seems like a long time on the market if he's that good..so maybe there's something we're not seeing.