Unfamiliar Dogs and Horses:
​Risks of Unfamiliar Canines in Equestrian Spaces

As an equestrian, many horse owners have companion dogs that have been raised around horses and are well-mannered with horses. However, the presence of stray dogs or packs encountered on trails can result in significant risks, whether in a rural or urban horse community. Stray dogs, or other dogs that may not be familiar with horses, often lead to unpredictable and aggressive behavior, putting the equestrian, horse, and dog at risk of injury or death. In the urban horse communities of Los Angeles, Bette Davis Park is one area where non-community residents sometimes bring dogs and when off-leash, increases this risk. It is vital to raise awareness about the potential dangers, share best practices for ensuring a safe environment for horses and dogs, and provide valuable resources for equestrians and non-horse-community-dog owners. The following provides a White Paper and video examples of the risks to equestrians, horses, and dogs when dogs are not familiar with horses.  

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White Paper

• ​White Paper: A Critical Review on the Injury Risks of Dog Kennels in an Urban Horse Community

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Case Examples 

CASE EXAMPLES OF DOG ATTACKS ON HORSES AND RELATED INTERACTIONS
While many horse owners, like us who have dogs that have been raised around horses and get along well. However, when an equestrian come across a stray dog or a pack of dogs on a trail, in a rural area, and most specifically within an urban horse community, these dogs are often not used to being around horses and their natural aggression increases risk. Nothing is more terrifying than being on your horse and a stray dog comes up barking and/or attacking the horse. The equestrian can only yell for help, in hopes the dog owners will hear and call the dog off. The following videos demonstrate the risk to the equestrian, horse, and dog under these conditions. These examples also provide examples for Section 6 of the "White Paper: A Critical Review on the Injury Risks of Dog Kennels in an Urban Horse Community."

As shown in this video, when riding a horse and one comes across an unleashed dog, the rider is counting on the owner of the dog or others to help. If no help is available can become fatal for the horse and rider, including the dogs. This also demonstrates what is most common, is when dogs that come across a horse and unfamiliar with horses, then risk increases. ​

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VIDEO 1
As observed in this video, once an equestrian is riding and comes across an unleashed dog, once the dog begins to bark, lunge, bite at the horses' legs or face, all the rider can do is keep the head of the horse towards the dog, keep the horse calm, while yelling for help until someone comes to get the dog. Unfortunately, this is not an easy task, if at all possible (Jones, 2020).

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VIDEO 2
As shown in this video, a horse owner went to check on their horses. His neighbors dogs came onto the property, and while trying to calm their horses, he was kicked multiple times, until he had a seizure, then mauled by the dogs (First Coast News, 2021).  

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VIDEO 3
As observed in this video, shows how dependent the rider is to have the dog's owner or others to help, while trying to control their horse.

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VIDEO 4
This video shows the fear among passengers in a carriage, while the driver controls the horse but is severely injured from the dog attack. 

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VIDEO 5
This video demonstrates how easily a horse is scared and will react accordingly, even with a fake toy dog.

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VIDEO 6
​This video shows how a horse can be attacked in a secured pasture by a stray dog. Veterinary and hospitalization bills, as well as emotional trauma to the horse can be severe. In many times dog owners can be difficult to find. The owners are responsible and often violating local regulation from not securing dogs properly.

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VIDEO 7
This video shows, how dogs can enter a corral, trapping and attacking the horse.

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References

1. Christensen, J. W., Keeling, L. J., & Nielsen, B. L. (2005). Responses of horses to novel visual, olfactory and auditory stimuli. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 93(1–2), 53–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2005.06.017
2. First Coast News. (2021, September 4). Wife of man in horse and dog attacks speaks out. WTLV-TV.  https://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/news/local/wife-of-man-in-horse-and-dog-attacks-speaks-out/77-161350a3-a443-434a-81f6-a2253f13aa00
3. Janczarek, I. (2020). Social Behaviour of Horses in Response to Vocalisations of Predators. Animals. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/12/2331
4. Jones, E. (2020, June 3). Mare’s well-aimed kick ends second dog attack within a year. Horse & Hound.  https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/mares-well-aimed-kick-ends-second-dog-attack-within-a-year-716350
5. Takahashi, L. K., Hubbard, D. T., Lee, I., Dar, Y., & Sipes, S. M. (2007). Predator odor-induced conditioned fear involves the basolateral and medial amygdala. Behavioral neuroscience, 121(1), 100–110. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7044.121.1.100