ChloeAnWomble

Chloe and Merlin
Feb 3, 2016
65
11
8
Aberystwyth
I feel like I'm going to get onto a rant here so this morning me and my partner came face to face with two riders me being a rider we pulled over and let them pass, knowing the one was nervous of cars between the two of them and one nervous horse they had three dogs! None of which were with them one miles ahead two behind to me this is just damn right irresponsible! We were on narrow country roads! Then came round the corner a massive tanker Lorry! The two women stood in the middle of the road shouting at this driver who could not see one of three of her dogs because it jumped out from the side of the road the driver did stop when he touched the dog but i'm sorry if your dogs are going to jump in front of cars and big tanker lorries and not move to the side of the road with you you are asking for an accident! this is just damn right irrisponsable! if you cant control your dog whilst on your horse you should not have them with you its that simple!!!

sorry rant over! but its irresponsable people like this that give us riders a bad name hacking because the abuse she gave this driver when he was crawling along and as soon as she started shouting at him he stopped instantly! this situation couldve ended very badly and the woman could only shout at the driver of this lorry who was not in the wrong he was passing slowly and as wide as he could!

rant over!
 
I myself do a lot of road hacking, I always try to be as considerate and safe as possible. I also always wave and thank drivers with a nod or a smile that have been considerate, I even sometimes wave and smile to the not so considerate hoping they will be more considerate next time as they may put a face/person to the horse and rider and not see us as just an obstacle in there way. It infuriates me to see unsafe, ignorant horse riders who think they own the road and everyone has to bend to them. So you rant away as I would be the same if I had have witnessed what you saw as it doesn't set a good example for the rest of us.
 
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I myself do a lot of road hacking, I always try to be as considerate and safe as possible. I also always wave and thank drivers with a nod or a smile that have been considerate, I even sometimes wave and smile to the not so considerate hoping they will be more considerate next time as they may put a face/person to the horse and rider and not see us as just an obstacle in there way. It infuriates me to see unsafe, ignorant horse riders who think they own the road and everyone has to bend to them. So you rant away as I would be the same if I had have witnessed what you saw as it doesn't set a good example for the rest of us.
Thankyou! I hack on a daily basis with my horses as I have two and always make sure I to one side but these people are on routes I hack along which makes it so dangerous for riders like me as people in the farming community are great to me as a rider and I can only appologise for these other riders when someone tells me something because it's going to end up with respectful riders like me who are sure to be careful and say Thankyou if I can't put my hand up I always make sure I nod and smile or it's going to end up in a dangerous situation for me and my horses
 
its one of my pet hates. i dont think anyone can be properly in control of a dog when out hacking. Unless you hack on your own land and completely off road I think it’s very irresponsible and taking unnecessary risks with your dog.
 
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You can't control your dog from a horse. Unless it is literally as good as gold (neither of mine are anywhere close) and you're not going near a road, it's an irresponsible and potentially dangerous thing to do.

Mind you, I love the idea of being able to hack with my dogs. This is NEVER going to happen with my Jackabe! (Beagle cross Jack Russell, the worst of both breeds - territorial, moody, runs away a lot, chases things - combined into one, bless her.)
 
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To be honest it's not only irresponsible it's actually illegal.
Any dog by law should be on a lead in a public place, I would think the road counts as a public place!
Not only are they putting their dogs lives at risk, they are also putting other people's lives at risk and could potentially be taken to court.
 
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its one of my pet hates. i dont think anyone can be properly in control of a dog when out hacking. Unless you hack on your own land and completely off road I think it’s very irresponsible and taking unnecessary risks with your dog.

I hack with my dog and love it. But only on the farm ride attached to the yard - no roads. She is perfectly behaved. I send her to lie and wait off the yard by the start of the farm ride. Then when I ride past up to 20 minutes later she comes with me. She will stay 'to heel' unless I give her a release cue then she runs ahead. She is not allowed behind. I keep her in sight and call her back to 'heel' if we see other walkers/dogs. At the end of the ride again I send her to lie and wait while I ride onto the yard so she is not on the yard off-lead. Then I dismount, tie up my horse and go and get her. She has never put a paw wrong. Brilliant way to get horses used to dogs. My friends often hack with me and Daisy so their horses can be desensitized in a fairly risk free way with a trustworthy dog. She is remarkably obedient though.
 
I hack with my dog and love it. But only on the farm ride attached to the yard - no roads. She is perfectly behaved. I send her to lie and wait off the yard by the start of the farm ride. Then when I ride past up to 20 minutes later she comes with me. She will stay 'to heel' unless I give her a release cue then she runs ahead. She is not allowed behind. I keep her in sight and call her back to 'heel' if we see other walkers/dogs. At the end of the ride again I send her to lie and wait while I ride onto the yard so she is not on the yard off-lead. Then I dismount, tie up my horse and go and get her. She has never put a paw wrong. Brilliant way to get horses used to dogs. My friends often hack with me and Daisy so their horses can be desensitized in a fairly risk free way with a trustworthy dog. She is remarkably obedient though.
You though are the exception, your dog sounds lovely and very well trained :)
 
I have 4 dogs and I always wanted to take one of them hacking, but the only one who has been half way good enough is my old dog Molly and she couldn't keep up now. Peri and Corky are too cautious of the horses. Maggie who is half collie might make a hacking dog, but she needs better distance control first.
 
its not just your control of your own dog... i have 4 collies that i consider to be very well trained. Id never hack with them unless it was just around our own fields. Even on tracks away from traffic you cant account for other idiotic dog owners who will allow theirs to run and jump all over yours. From the back of a horse you cant intervene quickly and grab collars if needs be. Mine are great with other dogs but you cant always rely on others to be the same.
 
What muppets those riders are :eek: I used to hack with my lab off road, she was a trained gun dog and worked brilliantly off voice but I still wouldn't take her on roads.
 
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I would never take my dogs hacking with me on the roads, Both are utterly obedient, but it's too much to keep a horse safe in traffic let alone a dog too. It's a beautiful day this morning and I am about to take the dogs for a walk to the beach on foot, THEN I will take the horse out.

It is also frowned upon to have a dog loose in the hill unless you are working hill sheep. Shareholders do not like you exercising dogs in the open hill with all the hill sheep about, so hacking along hill roads with dogs off the lead will just make my neighbours cross.
 
I did hack out with my collies when I still had them, long gone now sadly, but only on off road hacking and their manners and training were impeccable. Even so I would never, ever have taken the risk on having them on the road with me, even the best trained dog in the world can be distracted occasionally and I wouldn't want my dog dead or an accident caused to someone else through my irresponsible behaviour.

How sad to think that those stupid riders and their dogs have probably soured that lorry driver against all horses on the road for the rest of his driving career. Sometimes I do think the reputation and tolerance of the horse riding fraternity are let down most of all by their fellow riders.
 
its not just your control of your own dog... i have 4 collies that i consider to be very well trained. Id never hack with them unless it was just around our own fields. Even on tracks away from traffic you cant account for other idiotic dog owners who will allow theirs to run and jump all over yours. From the back of a horse you cant intervene quickly and grab collars if needs be. Mine are great with other dogs but you cant always rely on others to be the same.

I do hate out of control dogs. Daisy is very friendly and will happily play with any dog. But she is also timid and runs away or hides behind me at the first hint of trouble. I never need to grab her collar and I certainly wouldn't grab the collar of someone else's dog. The only issues I have ever had out walking is her being chased/nipped by horrid other dogs! Terriers are the worst!!
 
why wouldn’t you grab the collar of someone else’s dog if it prevented your own being chased/mounted/harassed? Ive held onto out of control dogs before, the owner hasn’t been able to get hold of them but I have as they are chasing my dog who by that point would be on the lead.. Ive then requested the owner to kindly come and remove them! Similarly if your dog is being harassed/chased, even just over exuberant play then holding your own still for a second can allow the other owner to get close enough to get hold of their own dog. It is a risk and I wouldn’t advocate randomly grabbing strange dogs but it’s something should the need arise you definitely can’t do from the back of a horse.
 
why wouldn’t you grab the collar of someone else’s dog if it prevented your own being chased/mounted/harassed? Ive held onto out of control dogs before, the owner hasn’t been able to get hold of them but I have as they are chasing my dog who by that point would be on the lead.. Ive then requested the owner to kindly come and remove them! Similarly if your dog is being harassed/chased, even just over exuberant play then holding your own still for a second can allow the other owner to get close enough to get hold of their own dog. It is a risk and I wouldn’t advocate randomly grabbing strange dogs but it’s something should the need arise you definitely can’t do from the back of a horse.
I would certainly grab someone else's dog it I felt it was needed to keep order.
 
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Because I have been bitten in the past and I would not trust someone else's dog! I would if needed to save mine but not unless I reallly had to. And as I said, she just rams her tail between her legs and runs away.
 
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