My 9 year old corgi has been going on trail rides with me for several years. Recently I moved my horse back to the barn where he was a year ago, even though he is now over an hour away. I don’t know if it’s because we haven’t been going on trail rides as often, or if she is just moving slower, but she is not aware of the danger of getting stepped on.
On the ground, she is aware of horse personal space and does not get underfoot. Apparently a ridden horse is different.
Should I just stop taking her all together? She LOVES it, and goes with two larger dogs. It’s just a fantastic way to enjoy both my horse and dog.
I’ve tried yelling, that has little impact.
Shock collar? Pelting her with pebbles from the saddle?? Any ideas??
I’d like to keep taking her but not at risk of her getting squashed.
stop bringing her. it is too dangerous.
Teach her a “back” or “away” command, first at home, then on the ground at the barn, then start working on it from the saddle. Be prepared to have a helper on the ground or get off to reinforce it.
If that doesn’t work, then stop taking her.
Timely thread for me as I am just starting to take my pup out with me on the trails.
I used to take my older dog until his hearing went. I only ever took him, though, when it was just me (or just me and my son) when I could be hyper-vigilant keeping an eye out for him in case he stopped on the trail in front of us (he’s a little 12-pounder). I never trusted other people (or their horses) to be as careful.
I agree, it’s a fantastic way to enjoy both horse and dog, but my new pup sometimes comes up and wants to jump up at my feet … too close for comfort. I’ve tried flicking him with a whip, but he just thinks I want to play with him.
The trails I go on are right behind my house, so they’re the same familiar trails that I use to walk the dogs. They’re used to running ahead of me, which is what they do when I’m on the horse as well. I wonder if your dog is staying closer because the trails are new to her?
Corgis were bred to herd cattle, and the way they herd is to bark and nip heels. It’s bred into them to stick close to what they’re herding. The corgi’s method of herding is more like driving from behind more than herding or circling like other herding breeds. The corgis short legs are to prevent them from getting nailed by flying cattle hooves. It’s dangerous work, and sometimes a hoof hits its target or the corgi gets trampled.
It’s her bred in corgi instinct that makes her get dangerously underfoot. At 9, she is slowing down, and her reflexes aren’t going to be as good. Her hearing and sight may not be as good as they were either. Even though she enjoys it, it’s up to you to protect her. Dogs don’t always know their limitations. If it were my corgi, I would not bring her along if she’s getting underfoot.
I may be in the minority on this, but please leave your dog home and enjoy your horse. Most-near-death experience I ever had was with a woman who insisted on bringing her dog on a trial ride. I repeatedly asked her to leave the dog at home. She said, “I’ve been riding for 35 years with a dog and nothing ever happened.” Well, it did that day. The trail crossed a road, only two lanes but a bit of a curve. I crossed safely. She was right behind me, came half way then turned back because the dog lagged behind. At that point a SEMI came around the curve. The dog darted in front of the semi who swerved to miss it and nearly took out my (former) friend and her horses waiting on the side of the road. The semi went off the road, partially jack-knifed, just missed a telephone pole, crossed the center line a bit, and again just missed going head-on with an on coming car. The thing was --no one was going very fast --i’d guess maybe 30 MPH --clear day --dry road. The semi driver got his rig back under control and went on --I dismounted, used my belt to leash the dog, and walked back across the road to my (former) friend. I walked the dog back to her house on the leash. She CONTINUED to make a JOKE of the whole incident. She couldn’t or wouldn’t understand that the dog could have been killed, the trucker could have been killed, and the people in the on coming car could have been killed and SHE could have been killed --for what? So she could take her dog for a trail ride.
I never rode with her again --I don’t think I ever spoke to her again. I won’t ride trail ride with someone who has a dog out too –
Foxglove
[QUOTE=Foxglove;8830834]
I may be in the minority on this, but please leave your dog home and enjoy your horse. Most-near-death experience I ever had was with a woman who insisted on bringing her dog on a trial ride. I repeatedly asked her to leave the dog at home. She said, “I’ve been riding for 35 years with a dog and nothing ever happened.” Well, it did that day. The trail crossed a road, only two lanes but a bit of a curve. I crossed safely. She was right behind me, came half way then turned back because the dog lagged behind. At that point a SEMI came around the curve. The dog darted in front of the semi who swerved to miss it and nearly took out my (former) friend and her horses waiting on the side of the road. The semi went off the road, partially jack-knifed, just missed a telephone pole, crossed the center line a bit, and again just missed going head-on with an on coming car. The thing was --no one was going very fast --i’d guess maybe 30 MPH --clear day --dry road. The semi driver got his rig back under control and went on --I dismounted, used my belt to leash the dog, and walked back across the road to my (former) friend. I walked the dog back to her house on the leash. She CONTINUED to make a JOKE of the whole incident. She couldn’t or wouldn’t understand that the dog could have been killed, the trucker could have been killed, and the people in the on coming car could have been killed and SHE could have been killed --for what? So she could take her dog for a trail ride.
I never rode with her again --I don’t think I ever spoke to her again. I won’t ride trail ride with someone who has a dog out too –
Foxglove[/QUOTE]
As horrifying as that experience was, I don’t think it’s the best rationale for suggesting that nobody ever take a dog a on any kind of trail ride. The problem was not so much having a dog on a trail ride but having a loose dog crossing a ROAD on a trail ride. And even if there was no dog, it sounds like a dangerous crossing … what if a horse had balked or spooked right there?
So whether to take a dog or not depends, I think, very much on the trail as well as the dog, not to mention the owner of the dog. I personally would never take my dogs with me to a trail I had to trailer to. And as I mentioned in my other post, I would never take my dogs on the trail with other people riding. But going from the barn to the trails out back, the risks are not much greater than when I just take them for a run.
I can’t imagine taking a short-legged dog on a trail ride. When short-legged terriers were taken on hunts to go in after the fox was run to earth, the terriers were carried on horseback, they didn’t run with the hounds. It doesn’t seem fair to the short-legged dog to ask them to keep up with horses, especially since this corgi is getting underfoot, and getting older.
[QUOTE=RPM;8830895]
I can’t imagine taking a short-legged dog on a trail ride. When short-legged terriers were taken on hunts to go in after the fox was run to earth, the terriers were carried on horseback, they didn’t run with the hounds. It doesn’t seem fair to the short-legged dog to ask them to keep up with horses, especially since this corgi is getting underfoot, and getting older.[/QUOTE]
Again, I think it depends on what type of trail riding you’re doing. When my (little) dog goes with me, all we do is walk for maybe 30-45 minutes, no more than what we do when I’m on my own two feet.
Has anything changed with tour Corgis’ heath that could cause this ‘lack of awareness of the danger’?
Can she hear hoof beats, and see moving legs as well as she used to?
While I no longer hack with my dog (new barn with new rules, my new dog isn’t totally horse/barn broke, and I don’t like leaving her by herself, and my big dog is older and while her heart and brain are willing, she’s a little slower and has a hard time keeping up on longer rides), I DID hack with her, and many other dogs for years with no major incidents (a few minor spooks). My dog has a few phrases that have helped A LOT. “Eyes up” means “HEY! Pay attention! We’re gaining on you quick!” “Out of the woods” means “HEY! You’re being a bit spooky…please come back to where the horses can see you!” “Wait” means “please slow your roll until further notice.” “Out of the road” means, well, get out of the freaking road.
A lot of her good trail behavior comes from years being around horses and understanding their body language and how they move. She’s also spent years hiking and walking off leash with me, and I use just about everything but “eyes up” when I’m on foot with her. So, it’s been easy to reinforce things on the ground so that they apply while on horseback, too (good obedience is good obedience. If being on a horse changes that, then it’s not good). She did spend some time in a electric collar, but that was for chasing deer, not for being underfoot.
I have been known, on certain horses (not all are tolerant) to carry a long dressage whip, and tap the occasional clueless pup or even straight up swat really naughty dogs when they’ve gotten underfoot. That actually works EXTREMELY well…as long as the horse can tolerate the whip being swung around a bit. Stella (my big dog) has actually been tapped a few times along a road we used to ride down a lot because the hunt roaded their hounds on the same road and the smells were FASCINATING. I occasionally had to go back and tap her on the head to get her to come along (if I ride down the road, she’s supposed to stay with me, as a horse and rider is easier to see than a trailing dog).
Another thing I’ve done with dogs that like to trot on the heels of the horse is just stop short a few times. Usually that does the trick and they move in front, or at least to the side. Again, a good tolerant horse who doesn’t mind a pup bonking into their hocks is key.
I have noticed, though, that with a lot of dogs who get a little older (mine included) that they slow down and get either complacent, or have trouble seeing or hearing. I think their reflexes slow, as well, so a dog that once wasn’t prone to getting underfoot starts finding that they can’t get out of the way fast enough…which, unfortunately may mean they are better off staying home. I don’t take my dog to the barn AT ALL now (again, for the reasons above…with the exception of our little barn in our backyard where my retired horse is). It would kill her to leave her in the barn in any fashion. So, she’s best left at home where she’s only aware that she doesn’t get to go. I compensate with lots of walks and hikes in fun places. She’s ok with it.
I would have thought loose dogs on trails were a no-no unless you were on private land?
At least where I have ridden, it has been on private property where my dog was invited. I wouldn’t take her with me to public land (like a park).
Ok, I realize I didn’t clarify. This is private land, totally enclosed, no road crossings, some creek crossings, and the other dogs (barn owner’s) go with as well, but they are bigger. Pony is 22 and these are mostly walking trail rides, 30-45 minutes. She has gone with me for at least two years with no issues- occasionally trotting on heels but I would halt and she’d get the hint.
Now, I think it is more complacency and just not moving fast. She’ll stop to sniff something interesting while a horse is approaching, or just trot right in front of them while they’re moving. This is definitely different from a year ago.
Pony is short, so carrying a dressage whip might be an option if he doesn’t dump me. I could try that on short trail rides by myself.
Of course, the joy of taking her on a trail ride pales in comparison to the potential of losing her from being squashed. I may just stick to taking her out only with me for a while and trying some things, if it doesn’t work, just forgo taking her out. It sucks but far better safe than sorry.
We sometimes ride down a creek for a short distance, and on her own she figured out how to go inland and meet us at the point where we get out of the creek. She does this without fail, she is so smart, and is a very young 9 year old. But admittedly she’s just not moving as fast and seems to be rather complacent. Even when she realizes the horse is there she doesn’t get out of the way.
I’m thinking maybe even a lunge whip with the tail cut off- a little longer. Start with it in the ring with just the pony and make sure pony doesn’t dump me first, haha!
Yes!
I trained my dogs before taking them to the barn. I have a weimaraner who has ENDLESS energy, and there is just no fair way to take care of him and my horse without combining them.
When on trails I have him come and sit beside me if there are other people/horses so as to not interfere with their horses.
He’s had to learn the hard way that horses are bigger than him and he is the one that has to move - but otherwise both he and my horse seem to really love going together.
I also have a smaller dog that I occasionally ride with - she just follows my big one and therefore has learned to stay away. I don’t take her on trails though for the simple fact that she just doesn’t need it. She doesn’t have the endless energy of a hunting dog
