Aggressive horses - how to handle them?

N

NVA

New Member
Jun 9, 2003
166
0
0
Visit site
Hi
I haven't posted for a while as my riding has kind of ground to a halt - my instructor left and I can only get group lessons now which aren't going too well. This is a non-riding related question though; what is the best way to deal with aggressive horses? I was out walking yesterday, following a public footpath which went through a field with a couple of horses on the other side. As we went through it they came over to us - so I was thinking "ah, nice horses". At that point one came straight for me, bit me hard on the arm and kept biting. We were backing away from them but they just followed, ears back, eyes rolling, biting at coats, trousers etc. Not fun. Fortunately after a couple of minutes the owner noticed what was happening and came and chased them off. As soon as her back was turned they were straight back for us again so she came back and took them out of the field.
I've been trying to work out if it was anything I did to provoke them but we were just ignoring them. What is the best way to deal with a situation like that (bearing in mind I'm still not that confident about horses) - I thought of shouting / being aggressive but was worried it might see that of more of a challenge and get worse. What should I have done?

(To top it all off I then had a group lesson on a horse that seemed to want to do everything possible to remove me from his back - including doing a very good impression of a rocking horse on the spot by throwing his back and front legs all over the place. I know that it was probably because it was cold and windy and he'd been freshly clipped, he was testing me out etc and "that's just horses", but my confidence levels in horses are a little low at the moment!)

Thanks
N
 
I would scream shout, wave arms legs, a coat and anything you had. Or you could but a bin bag or some sort of plastic bag in your pocket - bet they'll soon shift if you pulled that out and shook it at them.

If that was my field with a public footpath running through it i wouldn't put a horse in there that could be potentially very dangerous, and the word "liability" would constantly be running through my head. Who would be liable, if god forbid, that horse had kicked you out cold??

As for your lesson, could you ask to be put on a horse that is a little safer until you build you confidence up?
 
It is very unusual for horses to attack - they are flight animals after all. Was there a mare and foal in the group? Was it a stallion who attacked you?

There certainly is a question here regarding liability. If a public footpath runs through your land, it is your responsibility to keep it safe, clear of obstacles etc.

The owner of the horses should have third party liability insurance - if not, she could be the subject of a serious court case if her horses are that unpredictable.

You would certainly have cause for a claim against her as the horse attacked you.

There should at least be a warning on the gate/style/fence etc if there is any possible danger passing through the field.
 
Thanks - I'm relieved to think that it was unusual, as it took me by surprise. Piaffe - both of the horses looked full grown so I don't think that one was a foal (although they did look quite young). There were 2 in the field on one side of the footpath, and one on the other side behind a very low electric fence, so I presume that it was a male / female split. I think that the one that went for us was a gelding although I didn't stop to look to closely. The problem might be that we were between the fenced one and the other 2 but there wasn't much option as they were on opposite sides of the field. They made a beeline for us as soon as we came in - I presumed at first that they were looking for food.
As a typical lawyer I was wondering if there was anything I could do in relation to the owner, not for us but because it could have been a lot worse (if she hadn't been around or if there had been children involved, especially as she didn't look surprised when she came into the field to chase them off us), but to be honest I can't remember exactly where we were as we'd been walking for a while. At least the only harm done is some attractive marking on my arm and some injured ego as the attack disrupted my usual conversation of "please can I have a pony..." and gave the OH good grounds for argument that this would not be a sensible idea!

N
 
I've been in the same situation, so I told my friends to go ahead ('cause they were being abit girly) and puffed up as big as I could & did lots of growling. It was very scary 'cause they were jogging right up to us & looking like they were going to stike out!
 
Usually if you make yourself big and scary, the apparently aggressive horse will back down and leave you alone. The most assertive horse in a group is usually the leader; if you can be more confident and scary than the group's leader, most of the time they won't want to mess with you.

There *are* horses that would take this as a challenge, and try even harder. Sometimes the group's leader doesn't want to back down. Such horses are few and far between, but they are out there. I have met only one really malicious (to people) horse (and we think it was a chemical imbalance, because his history was known and he had never been mistreated). So they don't happen very often, but they do exist.

So if you are around horses that you do not know, do keep in mind that one of them might well prefer to fight than to back down. The easiest way to avoid getting into a confrontation with a horse is...to not end up in conflict with horses you don't know. But that's obvious.

What's possibly less obvious is that horses fight with their teeth and hooves, which have a limited range. So if you can manage to stay completely out of range (think lion tamer with his whip) then even an aggressive horse shouldn't be able to hurt you. If you do end up in a situation with horses who might be aggressive, keep an eye out for a good escape route, and for perhaps a long stick to wave around to make them keep their distances while you are exiting the premises.
 
I would think this is down to people giving them titbits, ie they were "mugging "you. You can guarantee some well meaning but silly person is taking them bread, carrotts etc. daily. Feel that the bin bag idea is probably the best as it's non confrontational, & if you haven't got the confidence to carry through an aggressive stance the horse will know it.
 
I suspect legally that the owner should not have aggressive animals in the field that have access to ramblers. Farmers can't keep a bull loose in a field with a footpath. I have two footpaths through my field and am very conscious of my liability. No companion horse is invited unless it is amenable and the owner has third party insurance.
Makes one feel one doesn't want to bother having just lost a pet sheep to a savage dog attack. Feel like putting a really nasty animal in just to scare off these people who don't keep their dogs under control. L
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back