introducing to horses

[niclou]

hi, i know there are a few horsey people on here and was just wondering if anyone can give advice on introducing Indy to my 2 horses

his old owner said he has seen horses and cows before and never really been bothered by them but his old owner also said a lot of other things that didnt turn out to be true

id love to take Indy to the stables with me rather than leaving him home but want to introduce him in the best way possible, any tips on how to go about this??

[GV9297]

We introduced Diesel to cows (they were bullocks actually) through a metal bar gate. He was really good - really curious about them wierdly enough. He lay down (I knew he would do that to protect his vital organs) and just sniffed no barking or lunging or anything I was really suprised - they (there were 6 of them) sniffed at him and he sniffed back and he would have stayed there for ages if I'd let him! They quite happily followed him around the field after that.

Horses however would be different - We have walked past horses (off lead) but quite near and he hasn't really bothered perhaps thats the first port of call to see how he reacts from a distance.

The pic is of Diesel looking at the horses through a french door.

I'm sure someone will come along soon and give some advice.

[niclou]

thanks, i wasnt sure if it would be better to introduce him to the horses while they were out in the field (other side of the fence though ) or maybe while the horses are in the stable??

the horses have seen dogs before and like to have a good sniff

Indy doesnt seen at all bothered by other dogs on walks, he just ignores them (his old owner says he barks at other dogs while he is on the lead but he has never done this with me), the only time he payed another dog attention was when 1 was growling at him!! he tried to run over to it but luckily i had him on the lunge line so he didnt get too close

[GV9297]

If you introduce through a fence with Indy on a line so that he doesn't get too close and see how he reacts - if the horses are in a field at least they can back away etc. This worked with Diesel and the cows.

I am no expert however but I'm sure someone will come along soon with some better advice.

[mackico]

Hm. This is an interesting question.

I'd suggest having him on short leash, and having someone else with one of the horses on a lead rope, and introduce the horses one at a time. I'm no expert either, though. So, we'll see if anyone else has better advice.

Archie has barked both at horses, from afar, and cows through a fence in the past.

However, the other day on the beach we met a woman walking a border collie. The woman's daughter was riding up and down the beach on gelding. The woman said it was okay if Archie was offlead to play with her dog, because the horse was used to dogs and even barking, so I let him off and he played with the collie. The girl rode back up to us, and Archie paused to inspect the horse. He gave it a sniff, and it gave him a sniff right back! (It would've made an awesome picture, but unfortunately I didn't have a camera.) Archie was a bit cowed, as the horse was huge, but surprisingly he behaved really well. He then went back to playing with the collie and completely ignored the horse, even though it was walking along with us.

The horse was pretty bombproof though! They went and walked it up a set of wooden stairs to get off the beach and it didn't bat an eye, which was pretty neat to watch.

[laney]

Hi I agree with everyone so far , in and out of the stable and on a lead to start with , pick dog friendly horses too , mine both know "in front" when riding or leading as I never let them out of my sight and dont want them behind for obvious reasons , I just taught them that with a send away gesture when normal walking , they also know "too close" which is literally that , I taught them that with my old boy tied up in the yard ( I trusted him not to kick ) and when they get too near i go between them and the horse to push them away , Mowgli did go through a fase of chasing them when I was turning out but a VERY firm " lie down" stopped him in his tracks !! TBH Ive been very lucky with both dogs being very quick learners and they both still amaze me daily with how bright they are , Ive even had people ask me about training but its def not me they are just clever dogs ...waffling soz ...and just be wary of ur dog killers ( lol ) I have one of the sweetest mares on my yard but when she is out of the stable my dogs stay in the car ! She just simply hates them and I dont trust her an inch and watch out for striking out with front legs too , most horsey people will know the front end of a horse is often the most dangerous , good luck Lx

[niclou]

thanks for all the advice

its a bit too muddy to take him up there yet, so im going to work on getting him to listen to me more when i tell him commands, he seems to be a quick learner too, only had him about 4 weeks now i think and we have almost stopped the scrounging for food and jumping up when we get home so hopefully he will be ok around the horses.

i dont ride much now, leave it more to my little girl so hopefully 1 day i can lead him out when i lead her out on the pony

1 of my horses is only just turned 3 so he is very interested in dogs the other will come and have a sniff but doesnt show much interest, i dont think either would try to kick but i will def be on gaurd and watching those legs lol, oh and i know about the front legs lol

[laney]

LOL ! If u fancy a ride anytime pop down to Surrey !! I have 25 to look after and could do with a hand ! Lx

[niclou]

ah id love that lol, im only in Kent!!!

ive only got 2 ponies and rent a little private yard with 3 stables and a field, its only me there, so nice and quiet