hi all i haven't owned a horse for about as long as i haven't owned a dog - a loong time.

realising walking dog was not enough excercise and then having to face up that jogging was not going to work - for me - and refusing to ride a bicycle i went and got me a cow pony to take the dog on adventures with.

the horse has never been around dogs and the dog never seen a horse so was very anxious after seeing a picture in a vets office of a horse requiring thousands of stitches after dogs put it through a barb wire fence - horrific injuries, only reason horse wasn't shot is that a vet educator thought it was so bad he used it a a live demo in surgery, infection control, recovery etc - the horse made a full recovery.

anyways finally intorduced horse to dog in a slow staging process soon became apparent didn't need to - horse and dog actually seem to enjoy each others company if that is possible - not trying to be all Disneyland here but they certainly seem to seek each other out and hang out together for hours.

dog walks between legs of horse no prob and licks fresh wounds where i staked the mare's coronet in the forest. have actually clocked up a lot of miles already on horse while dog running.

so the question is; how much excercise in terms of miles is too much in a week we have been doing 15km (miles?) a few time a week over hilly ground and off road + normal training. i ask in terms of structural problems that might arise. speed is mosly trot, dog free to chase rabbits which is in addition to 15km.

also need to train dog to not trot at horses feet, its only a matter of time before it gets stood on - the horse i swear is carefull not to stand on dog. i was thinking avoidence training - come within a feww feet of horse = feel pain/discomfort??

I wouldn't think avoidance would be the way to go...you'll get a dog who thinks that the horse isn't a good thing....which would be counterproductive if they already get along.

I'd work on OB around the horse then actually marker train the dog to "heel" beside the horse (by which I mean teach the dog which areas are "okay" to be in...not using the word "heel" if you already use it of course) as well as a "move out" command.

That is fun Peter, good for you.
I can't answer any of your questions! My experience is that the horse lets the dog know where he can be, though it's not always a pleasant training experience.

 Quote: Peter Cavallaro

dog walks between legs of horse no prob and licks fresh wounds where i staked the mare's coronet in the forest.

I personally would not let this continue. I don't know what part of the country you are in, but I know that when fly season gets going full swing here, the horses are stamping their feet quite a bit. I would not want my dogs under the hooves when they come down.

Just my opinion.

--Kelly

 Quote: Kelly

 Quote: Peter Cavallaro

dog walks between legs of horse no prob and licks fresh wounds where i staked the mare's coronet in the forest.

I personally would not let this continue. I don't know what part of the country you are in, but I know that when fly season gets going full swing here, the horses are stamping their feet quite a bit. I would not want my dogs under the hooves when they come down.

Just my opinion.

--Kelly

I agree with Kelly. That paragraph jumped out at me, too. I'm glad your horse and dog are getting along, but please be careful, Peter. A horse can seriously injure a small animal like a dog, even without meaning to. Having gotten my bare foot stepped on by a horse (I was young and stupid), I can attest to the damage that can be done to a human foot. A dog would be even worse. And I have personally had to have two barn cats euthanized after they were stepped on by horses.

I don't let the dog run around when I ride. They can follow at heel just like when I ride a bike, if my horse is reliable with dogs.

That is my way I tend to have very high energy horse that can blow up if the dogs are too close when in motion. Yet the dogs could be right under them in the barn but it is not allowed.

 Quote: Peter Cavallaro

so the question is; how much exercise in terms of miles is too much in a week we have been doing 15km (miles?) a few time a week over hilly ground and off road + normal training. i ask in terms of structural problems that might arise. speed is mosly trot, dog free to chase rabbits which is in addition to 15km.

Since the others have addressed the dog under horse issue, I will address this one.

With out knowing the dogs age, I would say that as log as the dog is not completely gassed at the end of ride, and is happily trotting next to you as you come back in, then the distance is fine. If you have a dog that is totally lagging and dragging in, or the dog is showing much discomfort then you may want to scale back a little...

There should be no significant structural changes assuming the dog is already physically mature. Arthritis as the dog ages may be an issue, but no more than most other active dogs...

But I have to ask...

Did you really go out and get a horse just to exercise your dog?!?!?! I mean, don't get me wrong, that is pretty dedicated to the dogs phyical and mental health, but really!?!?

try n answer some questions;

Kelly, discontinuing is not an option, there is only a training option in this case to minimise risk - hence the avoidance training proposal / obed. possibly.

my dog isn't likely to trade in what its doing for a lower risk option, just have to see that in its body language.

i know people too scared to leave their homes literally becuase of all the bad things that could happen - out there.

hey people have been working dogs n horses together for centuries.

flies; the amount of $ i pay for a weekly pour on "swift" i better not get flies.

the main problem area is when the terrain leaves no option for dog to get clear - the horse is extremely careful, i have known for a long time and you see it at events, most horses will avoid stepping on a fallen rider as much as they physically can.

the biggest/bigger danger i believe is the dog will clip the horses front feet at speed i nearly ended up with the horse on top of me that way - dog ankle tapped the horse while we were all chasin a deer through forest at 2000mph.

"Did you really go out and get a horse just to exercise your dog?!?!?!"

maybe i wanted a horse as well but if i didn't have the dog i certainly wouldn't have bothered getting the horse - if that answers the question. this is the family i didn't have.

 Quote: Peter Cavallaro

the biggest/bigger danger i believe is the dog will clip the horses front feet at speed i nearly ended up with the horse on top of me that way - dog ankle tapped the horse while we were all chasin a deer through forest at 2000mph.

It has been a long, long time since you have owned a horse and your are chasing deer through the forest with a dog who does not yet respect boundries around the horse? Let me guess... you aren't wearing a helmet, are you? (Hopefully I'm wrong here...)

Have you checked on your life insurance?

Hey Peter, it's all good!

I have horses and dogs, and we ride together often. Wonderful way to relax...

Just not many people would, or are able to, buy a horse to give their dog more exercise. Kuddos to you. Sounds like both get more exercise than most pets.

Avoidance training is a touchy subject, and not what most would recommend with a horse and dog, except in the case of a dog chasing a horse.

Teaching the dog to NOT cross in front of a horse is not too difficult, and could save the dogs life (I would be less worried about the horse getting hurt if you are mostly trotting, and more worried about the dog getting trampled...).

We keep the dogs in a down stay for the most part when tacking up or cleaning the stall. Dogs are kept out of the arena (we are at a boarding facility...) but are allowed to come for rides. The down stay when around the horses is for the safety of the dogs as a shifting of weight can demolish a dogs foot, or the horse may be startled when the dogs suddenly brushes against it (MANY horses are touchy about their legs and bellies being touched...). Even if this horse is OK with it, the next horse he encounters may not be, and things like this turn explosive VERY quickly!

Different dog/horse combo handle things differently though. For example, some horses want to kill dogs, are spooky around them all the time and some are spooked by a dog suddenly running out of the brush. Know the horse you are on and adjust your expectations accordingly. My Mojo could care less about a dog, unless it is right in front of him, then he wants to bite it, so my dogs are kept to either one side or the other while riding.

If you ever plan to ride with others on horse back and want your dog to come along, please do teach your dog how to stay at your side when asked to. This is for the safety of your friends, their horses and your dog. It is common courtesy and common sense. If you want help on how to do this, I am sure one of us would be happy to assist in this one for you...

Enjoy your rides!!