We are parked in a very rural area tonight. When we first pulled in, AJ spied four animals he automatically assumed (yep…) were dogs. He started the excited silent barking and jumping around because he wanted to go see the "dogs." Well, they weren't dogs. They were four very beautiful and large horses. Large even in horse terms.
I didn't figure there would be any harm in allowing him to introduce himself to them, so I took him over on a short lead. The horses were on the other side of a sturdy fence. They were very curious about AJ. All four of them came over to the fence to give him a sniff. It was rather amusing to see my little 26-pound Basenji confronted by four huge horses and him going back and forth sniffing each one's nose in his or her turn. They were all very gentle with him. I think they were more comfortable with his presence than mine, but I never reached for them and I kept AJ on a tight lead. I didn't want to spook them. Anyway, after a while, one of the horses wiggled his upper lip and then snorted, "Pb-b-b-b-b" at AJ the way horses do, which took him off guard and made him jump back a little. The look on his face was something like, "I didn't know anybody could do that!"
I'm kicking myself because I didn't take the camera with me. Durn it...
I know some of you may be upset that I introduced my dog to "strange" horses. Please understand I've been around horses for a lot of my life and carefully watched their reaction as we slowly approached the fence before allowing AJ anywhere near them. Horses are like any other animal: you can usually tell, if you know what to look for, whether they are friendly or not. These four were more curious than anything else. I suppose if they'd had a chance, they would probably have adopted AJ into their herd. Me? They could take me or leave me and could care less either way.
Cheers!
That would have been good to see some pics or a video. The first time Buddy saw a horse was very up close on a thin trail we were hiking on and he just got really scared and tried to run. Now after passing horses on hikes he's like no big deal and wants to get right up close but I have to hold him back not knowing the horses reaction and for the safety of Buddy and the rider. Last weekend I let him get a little close but the hiker that was taking me through this horse ranch warned me that some of the horses did not like dogs so I kept him back a bit. You can see he's really pulling to get up close.
How funny..Jepp we have horses in our neighbor hood as well and Otis loves to sniff hi..
My OJ went crazy over horses, we used to go coursing on a horse farm and it would start screaming the minute he would see the horses…LOL.... he was so excited to go see them up close and personal....
Why would anyone be upset that you would introduce him to strange horses?.... as long as he is on lead and the horses behind a fence... sounds fine to me...?
I used to walk my last 2 off leash at Stanford University in the hills and they have herds of cattle roaming around. The dogs would get about 10-15 feet away and sniff the air and the cows would just stare at them. We'd then cautiously move on.
I used to ride (western style) frequently until a bad throw kind of ended my riding days. I found my horse, and others at the stable, were kind of cautious around most dogs. Perhaps the sudden movement? Also, horses are prey animals, and dogs not. You can't reverse what mother nature put into play. But I do agree that if you know what to look for in a horse, you can safely introduce the two.
Our little B Kismet met our friend's two horses last weekend. Too bad we did not bring the camera! The horses loved the dog and she was enthralled with them! She sniffed noses and pawed at the horses nose to push it away! We think the horse was amused! Kismet may want riding lessons! LOL! We will take the camera next time. She also wanted to meet the hens- glad they were in the coop! They are about as big as Kismet and are dog proof!
Maria
Mine saw horses a few years ago when we were staying at the beach. People rode horses up and down the beach all day and while Topper and Nicky just wanted to watch, Eddie really wanted to get up close and personal. I'm guessing he was thinking about horsemeat! We kept our distance as most were 'rental horses' and didn't want to spook them and harm the riders. Yep, BIG DOGS!
