Just got attacked by a horse!
Discussion
Well, after thirty years of country walking this has never happened before, and it had to happen one of the few times I managed to get my OH to come out with me...
On a footpath that passed along on side of a paddock with a couple of horses in, one comes trotting over. Rather than the usual habit of stopping just out of reach it came right up at a fair pace and started butting at us with its face, and when my missus turned away started trying to bite her on the back.
I tried to attract its attention while my OH made for the exit stile but after a couple of bite attempts at me it seemed determined to go for her more than me, and ended up pinning her against the fence and knocking her off her feet. At this point I grabbed its bridle to keep it from trampling her; it reared up and took a hoof to my ear. Thankfully my OH had made it out of the field, so it merely remained for me to fend the horse off biting and kicking me while I made it over the stile.
Now, this isn't a path I use a lot, though I have been through the same paddock before with horses in without incident, but it isn't an easy one to detour round.
So (a) what would anyone suggest I could do better to have defended us, and (b) what do you think set it off?
I'm a big chap and animals don't easily intimidate me, but unfortunately my missus doesn't like walking through a field of anything bigger than sheep, so I fear this going to make life difficult in the future; she'll certainly never go this way again.
I can't imagine this is the first time this horse has attacked someone, it's a path on the edge of a fair sized village, I worry about what it could have done to a child.
On a footpath that passed along on side of a paddock with a couple of horses in, one comes trotting over. Rather than the usual habit of stopping just out of reach it came right up at a fair pace and started butting at us with its face, and when my missus turned away started trying to bite her on the back.
I tried to attract its attention while my OH made for the exit stile but after a couple of bite attempts at me it seemed determined to go for her more than me, and ended up pinning her against the fence and knocking her off her feet. At this point I grabbed its bridle to keep it from trampling her; it reared up and took a hoof to my ear. Thankfully my OH had made it out of the field, so it merely remained for me to fend the horse off biting and kicking me while I made it over the stile.
Now, this isn't a path I use a lot, though I have been through the same paddock before with horses in without incident, but it isn't an easy one to detour round.
So (a) what would anyone suggest I could do better to have defended us, and (b) what do you think set it off?
I'm a big chap and animals don't easily intimidate me, but unfortunately my missus doesn't like walking through a field of anything bigger than sheep, so I fear this going to make life difficult in the future; she'll certainly never go this way again.
I can't imagine this is the first time this horse has attacked someone, it's a path on the edge of a fair sized village, I worry about what it could have done to a child.
walking in fields with live animals will always have risks. I don't think you could have done anything different, just when the horse started moving, try and move away quicker to the exit.
I have been attacked by cows before, no dog with me, they just went for it. I always keep my distance from all animals when in the same field.
Who knows how an animals mind works, but they saw you as a threat.
I have been attacked by cows before, no dog with me, they just went for it. I always keep my distance from all animals when in the same field.
Who knows how an animals mind works, but they saw you as a threat.
bexVN said:
Any chance of finding who the owners are just so you can let them know and and maybe to find out if they know what could have triggered the behaviour?
Horsey people (read that as women) are nuts... complaining to said Horsey people would be pissing in the wind. If the field has public right of way, report to the council. YOU may have been able to fend said horses off, a couple of children may not be able.
Horses are like people, some of them are just f
king weird, they all have very different personalities.
You (well ok, me) are just inclined to think they are just some placid thing that stands in a field turning grass into poo, some are far from that. I mean who gets an erection whilst eating their dinner? I never did, but the horse down the road from seems to manage it. If you want to do that it's ok by me, horses for courses, i'll just keep it flaccid with my lasagne n chips thankyou.
I've been feeding two local horses a bit of veg and fruit lately on my way to work, they like to take it from my hand, but i'm a bit nervy about that as I like my fingers and they've got big teeth (yes I know how to do it, but still...). So I put the veg on the wall, one of them looks at me, reaches forward and nips my jumper! I assume he's having a bit of a play here so I put the food on a shovel and offer them it that way, would they take it? No way.
If you leave some horses in a field in Winter they just stand around and get depressed (and so would I).
king weird, they all have very different personalities.You (well ok, me) are just inclined to think they are just some placid thing that stands in a field turning grass into poo, some are far from that. I mean who gets an erection whilst eating their dinner? I never did, but the horse down the road from seems to manage it. If you want to do that it's ok by me, horses for courses, i'll just keep it flaccid with my lasagne n chips thankyou.
I've been feeding two local horses a bit of veg and fruit lately on my way to work, they like to take it from my hand, but i'm a bit nervy about that as I like my fingers and they've got big teeth (yes I know how to do it, but still...). So I put the veg on the wall, one of them looks at me, reaches forward and nips my jumper! I assume he's having a bit of a play here so I put the food on a shovel and offer them it that way, would they take it? No way.
If you leave some horses in a field in Winter they just stand around and get depressed (and so would I).
Edited by 227bhp on Friday 30th December 17:15
JamesNotJim said:
bexVN said:
Any chance of finding who the owners are just so you can let them know and and maybe to find out if they know what could have triggered the behaviour?
Horsey people (read that as women) are nuts... complaining to said Horsey people would be pissing in the wind. If the field has public right of way, report to the council. YOU may have been able to fend said horses off, a couple of children may not be able.
davepoth said:
foxsasha said:
If a dog attacked people like that it would presumably be put down. Wouldn't something that weighs half a ton living in a public right of way suffer the same fate?
When you walk into a field, you are the one causing the upset. That's the way it's been forever. OP, next time dominate the field. Mr Ed will back away.
JamesNotJim said:
Horsey people (read that as women) are nuts... complaining to said Horsey people would be pissing in the wind.
If the field has public right of way, report to the council. YOU may have been able to fend said horses off, a couple of children may not be able.
This 1000xIf the field has public right of way, report to the council. YOU may have been able to fend said horses off, a couple of children may not be able.
There are a lot of s
t bad tempered horses about that would be better off as Tesco lasagne and owners who have the sentiment to want a horse but lack the means and temperament to manage one.davepoth said:
When you walk into a field, you are the one causing the upset. That's the way it's been forever.
That is quite so, but the sensible thing (which many if not most paddock owners seem to do) would be to segregate the footpath from the rest of the field. In this case the path ran down a short edge of the field so it would be quite easy to accomplish. As for the following comment about dominating the field, I did what I usually do to make large animals think I'm not scared of them, but it had no effect at all.
This horse did not act like any horse I've encountered in 30 years of footpath walking, almost like it was a bit nuts.
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