Just got attacked by a horse!

[Johnnytheboy]

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.

[Johnnytheboy]

The only thing I can think was different is that was it was quite foggy and the horse would have first seen me from through the fog. But it seemed like it was ok until it got to us, then it went nuts.

[Johnnytheboy]

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.

To be honest, that's my feeling. The nearest big house and probably paddock owner had made attempts to make the footpath as awkward as possible so I can't imagine I'd get much sympathy.

[Johnnytheboy]

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.

[Johnnytheboy]

Willy Nilly said:

Amen to that.

Get onto the council, you'll likely get some imaginary load of made up ball cocks from the probably dumpy, fat arsed, fluffy chinned, rosey cheeked owner.

The ideal would be that they just get the owner to segregate the path from the paddock and everyone lives happily ever after.

[Johnnytheboy]

Yes proper leather bridle. As you say, does seem like its left on for ease of handling.

Reported to council via footpaths route now...

Edited by Johnnytheboy on Monday 2nd January 17:15