Hi Cherry,
Any tips on what is the correct and or safest thing to do when riding out and you are chased by dogs, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time that usually come rushing out of a driveway?
Also many thanks for all the info you have shared over the years through your books. Because of you I have safe horses and have had wonderful experiences.
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
It is great to hear my books have been helpful !
I talk about dogs in my books “How to Think Like a Horse” and “What Every Horse Should Know” so if you have those books, you’ll find some anecdotes with the late great Sassy one of my former riding horses. She was naturally a NO FEAR horse, very aggressive with other animals including big mother cows, llamas, dogs and even the wolf hybrids that used to live down the road from us.
She taught me the most effective means of dog control was to wheel around and chase them all the way home and back into their driveway! She was not hesitant to kick a dog if it nipped her heels. So it was often kick, wheel and chase. Some horses aren’t wired to do that sort of thing naturally, but once I saw how effective it was, I taught some of my other horses at least the wheel and chase part.
With those particularly sticky wolf hybrids I also carried one of those water pistols – the ones that you can pump and shoot a stiff stream of water quite far. It only took a couple of times and they learned to respect our space.
With all that said, I guess I really should have started by saying step number one should be to call the owners of the problem dogs and ask them to keep them contained. However, in some rural areas, dogs are left to run loose whether the owners are home or not, so it is good to have a plan in place.
Have a safe and enjoyable ride.
Cherry Hill's Horsekeeping 
The wheel-and-chase works for me too, but I do have a horse that is terrified of dogs and doesn’t like to do that very much. What I do is carry a toy Airsoft pistol with me–it is a toy gun that shoots little plastic pellets. The pellets shoot hard enough to sting but not to penetrate a dog’s skin (my younger brothers and their friends use the guns to shoot at each other playing “wars”.) Usually a stern “go home” and a pop with the gun is enough to send a dog scurrying. Of course, while the guns only make a soft “pop” sound, it is best to practice with it around your horse in a safe area before heading out with it!
I’ve not used an Airsoft pistol. It is a similar idea to the pressurized water pistol I suggested. Spraying water at a dog or even in the face of a dog is a pretty good deterrent without risking injuring their eyes. So I’d recommend the water pistol over plastic pellet but will post your suggestion for those that want to consider it. Thanks !!!