# My puppy just got kicked by pony!



## countryfun (Mar 12, 2013)

Hi, I have a 7 month GSD puppy and she's been bothering my horses in the field and ignoring me when I've told her to leave them. I was hoping she might get a 'delicate' kick from the pony who hasn't got shoes on and sure enough after several warnings she did! It was quite a thud in her side, thank goodness not her head. She yelped and ran off and won't go near them at the moment so hopefully it's a good lesson learned!

I feel a bad owner for letting it happen but we have our own land and stables and she has such a lovely time running around 6 acres that it seemed a shame to have her tied up all the time and she wouldn't be learning anything about being sensible around horses.

Hopefully, no real harm done and lesson learnt!!

Love this forum, it's so helpful.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

countryfun said:


> Hi, I have a 7 month GSD puppy and she's been bothering my horses in the field and ignoring me when I've told her to leave them. I was hoping she might get a 'delicate' kick from the pony who hasn't got shoes on and sure enough after several warnings she did! It was quite a thud in her side, thank goodness not her head. She yelped and ran off and won't go near them at the moment so hopefully it's a good lesson learned!
> 
> I feel a bad owner for letting it happen but we have our own land and stables and she has such a lovely time running around 6 acres that it seemed a shame to have her tied up all the time and she wouldn't be learning anything about being sensible around horses.
> 
> ...


If I were you I would get her checked by a vet as soon as possible. Internal damage does not show but can fester. Aside from the danger to your dog, horses can be terrified into stampeding by being chased by a dog - I have seen it happen and it is not a pretty sight. I have also seen a dog have his pelvis smashed by a frightened horse who he would keep pestering; the horse reared up and came down on him.

I hope my comments haven't put you off the forum, but I have seen damage before and I really had to warn you.


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## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

I wasn't going to comment, but I just feel so sorry for your dog. How sad that your dog is paying such a hefty price. I've seen lots of dogs running around horse yards but their owners seem to be able to manage without harming the dogs in the stables. Not sure why you couldn't?


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Rather than letting her get kicked (she was lucky she didn't get killed!) why haven't you been _training_ her to not bother the horses? Dogs don't come with pre-programming to leave livestock alone

I would never have put my dog or my horse in a position like that where one could harm the other like that, it's cruel & unfair to them both- yes, she may enjoy running round the fields, but you have put her at substantial risk allowing her to do this.

I also doubt that she will have learned anything from this experience, but I strongly advise you to examine her for broken ribs or some other internal injury.

Frankly, I'm horrified :nonod:


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## countryfun (Mar 12, 2013)

Thanks for your replies - I'm horrified too. She seems fine now but I'm definitely going to keep her away from them now. I haven't allowed her into the stables when the horses are in them because dogs can easily get trodden on. 

I'll get her checked out.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

We took kasa up to see the carriage ponies last week but we tied them up first before letting her loose and then we kept an eye on her whilst we mucked out the yard. Tonto the minature horse was worse in the end as he tried to nip her whilst we were walking them out so we had to put her back


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

countryfun said:


> Hi, I have a 7 month GSD puppy and she's been bothering my horses in the field and ignoring me when I've told her to leave them. I was hoping she might get a 'delicate' kick from the pony who hasn't got shoes on and sure enough after several warnings she did! It was quite a thud in her side, thank goodness not her head. She yelped and ran off and won't go near them at the moment so hopefully it's a good lesson learned!
> 
> I feel a bad owner for letting it happen but we have our own land and stables and she has such a lovely time running around 6 acres that it seemed a shame to have her tied up all the time and she wouldn't be learning anything about being sensible around horses.
> 
> ...


To be honest if it was quite a thud in her side I would be concerned, blows to internal organs might not show up immediately, but can cause internal bleeding and brusing. I know a person who had a quick to the torso, and although it didnt seem so bad was passing blood in the urine after as it had caused trauma to the kidneys.


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## BoredomBusters (Dec 8, 2011)

Oh your poor dog, please get her to the vet as she may be in pain even if no serious damage done. I don't think it's a nice lesson taught for either dog or pony when it not really that difficult to teach dogs to leave horses alone, or at least lock one away from the other.


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## countryfun (Mar 12, 2013)

Goodness knows why you would think I'm trolling, if you read my previous post they're all normal I think. As to her age it's approximate, after she was a few weeks I started thinking of her age more in months, She's very nearly 7 months so it's easier to put that than an exact weeks and days age. I am def not trolling. Thanks for your advice.


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## diefenbaker (Jan 15, 2011)

A kick from a horse can be a killer. When I come across horses and they say their horse is fine with dogs I ignore them. Without a shadow of a doubt Dief will go to the wrong end for a sniff. It's not worth the risk and there's nothing to gain.


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

Is this your first dog? Most experienced owners would NEVER allow this kind of 'lesson'. Even a gentle kick from an unshod horse can do a lot of damage. Plus, I assume that you don't want her to be frightened of horses, just to leave them alone?

You will be better helping her to recover her confidence with them, but in a calm way. As it is at the moment she is likely to be frightened. If she remains afraid of horses she is a greater danger to them, and herself, than if she was unafraid and taught to ignore them. She might one day be in the position of being alone with a horse, and if it approaches her may attack it in order defend herself.

I'm glad you are going to get her vet-checked - as others have commented, she may have more than just a few bruises. And I would also work, with a professional trainer if necessary, towards getting her comfortable with horses again. Hope all goes well for you both.


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## countryfun (Mar 12, 2013)

Sorry if my last message about trolling doesn't make sense. There was a message from someone raising the chance I was trolling so I replied to it but I think that message has been deleted for some reason.


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## Owned By A Yellow Lab (May 16, 2012)

You were 'hoping' the horse would give your dog a 'delicate kick' to teach it a lesson 

Isn't that a bit like saying you hope a car might just 'clip' your dog's side to teach it not to run in the road???

Sorry if I sound harsh but I am utterly shocked that anyone would allow their young dog to be in such danger.

For goodness sake make sure your dog gets thoroughly checked by a vet and from now on either keep your dog on a lead OR do some proper training so that he stays away from the horses.


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## countryfun (Mar 12, 2013)

Ok thanks, I've got the message but there's little point in everyone saying the same thing. I've taken on board all your helpful comments and will act on them.


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## Twiggy (Jun 24, 2010)

I've had horses and dogs all my life and my dogs have never been kicked by one of the horses because I ensure it never happens.

To allow a 7 mth old pup to mingle with horses when it clearly hasn't been trained is to say the least extremely foolhardy.

Please take your puppy to the vets asap. I know quite a number of dogs that have sadly been killed in similar circumstances.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

We say the same thing to show we're all in agreement with each other


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## countryfun (Mar 12, 2013)

But Wiz201 your last post said one of the ponies that you had tied up but let the dogs loose around nipped your dog so how is that ok? Surely your dog was in danger of being struck on the head or body by the pony's front legs? They are so quick to do that and if they were tied up they might have felt more trapped. I am not the first nor will I be the last to allow an unnecessary accident to happen. I take full responsibility and will get her checked even though she's running around [the horses are in their stables] and seems fine. I know though that she may have internal damage which only a vet can check.


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## Supasilvfoxy (Apr 6, 2013)

You obviously misjudged how you dog would react around horses. When she got kicked, probably because you were allowing her to misbehave around them, you appeared surprised. You also write as though you thought it would teach her a lesson if she did get kicked (my guess is however, that you thought the pony would do what you should be doing and your dog would be trained by some mysterious shortcut). You also seem to think that the only alternative is to tie your dog out of 'harm's' way. Well, perhaps tying her up would be the safest thing to do, for her and the horses sake, until you can find the time to train her properly, I doubt whether getting kicked by a pony has taught her anything at all though. Of course, you could put her into an empty stable - instead of tying her up - this is what we used to do with untrained pups when I was working in a riding school.

What you need to do now is to get your lovely pup, checked out by a vet, sooner rather than later, explaining to him/her what has happened. With luck there will be no lasting damage done. You then need to find yourself a good trainer, try this link, Welcome to APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK and put some time into training your dog how to behave around livestock.

Hope you girl is okay and good luck with the training.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

countryfun said:


> But Wiz201 your last post said one of the ponies that you had tied up but let the dogs loose around nipped your dog so how is that ok? Surely your dog was in danger of being struck on the head or body by the pony's front legs? They are so quick to do that and if they were tied up they might have felt more trapped. I am not the first nor will I be the last to allow an unnecessary accident to happen. I take full responsibility and will get her checked even though she's running around [the horses are in their stables] and seems fine. I know though that she may have internal damage which only a vet can check.


I am pleased you have taken all the comments on board and are not taking offence, and I would like to ask everyone to stop going on, as there is nothing more to be said to the OP. However, I would like to leave this up and invite any horror stories for the sake of anyone reading. If that is ok with everyone.

I feel it is important to make sure people realise the dangers. We all know that a frightened dog is a danger to everyone but I wonder how many people realise how much more dangerous is a frightened horse. Many years ago one of our dogs got into the field with the horses before we could stop him, we thought he couldn't get through the fence. The dog chased the horse and swung on his tail. That could have been disastrous for both horse and dog and it was all in a split second.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

countryfun said:


> Goodness knows why you would think I'm trolling, if you read my previous post they're all normal I think. As to her age it's approximate, after she was a few weeks I started thinking of her age more in months, She's very nearly 7 months so it's easier to put that than an exact weeks and days age. I am def not trolling. Thanks for your advice.


I for one do not think you are a troll. What would you gain from making this up. Accidents happen...we are not _all_ perfect owners, we get distracted etc etc. And yes, I do think your dog will learn from his mistake, but obviously he is still young and you will know to watch him in future. 
I had a Bloodhound, big and soppy and I was cleaning the field one day and the only pony in the field as the others were out hacking was the one that everyone (ie every horse) picked on. She never said boo to a goose and even ran away when the cat was in the field, so I felt quite OK about Gulliver being off the lead. He was near me, the little mare was the other side of a five-acre field but the next I knew she had come across the field very much like Shergar and double-barrelled him before I could intervene. He was shell-shocked and vomited from sheer panic, but was fine. 
Hope your guy is OK!


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## countryfun (Mar 12, 2013)

Just to reply as to why I said I'm not trolling, it was because as I said in an earlier post that someone had said they though I was a troll because for some reason they had looked back on my previous posts and thought they had cleverly worked out I was not accurate with my age of my puppy. As I also explained it was she is approx 7 months i.e. 7 months in a couple of days and when I first posted I put her age in weeks which was probably more accurate. Then the post about me trolling mysteriously disappeared so I guess the poster deleted it? 

Thank you Calvine for pointing out I would be unlikely to be trolling about such an awful thing. 

Still not sure why it is ok for Wiz201 to put her dog in a position last week where it could have got struck on the head by a pony and nobody on here says anything, maybe because you are all siding with one another. I still appreciate your comments but it seems a little like I'm the only one being picked on.


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

Your puppy was exceptionally lucky. A friend's dog lost an eye and sustained brain damage when kicked by a horse. Also sustained some internal injuries that weren't apparent at first. Please get your dog checked by a vet and I do hope she's OK.


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## countryfun (Mar 12, 2013)

Thank you Dogless and yes she was lucky as it could have been much worse. She is running about and has been playing with my other dog, she doesn't seem at all subdued but I'll definitely get her checked by a vet.


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## BessieDog (May 16, 2012)

I don't think horses and loose dogs mix. Bess is always under close control when we're down the yard. Some horses don't mind dogs under their heels - some do. 

Other accidents happen too. Last summer the yard's own border terrier was going out with some people putting some horses out in the field. All of a sudden there was a loud screaming from the dog. A 17 hh horse has trodden on his paw. His owner was distraught, but after about 5 minutes (seemed like an hour) the screaming stopped, and after half an hour the dog wasn't even limping. Luckily the ground was soft mud at that point. That border terrier was 10 years old and had never been hurt before, but all agreed it was an accident waiting to happen. No one could believe how he hadn't been seriously injured! 

Unless dogs can be trained to come away from horses and give them a wide berth you can never be complacent.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

countryfun said:


> But Wiz201 your last post said one of the ponies that you had tied up but let the dogs loose around nipped your dog so how is that ok?.


No, he was only trying to nip when they both were walking with us under control on the road. Kasa was on one side just walking nicely on the lead and Tonto was on the other wearing a bridle. He didn't actually nip her, but he kept making a move towards her so we abandoned that idea before it escalated.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

countryfun said:


> Just to reply as to why I said I'm not trolling, it was because as I said in an earlier post that someone had said they though I was a troll because for some reason they had looked back on my previous posts and thought they had cleverly worked out I was not accurate with my age of my puppy. As I also explained it was she is approx 7 months i.e. 7 months in a couple of days and when I first posted I put her age in weeks which was probably more accurate. Then the post about me trolling mysteriously disappeared so I guess the poster deleted it?
> 
> Thank you Calvine for pointing out I would be unlikely to be trolling about such an awful thing.
> 
> Still not sure why it is ok for Wiz201 to put her dog in a position last week where it could have got struck on the head by a pony and nobody on here says anything, maybe because you are all siding with one another. I still appreciate your comments but it seems a little like I'm the only one being picked on.


lease don't feel picked on. We are just concerned for the welfare of your animals, that's all, and sometimes things are not obvious until they happen. I didn't see the post about your being a troll; I certainly don't agree with that, and I doubt anyone else does.

I think maybe this better be closed so that we can all go home knowing we have warned and taken on board the warnings.


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