RE: Crash Test-long

["Field, Shannon" <Shannon.Field@alliedsignal.com>]

I sympathize with Roger's "dog" incident.  I have not had the misfortune
of falling off from dealing with barking and/or running dogs but have
been surprised so suddenly that I hadn't time to react properly to
protect myself and my horse.  The most recent incident involved two dogs
running full speed at my riding partner and I as we were doing one of
our regular rides on public land.  The owner did nothing but yell,
"They'll only bark!"
The more I think about her irresponsibility, the angrier I get.  My
friend had the foresight to keep turning her mare to face the dogs, as
dogs will sometimes back off at apparent confrontation from a large
animal, and the horse then has full view of the scary situation, rather
than shying because it's coming from behind or underneath.  The dogs
went straight for the back of my horse's legs, and being as sweet as he
is, he was nervous but remained collected.  He lifted one leg as if to
kick and held it there but never did it.  I now wish he had planted a
blow on one of them.  I am a dog owner and love my animal but always
have him under control.
People who own dogs must be better educated about the potential dangers
of mixing a natural predator and prey animal.  It would have been so
easy for those dogs to take a bite out of my horse's tendon, and that
would be it.  Or, worse yet, one or both of our horses may have freaked
so badly that someone could get severely hurt or killed.  That woman
would then be liable for all of it -- simply because she chose not to be
responsible.  Wondering what others have done to avert potentially
disastrous situations with dogs and their irresponsible owners.
I'll save my bellyaching about drivers for later.  Suffice it to say
that I'll never look at moving vehicles of any kind the same way after
seeing the Horse Whisperer.

Shannon & Mistik