Neighbors dogs chasing mare...advice please?

This is the point of the donkey. They likely will take a swing or strike the offending animal or at least turn and chase. Can't even imagine worrying about the repercussions of a chased animal defending itself. If the dog owners are that unreasonable, he's got bigger problems anyway.

One thing that hasn't been fully addressed, is the question if something
were to happen to the offending dogs - like being either temporarily or
permantly removed by the o.p., are those owners likely to retaliate in kind?

Only the o.p. can make or afford to make that call. For those of us residing
further out in the country, the most practical means of handling such a situation,
is SSS. For the o.p. & those within city limits (and earshot), not the same options.

I wish you the best in whatever decision is needed, to protect you and yours.

I'll jump on the "get a donkey" bandwagon, with the addendum of "or a bomb-proof mule." If you can afford the additional upkeep, of course (which is less with most donkeys and mules than with most horses). Self-assured mules that have been treated respectfully and trained well are a joy to work with and ride, and will run down 4-legged pasture intruders just like donkeys will (we had a pair who even ran down smaller animals they "knew" from the other side of the fence, which was not good, but made clear why other people's dogs were never in our pasture). The other bonus to having a second equine is that the mare will probably be calmer with company--equines are, after all, herd animals, and do better in groups than as singles.

I should rent out our grumpy pony as a dog training device.

I don't think you'd be out of line at all to approach the neighbors and tell them "Look, I'm as much of a dog lover as the next person, but these dogs are chasing a horse that I trust my daughter's life with. That horse is starting to develop a fear of dogs, and that means that it's very possible that when my DD is riding her, if a random dog shows up somewhere, that horse may panic and injure or kill my child in the frey. The safety of my child means more to me than anything else, and I just can't allow your dogs to put this kind of fear into her horse. Unfortunately, from now on any dog who enters the pasture will be shot on sight. I wanted to give you fair warning so you'll know to keep your dogs safe at home from now on."

After that, if the dogs STILL show up you shoot them. Aim to kill, if you maim the dogs you may be on the hook for the vet bills and the owners could push to charge you with animal cruelty, depending on your local laws.

The key is to make this about the safety of your HUMAN CHILD, not about their dog vs. your horse. They can argue all day long that their dog is worth just as much as your horse, but they should understand the liability involved in endangering a human life.

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I guess that shows the difference in temperament of horses, or maybe the body language of the dogs. Three of our four horses pay no attention to our dogs. The pony, however, goes out of her way to chase them. She even landed a hoof to the face of our bigger dog. I worry more about our young rat terrier getting stomped by the pony, than I worry about dogs chasing the horses. I honestly never thought about dogs chasing horses! I didn't know it happened.
If you have an electric fence, add a lower strand. Maybe even train the neighbor dogs with bacon grease or peanut butter smeared on aluminum foil, wrapped around the low strand.

Or, borrow my pony. Don't feel like you have to bring her back!

It's all been touched on.

I am just reminded of an older mare I used to know, a lesson horse at a place I once worked. She was spooked by couple dogs and tried to go through a fence. She didn't belong to any of those individual kids, but they were pretty heartbroken all the same. I don't even like to think about it.

What a shame that you live near people who think so little of others that they allow their dogs to run. I am very sorry about that, I have also been there. All you can do is protect your child, and the horse who depends on you. This isn't your fault, and it isn't the dog's fault, but here you are anyway.

FWIW I like bulldogs but I have seen one break through a solid wood fence to get at what it wanted on the other side. They have to be supervised and trained. This one is not.

Honestly, can of worms here maybe, but if all these wonderful neighbors of yours will do is chain their dogs, I think death is preferable for them.

This is scary stuff. I don't live in your state, but where I live, good fencing is for two things-- to keep things in, and to keep things out. Hot wire is a good, proactive first step. If the dogs invade and you shoot, the situation can quickly escalate and suddenly you have the kind of neighbors that vandalize your property or harass your family.

Years ago we had some neighbors who wouldn't keep their dogs home. I used to find their uhh, calling cards in my vegetable garden. Speaking to them about it resulted in threats to shoot my windows out. I ended up contacting Animal Control for live traps; and if they wanted their dogs back, they had to pay escalating fines. We moved not long after that, and I was so glad to see these jerks in my rear-view mirror.

A few years back, some neighbors here had some dogs hassling their horses, and the horses broke through the fence one night and went running. They connected at about 3am with two cars. One guy was hospitalized, one horse dead at the scene and another euthanized, and both cars were totaled. Guess who was liable for the accident? The horse owners.

It's just being proactive to work at both keeping things in, and keeping things out. Your neighbors *should* keep their dogs home. But just in case, see what you can do to keep their dogs out.

I'm so sorry this is happening. I'm a devoted dog lover and have been deeply involved with horses for many years. No two ways about it, this situation really stinks.

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That's a good point about training the dogs to fear the fence with bacon grease smeared on tin foil fastened to the fence. It gets them right on the wet tongue or nose.

My dogs are afraid of even a weak electric fence.

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Iam not sure what answer you are looking for..neighbors dog on my land chasing my horse, they are aware of their dogs are over here.. problem not corrected, solve it by shooting the dog, done deal. This may seem harsh but they wont solve the problem so you need too or accept the dog chasing your horse

You asked for advice.... if I were in your shoes, I would shoot, shovel, and shut-up.

About a week ago, I was working outside, when 2 Red Heelers showed up. Not large dogs, by any means, but they are not welcome here. I ran back toward the house, to get a gun. Luck was on their side, as they quickly ran off.

In the past, we've tried giving trespassing dogs, a nice shot in the butt, as a wake up, but it didn't seem to deter them from coming back.

Good luck with your situation.

Shoot the dogs.

Can you get a livestock guardian dog? I would increase the fencing, talk with the neighbors, and either get a guard donk or mule. My old mule would chase a dog down and stomp it flat in no time if she could catch it. My guardian dog was accepted by the mule and left alone, appears she "knew" the dog should be there and never tried to hurt her.

But neighbors dogs knew to stay out of the pasture as either the mule or the Pyr would be all over them.

Otherwise, you are going to have one spooky horse and possibly a hurt child. I have raised horses for years, and once a horse gets dog shy it is hard to undo that fear and spookiness and I never think of them as "reliable".

It's your child..what do you think the value is in a horse getting spooked by these dogs while your kid is riding and the horse runs through a fence, or bucks the kid off and she gets hurt? Is it worth a couple of problem dogs?

I am a MOM, a horse person with over 40 years of hands on experience raising, training, and teaching lessons. This does not sound like it will have a good outcome unless you talk with the neighbors and then become pro-active by either increasing the fencing with dog proof fence, adding a livestock guardian of whatever type, or doing a shoot, shovel and shutup scenario.

I would hate for the horse to get blamed for being "spooky" because the dogs have chased her into a frenzy..

btw - did you know that horses will colic if they get too stressed? That and a few hundred dollars for vet bills will add impetus to finding a cure for the dogs that are chasing the horse..

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Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

My Shetland Pony just hated dogs. ANY dog that came in his pen, his head was down, ears back and he would ran them right out of the stall. He Meant Business, I Loved It~!
And yet he was the best small horse I ever had. He would ride in the backseat of my '67 Impala. I would haul him all over the place and want Micky D's French Fries and a Sausage McMuffin.
Even got photographed once while driving on I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson as he was in the backseat of that Impala. LOL

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As an extra note, don't think it has been brought up yet, but you say you are on the edge of town and not out in the county.

Most towns no matter how small usually have some sort of leash laws. I would also research the fence laws. Neighbor who doesn't control their dogs and keep them out of your pasture should (and may have to) pay or pay their share of putting up fencing to keep their dogs out.

Many places if a dog is chasing (not necessarily attacking, or having to wait for them to make physical contact) or menacing large livestock, you are definitely within your rights (and really, responsibilities) to shoot the dog. As someone pointed out, if your horse/cow/donkey/other large livestock gets out and causes a wreck, you are responsible for the damages.

Don't they make large paintballs that are filled with noxious substances like skunk stink, etc....along with brightly colored paint? That might be an option to think of.

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I like the idea of a fence charger and bacon covered hot wire.

I have had the sad experiance of killing dogs around here. Two of them were pit bulls, The one in our chickens had a collar on and was 15 miles from his home.

oh so sorry you are dealing with this. It is never fun but I would say two things:
1. The poor horese is going to become very frightened of dogs which can be a danger to you and your family. Not that the horse would intentionally hurt you, but the fight or flight reaction will take over and you could be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
2. A bullet cost a lot less then having to have the vet come out to doctor the horse.

I totally understand where you are coming from, I hate to shoot anything but I've had to do it a couple of times. Funny, once we starting shoot, our city-neighbors who think they are county folks, starting keepign their dogs at home.

Get a standard sized donkey that has been as a guardian...The dogs will most likely only visit once with a good one in the pasture IF they make it out alive!!

OK - before everybody jumps on my suggestion - game commissions often use poison to control animals - being it coyotes or to stop the spread of rabies or unwanted species - so it is done - farmers also do it to kill predators - you probably do it to get rid of mice -now some people will say that this is cruel way to kill an animal - I say - it depends on how bad you want to get rid of a particular animal - if you want to find ways of getting rid of dogs just google - how to poison dogs - and your problem is solved - it's up to you - me - I ain't suggesting anything - just reporting the facts - you decide -

I had another thought, but don't know if it is workable for your situation.

Shock collars are effective in stopping predatory behaviors in dogs, people use them to train dogs not to chase chickens. I am talking about the push button remote control type of collar. The trick is to shock the dog when it is chasing, with no verbal correction. That way, the dog associates the shock with the behavior, not the people. You would need the dog owners help with this, and someone has to pay for the collar.

If that fails, tie a dead horse to the dog's collar.