I absolutley loved Sam Adam's presentation. She has a wealth of very practical knowledge about keeping you ,your dog and others safe on the trail. As a mom of 5 herding dogs and 7 horses it was refreshing and a relief to hear a trainer talk about horses and dog encounters on the trail. Most people don't realize that horses are prey animals ,and since dogs are predators some very unfortunate incidents have happened to horses ,their riders , and off leash dogs. I personally know of riders who have been seriously injured ( broken neck) after falling off their terrified horse that was being chased by an off leash dog on the trail. A law suit resulted . I also know of an off leash dog that was kicked to death by a terrified cornered horse whose only defenses are to run or in this case fight. I know of horseback riders who have had to teach their dogs to turn on a dog in self defense on the trails to prevent an attack. Other riders have had to resort to carrying long whips to beat dogs off their horses! These things could so easily be prevented if dogs were on leash and taught good trail behavior!
Education is key to keeping everyone safe on the trail!
Thank you Sam for bringing up this crucial topic that is hardly ever talked about !
Gundi Manteufel - Grajciar gundi1@yahoo.com