These two dogs enjoyed Rolex last year. Photo by Teresa Craig.
The debate about whether or not dogs should be banned at horse trials seems to rear its ugly head every year, and for good reason. Every time a dog slips its leash and chases a horse on course, it puts the welfare of the dog, horse and rider at risk. But there are compelling opinions on both sides of the debate, which Horse & Hound addressed in its most recent issue. The H&H Online forums have been lighting up with comments on both sides of the debate, although H&H said most comments seem to favor banning dogs. An informal poll posted in the forums showed that 63 percent of responders were in favor of a ban, according to Horse & Hound. “Put yourself in the rider’s place. How would you feel if a dog ran out at you, put you and your horse off and totally ruined months of training?” one commenter said.
But the officials of major British horse trials told Horse & Hound they have no intentions of banning dogs; rather, it seems horse trials are going out of their way to welcome our canine friends. Hugh Thomas, director of Badminton Horse Trials, said a ban has been considered every year for the past 30 years; but Badminton has never pulled the trigger. “When one of those infernal long retracting leads gets wrapped around a visitor’s ankles or a loose dog chases a horse on the cross-country course, we veer towards a ban, but so far not enough actually to implement one,” Thomas said. Badminton believes dogs contribute to the wonderful atmosphere of a big horse trial, which is why the event provides a dog holding area, as well as plenty of bags to facilitate poo clean-up.
Sadly, while there are thousands of responsible dog owners who keep their pooches leashed and poop scooped at horse trials, there are others who neglect to properly contain their dogs and clean up messes. And, of course, this problem isn’t isolated to British events. We’ve all seen loose dogs and had to dodge dog poo at U.S. events. The main concerns cited by commenters in the H&H forums were dogs chasing horses, owners failing to clean up after their dogs and threats to animal welfare. But are those reasons sufficient enough to outlaw dogs from attending horse trials? Weigh in, EN. Do you think dogs should be banned from horse trials? How can horse trials better address the dilemma of loose pooches, dog poo and animal welfare? Many thanks to Horse & Hound for addressing this issue.
