Loose Dogs and Horse Riding Accidents

Whilst dogs do not legally have to be on a lead in a public place the law does state that they must be under close control. This means that if you cannot trust your dog to follow commands it should be on a lead.

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 makes it a criminal offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place. A dog is considered to be out of control if it injures a person or their animal or gives reasonable grounds for the person to fear that he/she may be injured. This also applies to a dog which attacks or threatens to attack a horse. The incident should be reported to the police who will make a decision in respect of whether or not to charge the dog owner under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

From a civil law perspective a Claimant can seek to pursue damages if a dog has caused injury. The injury and associated losses might have arisen from behaviour such as chasing, biting or jumping. The behaviour could have been exhibited in a public place or in the dog’s own garden.

In addition to reporting horse related accidents caused by dogs to the police, the incident can be reported on the British Horse Society website.

Ultimately each civil case for compensation will be considered and judged on its own facts.