A Revelstoke riding instructor’s horse is recovering from wounds after two huskies chased and bit it on the Columbia River flats last week.
Traci Ludwig was giving a lesson to a young rider on the flats south of the Illecillewaet River when the two dogs appeared out of the long grass and chased the two horses.
Ludwig said her young student did well to hang on when her horse bolted. “It showed how well she is riding. She stayed on at a dead gallop,” she said, noting the danger of the situation.
The horse suffered three bite marks on its rump. It also kicked and seriously injured one of the dogs.
The dogs’ owner, a young man, eventually caught up to the scene and leashed the dogs, but not until after the damage had been done.
Ludwig asked dog owners to be careful. “They should respect horses around there,” she said.
The flats south of the footbridge across the Illecillewaet River is designated off-leash for dogs. However, Ludwig warns dog owners that they can be unpredictable around horses and prone to unexpected prey drive and pack behaviour.
Ludwig said the area is used more heavily since the Illecillewaet footbridge was installed last year.
She was unaware of any signage advising dog owners that horses may be in the area.