Dramatic footage shows moment rider is thrown off their horse after it is spooked by a small dog chasing it on beach
- A rider was thrown off their pony after he was spooked by a dog circling him
- The scary incident happened on Wallasey beach in Wirral, Merseyside yesterday
- Footage was posted by horse’s owner, Debbie Gallagher, who said rider was okay
A dramatic video shows the moment a rider is thrown off their pony after it is spooked by a small dog chasing it on beach.
Debbie Gallagher, the pony’s owner shared the footage online of the incident yesterday in a plea to dog owners to keep their pets under control.
The rider was thrown off the pony, named Filan, on Wallasey beach in Wirral, Merseyside.
A dramatic video shows the moment Filan the pony is spooked by a small dog circling his hooves on Wallasey beach in Wirral, Merseyside, yesterday
The clip, filmed by the rider, shows the pony’s head and neck as the small dog circles the animal’s hooves below.
This sends Filan into a panic and the pony begins spinning around to try and avoid the dog, which appears to be a French bulldog.
Eventually, Filan makes a break for it and begins bolting, pursued by the dog.
The rider tries to maintain control, however an abrupt turn shunts them off.
As the clip ends, the rider is seen clattering to the ground while Filan runs away.
The pony’s owner, Debbie Gallagher, took to Facebook to beg walkers to put their dogs on leads when they see horses.
Filan goes into a panic and begins jerking his neck and spinning around to try and avoid the dog and eventually begins galloping away, pursued by the dog
She uploaded the footage captioned: ‘Please, if you have dogs and they are reactive around horses please put them on leads, if you see horses on the beach, until the horses have passed.
‘This happened to my pony today, causing the rider to come off and causing my pony to bolt up the beach heading home.
‘Thankfully the rider was okay and Filan was caught in the car park before he got to the roads.’
The dramatic video has been watched more than 15,000 times.
Viewer Janine Balson-Blythe wrote under the post: ‘Hope they are both okay.’
Charley Turner added: ‘I can’t believe what happened to these, was awful. The owner should have seen a horse and put them on a lead.’
As the clip ends, the rider is seen clattering to the ground while the horse runs away, but thankfully both were okay. Footage was posted online by horse’s owner, Debbie Gallagher, in a plea to dog owners to keep their pets on a lead if there are horses around
However, Jacqui Stephenson wrote: ‘I take my dog on the beach often. To be honest, I get pretty frustrated at the way people riding horses behave.
‘I walk in the opposite direction when I see any horses and my dog has zero interest but I have seen people with their horses directly heading towards people with kids and dogs.
‘I don’t think people realise how intimidating horses are, they are big beasts. I agree that people should keep their dogs away from horses but people with horses should stay away from dogs also.’
A Public Spaces Protection Order introduced by Wirral Council in 2018 made Wallasey Beach a dog-free zone in the tourist season between May and September.
It is unrestricted during the winter months when dog walkers can let their animals off the lead.