Defra confirms new livestock worrying law does not cover ridden horses

Defra has confirmed that the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act — which came into force this year and gave police greater powers and courts tougher penalties for livestock worrying — does not extend to ridden horses, on or off the road. The Act does cover horses being moved between fields along roads and paths, but the protection does not automatically apply to a horse being ridden in a public space.

The clarification came after Victoria Privett and Katie Smart of the Leash & Release campaign wrote to Defra last autumn. As Privett put it to Horse & Hound, the most vulnerable moment for a horse and rider is precisely when they are out in public. Defra has pointed to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 as an alternative route, though the relevant section makes an offence of an out-of-control dog injuring "any person or assistance dog" — with no mention of horses or other animals. Solicitor Hannah Bradley of Aria Grace Law noted that horses fall awkwardly between categories, being neither farmed livestock in the traditional sense nor covered elsewhere, and that a civil claim can be difficult and expensive with no guarantee of recovery.

Leash & Release now intends to petition for that section of the 1991 Act to be widened to cover horses and other pets, including other dogs, though they have said they will wait for the political picture to settle before launching it. The British Horse Society says it will continue to lobby Government, and advises anyone involved in a dog-related riding incident to seek legal advice early — some members can access its free legal support helpline.

For dog owners the practical message is unchanged and worth repeating: a lead near horses and livestock costs nothing, and most incidents involve dogs whose owners were confident they would not give chase. For horse owners, the legal position is murkier than the headlines around the new Act suggested, and it is worth knowing that before an incident rather than after one.