A mum is keen to raise awareness of how dogs can behave around horses after a “serious attack” at a beauty spot left her teenage daughter badly shaken.

Elisa Lanzani, 16, was out hacking with her “calm” traditional cob Smithy in Mugdock Country Park near Glasgow earlier this month when three English bull terriers surrounded them.

Glasgow Times:

The “completely out of control” trio, who were not on leads and quite a distance from their owners, bit Smithy’s legs and nose, bursting his strong leather bridle.

Elisa's mum Eilidh told the Glasgow Times: “Elisa was hacking on a bridle path, which many horses and riders use.

“These dogs came running towards them and Smithy turned to bolt. They surrounded him, one in front and two behind. He then began to buck and rear.

“Elisa was shouting and screaming at the people to recall their dogs, they're attacking, but they didn’t make any attempt to call their dogs back and when they caught up they had no leads to put the dogs on.”

Glasgow Times:

Fortunately, the teenager, who was left “hysterical” and "hyperventilating" by the frightening incident, was able to use her core strength to stay on.

Following the attack, she suffered from sore muscles from clinging on and a sore throat from screaming, but miraculously both she and nine-year-old Smithy emerged relatively unscathed.

Glasgow Times:

Eilidh fears, however, it could have been a very different outcome with a different rider or a more reactive horse.

“Smithy has got quite quick feather around his legs, so I don't think their teeth managed to get through that, but if it had been a finer horse like a thoroughbred, they could have locked onto his leg and it could have been fatal,” explained the 45-year-old from Milngavie.

“He did have some blood around his mouth but we checked and couldn't see any injury in it.

“Elisa did really well to stay on. We’re lucky she’s a good rider because if she’d fallen off, the dogs would have either had her, she could have ended up under Smithy’s hooves or he could have bolted and we would have lost him.“

Glasgow Times:

In the aftermath, it is claimed the owners, however, refused to give any details and did not wait to see if Elisa or Smithy were injured.

Eilidh hopes some good can come from the experience by using it as an opportunity to educate others on the dangers dogs can pose to horses and their riders.

“It could have been any breed of dog. It's the owners that had them out of control,” she said. “I don’t think it’s the dogs’ fault at all.

"I’ve got two dogs myself and English bull terriers can be really calm, lovely, loving dogs, but it's pack instinct when there's three of them.

“I think it's important that people know how dogs can potentially behave around horses and that can be really unpredictable and you need to put them on the lead."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of a horse having been injured by dogs in Mugdock Country Park on Sunday, October 1, 2023.

“Appropriate advice was given.”