Teen rider in safety plea after horse bitten by out-of-control dog

A teenager is urging people to control their dogs while out walking, after her horse was attacked during a ride.

Georgia Nairn, 14, was riding alone in a nature reserve near her home in Lockerbie, when a dog on a retractable lead ran up and bit her horse on the shoulder.

It caused the horse, William, to rear up but Georgia - an experienced jockey - was able to steer him away from the dog and bring him back under control.

William was not badly injured in the attack, which was caught on camera, but Georgia said it could have been so much worse.

"If he reared up any higher I probably would have fallen off. There's a main road nearby and he probably would have ran to get away," she said.

Video footage from Georgia's body-worn camera shows the moments before the attack, when two dog walkers move to either side of the forestry track.

As Georgia walked her horse between the two dogs, one bounded towards her, causing her horse to rear up on its hind legs.

''I was panicking and didn't know what to do," she said.

''William's quite good and has always been quite calm but if I was on my [other younger horse] then it could have ended so differently as he could have got a fright."

The teenager said she was now scared of returning to the place where it happened in Eskrigg nature reserve and had changed the routes where she goes riding.

Georgia's mother, Katie, said she was horrified when she watched the video of the incident.

She said: ''It was really scary. Georgia phoned me in a panic.

"The actual reality when I saw the video and understood that she wasn't exaggerating in any way and that it had been quite a dangerous situation was really worrying as a mother.''

Katie and her husband have three children who all enjoy riding their horses in the local countryside.

She said what happened to Georgia was rare and urged people to act with consideration while walking their dogs.

The family have not reported the incident to the police.

''The countryside is here for us all to enjoy and it's just about being thoughtful, kind and courteous and keeping your dog under control and on a short lead,'' she said.

Katie said the couple did not offer an apology to Georgia.

Police Scotland said horses and riders were required to be provided with sufficient space by road and rural path users.

Insp Ian Harvey is part of the national rural, acquisitive and business crime preventions team with Police Scotland.

He said: "Dog owners should maintain control over their dogs at all times and when passing horses, dogs should be kept on a short lead.

"We encourage incidents of this nature to be reported to police, Police Scotland work in partnership with the British Horse Society and other partners as part of the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC), equine incidents are part of the priorities for this working group."