Any tips on hunting?

[janegregory]

Hi. I wonder whether anyone could offer any advice on pony care before and after hunting? My daughter will be hunting for the first time next week and I am a non-horsey mother (although learning fast!). I am sure there are things I should know about what to feed him or do with him both in the lead-up to his day out and also for the day or so afterwards - ie. should he have hay on the night before, an extra feed or should I aim to send him out on an emptyish stomach? Also after he returns what about rugging, stabling, feeding/watering that evening and also feeding and exercise on the day or so afterwards. Should I give him any supplements? Our pony is a lovely fit and healthy 14.2hh pure bred Connemara gelding, rising 9 years old. He is a good doer so at the moment he is grazing in the field for about 6/7 hours a day and then stabled the rest of the time. He has a full haynet at night (eats every strand!) and also one daily feed consisting of Hi Fi Lite chaff mixed in with a measured scoop of Top Spec Feed Balancer Lite. If he is doing extra work (lesson or pc rally etc) I will usually also add in a scoop of Top Spec Cool Condition Cubes for a day or so beforehand. He is not currently on any supplements and is looking very good. (I seem to remember someone once saying something about giving them extra salt after hunting. Is this true?) Any tips or words of wisdom would be gratefully received. Thanks very much!

 

[muffinino]

Copied from my NL answer

Mine is fed in the morning and evening anyway so I just carry this out as normal on the day. I add some electrolites to the evening feed (and an egg as a treat ) as he will not drink water with anything added but will eat anything! So I would give yours a small feed the night before and in the morning along with normal hay, plus some hay while getting ready as it might be a long day.
When I get back I turn mine out for a while so I can muck out (never enough time with plaiting in the morning ) and he can have a roll & chill out. Also helps him stretch his muscles out, which prevents injury. If he's had a hard day, you could ice/clay his legs. Just sponge him down if needed, check over thoroughly for injury and rug/put to bed as normal. I always make sure there's an extra deep bed down so sleepy pony can have a good snooze and as mine is deep littered the bed is very soft and springy
Hope your daughter has a good day

 

[JenHunt]

every horse is different....but here is a rough guide from what I do. my lad won't go out when i get back - he just stands at the gate and shouts at me to get him in! but he will drink electrolytes in water by the bucket full!

I would continue your usual routine with him in the days before hunting (adding the cool condition cubes for at least a few days IMO).

The night before
- add a measure of electrolytes into the evening feed.
- make sure he has extra water for the night.
- make sure he is as clean as possible when you leave him for the night to save time in the morning.
- plait up if it's a long journey in the morning.
- make up extra haynets for tomorrow night.
- get stable bandages rolled up and laid out with gamgee.
- clean tack, hat silk and jacket, lay everything out for the morning then have early night.

The morning of.
- plait up, if not already done!
- do the main polishing and extra socks washing if necessary)
- then feed as usual. (i aim to feed an hour before travelling)
- get as much mucking out as you can before you leave (even if the floor is left empty during the day)
- leave stable rugs, bandages, buckets, sponges and grooming kit in easy reach.
- put haynet in trailer, hitch up and turn around.
- put kit in vehicle and then check again!
- put on fleece rug, travel boots and get going.

on returning to trailer.
- untack quickly.
- put on fleece rug and travel boots.
- load up and go home - don't hang around he'll get cold.

on returning home.
- get horse's legs washed off with hose pipe, and body washed off with sponge and bucket as quickly as possible.
- squeegy off and put fleece rug and stable rug on top.
- offer water with electrolyte in (if you think he'll drink it), otherwise just plain water.
- put horse away with plenty of hay. I aim to do this within 20 mins of getting back
- bed up around him.
- sort out trailer and tack etc.
- have cup of tea and sandwich.
- go back, 'quarter' the horse, giving good groom to massage tired muscles, and get any last remnants of mud and sweat out of the coat.
- check horse is warm enough, adjust rugs if necessary
- put on stable bandages.
- feed, with electrolytes if not given in water. I aim to feed about an hour after putting him in with hay.
- check water buckets are full
- check haynets and leave until last thing.

Last thing.
- check haynets and water are full
- check horse not too warm/cold. take fleece rug off if not needed.
- late night feed if fed

Next morning
- feed
- ride out for half hour in walk
- turn out as usual

 

[star]

my horse lives out so possibly slightly different routine. also i only draghunt so it's not as long a day. he stays out as normal night before with normal feed. morning of hunt he comes in and has breakfast while I start grooming him and plaiting him up which takes about an hour to get him ready to travel. I travel him with saddle and boots on so just have bridle to put on when i get there. I do that in the trailer and dont unload him until i'm ready to get on as he just gets tizzy standing tied up as knows where he is. after wards get back to box, untack quickly, rug on. then use warm water to wipe him over and rug up for journey home which normally means a fleece cooler, thermatex and stable rug - they seem to get cold very easily afterwards and need many more rugs than you would normally use. i then sponge off the legs and put thermatex leg wraps on followed by travel boots and get him home. once home he's nice and dry, gets a nice big dinner made with warm water if it's a cold day and rugged up then turned out with plenty of hay. next day he has a day off and spends it in the field as normal.

 

[janegregory]

Wow! What a fabulous check-list - you ought to publish that as a poster! I will certainly use it as my bible, thank you very much!

 

[JenHunt]

why thank you!

like i said though, every horse is different, a few times out and you'll soon realise what works best for you.

some horses need to go out in the field for an hour or so to unwind and settle down - my lad is a right teenager tho and would rather be in his bed!

the key, in any case is organisation and routine!

hope you all have a good day!

 

[kick_On]

sounds very complicated........ only extra things i do from normal day

nite before:
- cleaning, plait and bandages
- check tack, coat and boots - they're already clean as always do them after hunting
- make sure have chocolate, hip flask and cap ready

morning:
- take pack lunch for me - 3 bananas, 2 chocolate bars and flask of coffee- tis for me after hunting
- muck out and set out, but thicker bed than normal
- polish horse again and again - hack to meet- IMO warms your horse for a good days hunting

on way home
- always check we have leg in each corner with shoes on and hopefully sound. If going home right way find water to wash off in (at mo have floods fields). Mixture of walk and trot to warm down horse.
- At home only wash of if mud very thick, wet BUT NOT if freezing weather. Always in cold water with hibbscrub to combat mudfever etc Brush off as much dry mud, but i am of the opinion of not too much fussying around, as they have had a long day and just want to get warm and comfortable in stable.
- Whilst in sweat rugs check leg for lumps, bumps and thorns and then dry, remove plaits and bandages legs.
- Add one kettle of hot water to water tub, so it takes chill off water, leave in sweat rug horse and put in stable and allow to chill out with large hay.
- Sort rider out (eat) and wash tack and by this time horse will have chilled out and will be ready to have tea
-Feed
-Change rugs (make sure horse hasn't broken out in sweats!!) and top up water
- If all well go home

Next day
-De-bandage check legs, no hot bits, no new lumps or bumps
- Trot up for soundness
-brush of any remaining mud
and chuck on NZ and put in field to chill all day

 

[Lyndsay]

A cheat for on the return home is to boil up the kettles and wash the horses down all over with warm water. Scrape off and put an old cotton bed sheet onto horse, add a fleece rug or cooler on top and walk for 5-10 mins before putting horse back into stable with haynet. 20 minutes later the horse should be warm and dry ready for a final brush off beofre he gets his stable rug on for the night.
Hope this helps.

 

[smirnoff_ice07]

I tend to just do the same as on a normal day, muck out in the morning, feed earlier tho so he's well digested before we leave and try to get him warmed up a bit before the meet.

When we get back i walk him until he's calm and put a wicking fleece on for the way home so he's normally dry when we get back to the yard. Depending on the weather and his mood i sometimes turn him out but if we're not back until say 5 I don't bother, just put him in with a haynet and make sure he's warm, and give him normal feed later when he's got some hay in his stomach. My boy is also 14.2 connemara very calm and copes very well with hunting. I always warm his water a bit and only give him a bit at a time tho so he doesn't colic.
You so lucky, your daughter will have a fantastic day our hunting finished 2 weeks ago so am seriously gutted at the mo!!!