Bit advice for a young, unbalanced Hunter

[spotty_pony]

Also in the Hunting Forum, sorry this isn't so long!

Question in title. Said horse is a 16.2 5 year old Irish Draught type who I have recently started riding. He has Hunted two seasons in Ireland and I am going to be Hunting him this Season for his new owner.

He still has a lot of maturing to do and is weak across his back which we are working on with schooling and Hillwork. He is still finding his feet and is unbalanced and has a tendency to fall onto the forehand and then become strong. Most of the time I can correct this by using plenty of leg and halfback halts to encourage him to sit back and work from behind except for when he comes excited and becomes stronger and then I have a bit of a battle on my hands.

I've taken him out on three Hunt rides and he has behaved fantastically, just getting a bit keen during longer spells of canter (where I will admit I have momentarily lost brakes, more due to the fact I let him bowl on a bit too much and he ended up running onto the forehand.) On the last ride we jumped a few fences and he was keen but was really taking me into the fences boldly which was a good thing, until the excitement became a little too much and we ended up loosing brakes and having to miss out the next few fences as I struggled to get him back together (and avoid running into people! ) He did settle again once everyone pulled up, but part of the problem is because he is so big and I am having to work quite hard to keep him together, I inevitably get tired after we have been on the move for quite a while which doesn't help the loss of brakes.

Horse is currently ridden in a D ring single jointed snaffle with copper rollers and does seem to like this bit. Owner is reluctant to try anything stronger because it is more of a balance issue and doesn't want him to drop behind the contact and stop going forwards and I do agree in some ways because the way he jumped was fantastic and I don't want to change that. It's just some of the in between bits which are a bit hairy so I guess what I'm really asking is should I just carry on as we are and as he develops the correct muscle to carry himself clare rectory through schooling, he should hopefully be more manageable aned just accept that this is going to take time or should I go down the different bit route? I was thinking of something with two reins if I did just so I could have a bit of extra control if needed but not sure if this would just encourage him to lean further onto the forehand?

Advice please!

 

[Jnhuk]

My 17.1 ID used to get very keen and strong during hunt rides and the few times we went out with our no longer local blood hound pack. If you are ok with a cheltenam gag on two reins - ride him on the normal rein when good then you have the extra brake rein when needed with the poll pressure. The only thing if your chap has a big mouth then you may have to hunt around to find one large enough or get custom made. He got better the more he did and as he matured etc... and he got more tuned in to what I was doing with my upper body and me sitting up meant slow but still even now he can have moments when you need something else.

 

[be positive]

I would go into a double bridle as you seem happy to use two reins, that should give you the extra required without compromising his education, you can use it at home and see if it give a good feel, with horses like this is can be a stage they go through as they get stronger physically and by the end of the season he may be balanced enough to go back to a snaffle.

 

[gunnergundog]

Sounds like you've been doing more with the horse on your fun rides than actually happens with a lot of packs out cubbing in the early weeks.

I would invest the time now and get him cubbing at least twice a week to teach him that hunting is actually boring; all about standing around, mooching from one field of maize to another and that hitting grass doesn't mean cantering.

Bit wise, a Cheltenham gag with the same mouthpiece you currently use plus two reins should do the job you require when needed.

 

[DabDab]

I would go into a double bridle as you seem happy to use two reins, that should give you the extra required without compromising his education, you can use it at home and see if it give a good feel, with horses like this is can be a stage they go through as they get stronger physically and by the end of the season he may be balanced enough to go back to a snaffle.

Ditto.

 

[Goldenstar]

Cheltenham gag with two riens would be what I would try .
We had to use a Dutch gag on H in his first two seasons which I hated because I loath them but he came working in one and it was the best thing at first .
You must stay focused that it's weakness that makes most young ID horses strong in the hand when they get on their fronts they get heavy - bred to pull with their shoulders they so often get spoilt by people who don't understand them .
It sounds like you know what you're at .
You have to be able to stop when it goes wrong an large ID lumbering about the hunting field is not fun .
I teach mine to stop when I pull on a martingale strap and say whoa whoa whoa once they get that you can do one whoa and tug as a half halt .I have voice trained both our ID's it's well worth doing as well .
Irish draught often chose to work in a long frame with their hocks trailing when young , fixing that in the school will give you the best results .
Lots of transitions taking a long time to do them will help teach him to stay closed up My youngest ID is ten and still gaining balance and strength in his balance his canter has taken ages to come .
I love ID's I am in the process of persuading myself we 'need ' a young one .

 

[spotty_pony]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I am reluctant to go for something too harsh as I do feel it's a balance thing with him and I don't want to spoil the fact he is taking the reins forwards as IME horses which start to drop behind the contact are much harder to correct as it is usually because they have become worried about their mouths. I am going to try him in my NS Verbindend as a comparison to the copper roller and go from there. I did consider a Waterford but I'm not sure that might be a bit mean for a horse which is unbalanced as they do require some support from the rider and a Waterford isn't very forgiving in that way.

 

[spotty_pony]

Sounds like you've been doing more with the horse on your fun rides than actually happens with a lot of packs out cubbing in the early weeks.

I would invest the time now and get him cubbing at least twice a week to teach him that hunting is actually boring; all about standing around, mooching from one field of maize to another and that hitting grass doesn't mean cantering.

Bit wise, a Cheltenham gag with the same mouthpiece you currently use plus two reins should do the job you require when needed.

Yes, it has just been a chance to get used to each other, and hopefully he will find Cubbing a lot more boring! It has given me a bit of an insight of what to expect when it comes to Hunting though, although he should be a lot more balanced and have started to develop the correct muscle by then.