Care after a days hunting?

[henryhorn]

No it won't heal injuries but at least you can then see any! Depending on what type of injury a hot shower isn't likely to do much harm anyway I'd have thought.
I am sure she would have checked the horses very carefully once clean, she was that sort of lady..
It was a big professional dealing/hunting yard in Cheshire and she took us inside later for coffee laced with a dollop of brandy..... it surprised us at the time because they were the first infra red lights/proper wash system I had ever seen, it was many years ago when people still had jute rugs!

 

[siennamum]

I always do the bare minimum after hunting, like them to be unfussed and allowed to relax.
I rarely bring a really tired horse home these days as I'm too idle to stay out for more than a couple of hours. I used to hunt twice a week with a big Midlands Pack though and was sole groom to the MFH. Even then did the same things.
Arrived home with a dry horse, would have always walked for a good while and they would have cooled off.
Quick wash or brush to ensure they are comfortable & uninjured. Everything else as normal. Normal feed, hay, bedding an extra rug (Thermatex or similar). Have never bandaged an uninjured horse (apart from excercise bandages). Wouldn't turn out, as they would still expect to see hounds over the horizon, and they would have had a 20 minute walk home. If a really hard day's hunting they wouldn't go to bed till tea time anyway. If a short day then no real reason to fuss.
Next day a proper groom & all day in the field.
We used to feed bran mashes but haven't made one for 25 years and not about to start now.

 

[Nickymac]

Ours come home and in turn go into the wash box with the heat lamps on. Legs are washed off with cold water to close the pores, then hot bath (head to toe), checking for any injury as we go along. Then plaits out, squirt of homeopathic stuff in the mouth (RRA - Rhus Tox, Arnica and something else beginning with R that I can't remember!), Thermatex on and into stable so the next one can be washed off. Once the last one is done the first one goes back in, heat lamps lowered to get them dry and toasty, then night rugs on, No Bruise spray and leg wraps on.

The next day they are trotted up and turned out for a little while (as long as it's not chucking it down with rain or freezing cold - it's a bit bleak at ours! ). Then when they come in they have the magnetic/massage rug on to soothe any sore/tired bits, all ready for a normal day the next day.

I know we're lucky with the facilities we've got, but I would always wash off even if we didn't have the heat lamps and wash box.

 

[KatB]

A hireling year near us used to bring them off the lorry and power wash them with cold water ( Horrid IMHO!!! Mine gets washed off before boxing up after finished hunting, and travel in fleeces/thermatex. Pony used to have 2 normal fleeces and a full neck fleece on way home as he used to stay hyper and had to be kept relatively warm.

 

[Heidi1]

Mine gets washed down with warm water with a antiseptic body wash in, she will then be bandaged and have a couple of fleeces on to travel home and offered a small drink, once home she will be turned out for an hour to chill out and then will have a large net of haylage, two buckets of water one with electrolytes in and the other plan, with the slight chill taken off them, a smallish feed will be offered, but she tends to leave it anyway. Next day she will be turned out for the whole day and returned to a normal routine.........

 

[k9h]

Ruta is the other one Nickym!

When I was at the Percy with 25 hunt horses, staff horses & Lady V's.
When they came back into boxes untacked & plaited turned out one after the other in indoor school to roll (as stables were rubber mats & they lifted if they rolled on them.
We had auto bowls in stables so on certain horses we would turn these off & put in 2 buckets with warm water & electrolytes. When they had drunk them we turned the auto's back on.
We had two hot shower wash boxes, 2 of us washed & the other 2 tack.
After their roll, into wash box a showered down to get rid of sweat, mud & to check for any injuries. Warm water on body cold on legs. Then thermatex on & into stable with haynet.
We never bandaged, them ever. One or two would get ice tight if had a hard day or been bogged, Chippy got it everytime as he was the retired Huntsmans horse & he himself was in his late teens & not the best of legs!
When finished washing went to help with tack.
When tack done back to check horses, those that were dry got their night rugs on. One horse use to always break out in the night no matter what, so we put 2 thermatex's on him to keep him warm & dry.
Then when all done we would feed up, on hunting days I use to boil linseed for them.
Do a late check to check everything OK around 11pm.
Next day, they would get turned out in the field to rest & stretch their legs & chill out. Then back to exercise the following day.
We hunted 4 days a week in the season so we had it running like clock work!

 

[MandyMoo]

well....when i get back 2 the lorry, if they r wet at that moment, wash off with warm water and hibiscrub (dissolves dirt away easily) put on thermatex and load up, but if they r dry, then just thermatex and load up and when i get back 2 the yard cactus cloth them down to remove dried sweat. when i put them in their stable i give them 1 bucket of water thats had the chill just taken off it with some warm water. then once their thirst is quenched give them as much as they like...then i give them a normal feed as usual (after atleast 30mins) i like to keep feed the same as to not upset digestive system. and whether tyo keep them in or not i decide whether the day has been fast or not...if its been relativly gentle and short i turn them out...but if it has been a 4 hour fast hunt...then keep them in as i think they will benefit from a good nights rest. =] thats generally what i do with my horse after hunting LOL =P mandy xx

 

[emma69]

Routine for dealing with liveries after they have been hunting

Unload their horses for them, as the humans were generally in far worse shape than the animals. Owners couldn't comprehend how half an hours schooling 3 times a week did not leave them in tip top shape.

Wash down horses, and liveries too. Warmer water used on horses than humans

Watch owners try to bandage horse. Giggle quietly. Eventually take pity on them and help

Decide to put kettle on for well earned cuppa. Race out mid-tea making to confiscate bran mashes that had appeared from no where, as I have no desire to deal with the resulting colic from giving horses giant feeds of a substance they have never had in their lives.

Return to making cuppa. Realise while adding milk that slightly drunk-from-her-hipflask-livery hasn't bothered to bolt stable door and horse is now on an escape mission

Having returned horse to stable, whilst simultaneously putting the rug on the right way around, find cuppa is now cold. Think stuff it and decide the pub is a better plan.

Get stopped on route to car by owner claiming horse has life threatening injury.

Remove thorn

Try to get back to car

Get stopped by livery because 'you know human first aid too right'?

Pick self off floor after having seen perfect horse shoe print in bruise on liveries bum

Re-tell tale at pub to ensure some free booze

And they wondered why I didn't want to go out for the entire day with them.......