Confused! Hunting and eventing?!

Vizslak

Vizslak

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Hi guys, can I get your opinions on this please?
Basically as you know my lad is for loan, had a lovely girl come see him the other day (the first person of many viewers who could ACTUALLY ride him :rolleyes:) Anyway unfortunately he couldnt bend right! Or canter right! (normally his strongest side) He had pulled a muscle under the saddle on his right hand side. Hit the roof when I ran my finger into it! He's a bit of a drama queen in any case but was a bit worried. After some physio to release the muscle on sat and sunday and a day off, he's back on form and no twinges so it was hardly horrendous! And tbh I think it was all the muppets riding him this last week letting him go hollow and majorly tense because he hates not having a contact to go into. Anyway that aside, the girl was meant to be coming back to view tomorrow now he is fine again.
She's messaged tonight saying she doesnt think he is right for her as he wont cope physically and mentally with BE?! Now physically I take it she means cos of his pulled muscle?! Not something thats ever happened before in the four years I have had him! But mentally she referred to a post I made the other day on fb when someone enquired if he would hunt....I replied no it would blow his brains and that I wouldnt take him hunting for all the tea in china! :o She said if he wont hunt then BE would blow his brains too as there is lots of horses there?! Am I being delusional here? In my mind he wouldnt hunt because he hates being in big groups of horses. Hemmed in and stopping and starting in a big group of horses would send him potty, he would hate it. He would also I think be thoroughly bored out hunting, not enough to think about...so then he makes his own entertainment!! I'm not sure where or how this compares to going out BE though?! In my opinion this horse was made for BE, he would love it and do well, if only I could take him myself we would be there doing it! Am I not being realistic? DO any of you have horses competing BE that wouldnt hunt?! Opinions please!
Choccy chip cookies and pear cider on offer! :D
 
Yep, my old boy scented but I wouldn't have ever hunted him as he would have killed me!! I would imagine there are plenty more out there too.
 
I would not, by choice, hunt my eventer as I suspect I would end up on the floor! That said, if I was trying to loan him, I'd be happy for someone else to try taking him, and would just warn them I thought he'd be a bit bonkers!! I wouldn't particularly want to take mine on a fun ride either though!!

The problem you have is your horse has no record (when I loaned mine he'd done Novice BE so it was clear he wasn't ridiculous at competitions) - so I have to say, I'd probably be wary too if I went to try a horse which had pulled a muscle, had no record and the owner said would not hunt. Has he done anything else to prove he's fine in big groups?
 
If you wanted to commit suicide you could *try* and take my boy hunting but he would event all day. He doesn't care. Does she have much experience?
 
She could be referring to the busy warm up areas?

And I wouldnt worry about a horse being bored out hunting, or messing about in that area, pretty much every horse will stand with the the others if not I tend to walk them round chatting to all.

As long as a horse has breaks and doesnt kick/rear dangerously id take it out.
:)
 
I see what you mean, no he has no record. She doesnt want to hunt him, she wants to BE! I would be happy for her to try anything with him to prove he's ok in a comp environment. He has done a fair bit unaff and is fine at comps, bit lary in the warm up occasionally but by no means horrendous and always fine and dandy when it counts!
 
Mucky Shavings said:
She could be referring to the busy warm up areas?

And I wouldnt worry about a horse being bored out hunting, or messing about in that area, pretty much every horse will stand with the the others if not I tend to walk them round chatting to all.

As long as a horse has breaks and doesnt kick/rear dangerously id take it out.
:)
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Ha if only we were in hunting season I would take you up on that! I would and have taken pretty much anything out hunting...I wouldnt hunt him though!

ETS yes SC I wouldnt want to ride mine on a fun ride either!
 
I have to say, I think she probably isn't the right person for him. You can tell her all this stuff, but if you have to persuade her to look at him again, then she's never going to be 100% committed. Do you have anyone who could take him out a couple of times to local shows or something and whom you could video to show a potential loaner?
 
I have lots of vids and pics of him at shows. I would take him again and get some more recent stuff but I just cant afford entries/travelling etc. :(
 
To me, and I don't want to sound rude here, but it sounds like she's trying to say no without hurting your feelings... :/

Horses don't have to hunt to be good eventers- Al's horse won't hunt as he has done and went up and backwards into hedges and it scared him (had to for P2P quals.). He'll hopefully be a good eventer at a decent level in time. He does stress in warmups and hates horses crowding him/ coming up from behind but it just means she's far more awake and alert!

Maybe his antics sound like a bit too much for her now, coupled with apparent lameness/ soreness and she's decided to walk away... You'll find the perfect person eventually- not all loaners are crap!!
 
Nah that doesnt sound rude Lolo, and I understand about the back thing, its sods law isnt it, I swear he conspires against me! I was just wondering if I was being daft about thinking this horse was BE potential despite the fact I wouldnt be seen dead hunting him! And really, if other people coming to view would think the same as this girl.
He has another person coming to view tomorrow.

I wish I could keep him :( I want to take him eventing! He's such a superstar!
 
some horses hunt some don't!! its as simple as that but it in no way means they won't excell in other things don't worry she obviously wasn't suitable for your horse !!! someone will come long soon!! x
 
God lord, I know 100s of horse that DON'T hunt, I mean they would be only with the nuttiest of jockeys, yet take them to a competition of any kind and they are fine! My Boss' horse just about lapped the fox the only time he was ever taken out hunting, yet he leads out big hacks and gallops happily in company as well as events!

He and you and flora (and the gang!) can come live with me :D Problem solved :D
 
Could you not find some one to event him just so he has a record to show? If you could find some one with out the horse power right now I'm sure they would jump at the chance and would poss pay entry or half of it. I know I would.
 
I'm literally out of time with him, I need to find him a new home in the next few weeks or I would be happy for someone to take him out....as long as I could enviously watch and wish it was me! LOL I'm as poor as a poor thing and cant keep him any more. He was meant to go last month but the girl decided shes going to uni in september. God knows what I will do with no horse to ride but I cant do anything about it :(
 
Again one here whose horse would be lethal on hunting field! He would be so much hard work as his mentality is to race til his legs fell off! He couldn't give a stuff what the group are doing, if they stopped he'd race the hounds.... Or the fox! He is absolutely impeccably behaved eventing tho, bit strong cc but because there is no one to race it's not too bad! Would never team chase him either. Fun rides are ok but group canters you do need to be pretty competant to keep him in check!
 
Another one with a horse who won't hunt (would send him loopy) but I'm pretty sure will be fine doing BE.

He probably wouldn't cope with a fun ride either.
 
Personally, I would want to have taken a horse hunting before I evented it, but i've always hunted everything i've had & personally consider it to be very much a part of their education. I think if you have done a lot of hunting, it seems normal to take a horse hunting, regardless of whether they are strong/sharp/silly etc etc, I've only ever had 1 horse that didn't hunt (& i'd taken her 3-4 times to see if she'd settle, as most (IME) do)

Out of interest.... why don't people think their horses would like/cope with hunting... mine have always LOVED it, (so much so that they know what is going on, what hounds are doing and so on!)
 
I'm sure mine would love hunting RD, and I would happily team chase him, but he winds himself up hacking alone in an open space, so I have no desire to hunt him! If you wanted to, you'd be more than welcome! If I'd been able to hunt him as a 5yo when I got him, then I wouldn't have a problem with it, but I'd have needed a second mortgage to do it being right in the middle of Berkeley/Beaufort country and so I didn't bother. Now, being 11, and having got worse hacking not better, despite going out several times a week, I don't have any major desire to hunt him!

It's easy to say it's a part of their education, but when I kept horses in Gloucestershire I could not have afforded to hunt and event, and now I am in country where there are a lot of big drainage ditches and I've seen more than one horse not want to jump into water following a season's hunting, because it's a bad idea to do that in a drainage ditch! So it does depend on whereabouts you are.
 
SpottedCat said:
I'm sure mine would love hunting RD, and I would happily team chase him, but he winds himself up hacking alone in an open space, so I have no desire to hunt him! If you wanted to, you'd be more than welcome! If I'd been able to hunt him as a 5yo when I got him, then I wouldn't have a problem with it, but I'd have needed a second mortgage to do it being right in the middle of Berkeley/Beaufort country and so I didn't bother. Now, being 11, and having got worse hacking not better, despite going out several times a week, I don't have any major desire to hunt him!

It's easy to say it's a part of their education, but when I kept horses in Gloucestershire I could not have afforded to hunt and event, and now I am in country where there are a lot of big drainage ditches and I've seen more than one horse not want to jump into water following a season's hunting, because it's a bad idea to do that in a drainage ditch! So it does depend on whereabouts you are.
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yes, we are very spoilt with lovely country, lots of timber & hedges and no drainage ditches...what ever they may be! (& smaller fields than some further south, although people seem to be discovering what great days we have & we had visitors from all over the place last season)

I'll expect you both in November then!! :D :D
 
Oh I don't think he wouldn't like it - he'd absolutely love it!! I'd potentially not last the day tho! I would probably take youngster tho as he doesn't have the same 'win the race or die trying' mentality!!
 
Also echo spottedcat, fancy taking a 14.2 Arab who thinks he is red rum out for a day racingdemon? He events at 90cm level so can jump perfectly well it's the bits invetween that might be interesting!
 
I wouldn't dwell on what she said as obviously not right, so therefore not worth pursuing further

However ref the hunting thing - its a weird one and down to training IMHO - I wish all 4 year olds were taken.

My 2 were not until teenagers and have been a nightmare with lots of rearing and generally not exactly my idea of fun

However both will go to any event including fun rides with lots of people and be very calm, but they just seem to go loopy with the hounds and horn.
 
racingdemon said:
yes, we are very spoilt with lovely country, lots of timber & hedges and no drainage ditches...what ever they may be! (& smaller fields than some further south, although people seem to be discovering what great days we have & we had visitors from all over the place last season)

I'll expect you both in November then!! :D :D
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It's a date! The new one has, apparently, hunted and been very well mannered, so I will bring him for me to ride!

I have been tempted to drag hunt mine purely because there is less standing around......
 
I hunt everything but rarely jump anymore as we hunt over main rhynes.

This is my mother on my old PC eventer:
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/galleries/v/Hunting/weston-banwell/_F7W1964.jpg.html

It just does not cross over into eventing very well. We have had several advanced horses (been round Badminton) come out with us when they are older and they never really take to it.

I think the standing around does them good and learning manners as well as learning to cross the country. My ginger had to be taken home early both times as he got hotter and hotter as the day went on. He would probably settle in time doing more but I do not see the point as I will not jump the ditches and visiting costs a lot and its not high up my agenda.
 
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