Cubbing for the 1st time at the weekend - HELP!

[3Beasties]

Little Ponio is going cubbing for the 1st time this weekend. She will be ridden by an 11 year old child who has quite a bit of hunting experience, I however have very little. Pony has heard hounds when they have been close to home but never been out with them!

Is there anything I need to do prepare her for the weekend?

She is usually ridden in a snaffle for everything so I assume we keep her in this for cubbing and see how she goes?

Does she need a red or green ribbon in her tail? (She used to be quite marish and kick out at anything that came within 10 ft off her backside but she has been a lot better this summer)

Does she need to be plaited to cub?

How similar to hunting is cubbing? If she takes to cubbing does that mean she will be fine to hunt?

Any other tips / advise you can offer us would be greatly received!

 

[spacefaer]

I'm sure she'll have fun!

Don't need to be plaited - just tidy. I would suggest if she doesn't normally wear a martingale, that you put a breatplate on as a "just in case" neckstrap - also useful for going up/down hills!

Either a green or red ribbon - people will keep well clear of either!

Cubbing is slower, more standing about, moving more slowly from covert to covert. Not a lot of jumping because no runs, so only to get across country, so it's usually possible not to jump at all (depending on your country!)

Really obvious - make sure you arrive in time - the advertised time is the "move off" so give yourself plenty of time to get ready so you're not rushing your 1st morning


The more quiet cubbing she can do, to get used to hanging about, the hounds moving around, the huntsman etc etc, the more likely she is to hunt well. It's really good preparation for the real thing. The excitement of galloping and jumping can come after she's settled and knows the job

Have fun and let us know how you get on!!

 

[3Beasties]

Oooh Thanks!

We are going to try a martingale on her tomorrow as she has needed one for a while really.

Will let you know how she goes

 

[JenHunt]

I have apost on my blogspot account about getting ready for hunting. It is basically the same for cubbing - just you're less likely to need electrolytes.

http://jenniferjcash.blogspot.com/2009/07/getting-ready-for-day-hunting.html

 

[3Beasties]

Wow that was great thanks, I have bookmarked it and will definitely be looking at it again if we go 'proper' Hunting!

You mention electrolytes a lot - How important are they when hunting?

Do you give your horse some water before you box him home?

 

[spacefaer]

depends how hard you hunt whether you need electrolytes. We've never used them but will always offer a horse water before we put them on the lorry, as long as they're cool enough (hacking back to the box usually makes sure they've cooled down and chilled out enough). They also get a haynet to travel home with as they've spent a long time with nothing passing through the gut.

TBH it really does depend on how hard you hunt, how long you stay out and what sort of country you're crossing. If you're finishing at lunchtime, then obviously it'll be a different scenario to going home at dusk having had the same horse all day ...... ours don't work so hard as we have 2nd horses at lunchtime (so the riders are knackered but the horses stay fresh! lol!)

 

[JenHunt]

How much electrolyte you use depends on your horse, the time spent out hunting, the weather, the sort of day you've had etc. I would say you are better off giving some (like even a quarter of the 'dose') as the horse will make use of it just for being worked hard. I have also found that in the older horse it really helps to improve their recovery time during the day, and that my ID lad keeps up, even on the faster days, better than TB's who don't get any electrolytes.

I have a really sweaty horse who will drink as much as you offer him, and my vet has said that for as long as a horse will drink there's no reason not to give him electrolytes - plus the research we covered at uni backs this up - the main thing is that the horse is drinking.

if they take too much their body will just excrete the excess as long as they have enough water. If they don't or won't drink then giving electrolytes can increase the risk of dehydration. If they won't drink straight away don't worry. put a tiny amount of electrolyte (a tsp would do) into sloppy sugar beet, at least that way they are getting some fluids, and it will usually start them drinking.

The danger with using a salt block (even himalyan ones) is that it misses some of the electrolytes or doesn't have them in the right ratios, so the horse 'overdoses' on some to get the right amount of others. Plus salt blocks contain little or no sugar which helps the body to refuel tired muscles and reduce the risk of tying up, cramps, strains, inflammation and even colic!

I don't offer my horse water at the trailer unless he's been trying to drink from puddles (a sure sign that even he thinks he's dehydrated!) but then I usually only have a 20 min trail back home - again it comes down to the individual situation. I know people who will stand the horse on the box for an hour to get it to drink before they travel home. In my mind though, you are better off to get the horse home, watered, cleaned up and fed as soon as you can.