planete
Well-Known Member
Looking for one right now. Not having much luck so far.
Do people buy horses just for hacking/hunting
- Thread starter Tangaroo
- Start date
emilylou
Well-Known Member
I'd be interested to know what people would pay for a safe hack/ low level allrounder..
splashgirl45
Lurcher lover
depends on size, , for a 15 to 15.2 horse age up to 14 , i would pay up to £6000, it would have to be a nice person, sound and safe, and ok in traffic and out hacking alone. if the horse was perfect and appeals to me lookwise i might go higher. there is no right price and something which doesnt appeal to me looks wise could be someone's ideal horse...
Mikas-mom
Active Member
That’s exactly the sort of horse I’m searching for. Not many around unfortunately and the ones that are for sale are commanding huge prices and are being snapped up very quickly
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite
Well-Known Member
If I saw a horse the age OP refers to I'd certainly want to know WHY it has done nothing!
I appreciate that some people choose to keep their horses unridden and/or unbroken; if they're happy to do that (and can afford it!), then that's their concern.
But I'd be a tad chary of seeing something around that age that hadn't done anything at all and was being offered for sale. I'd want to know whether the reason had been a soundness issue, or a behavioural one, or both.
But I digress - as I think the OP's question was whether people would buy a horse specifically for either hunting or hacking.
The answer, for me, is YES. I'm a happy hacker, like to do a fun ride occasionally, or some clinics, TREC training (which we've done) perhaps a quiet day's hunting, have been boxing over to a friend's yard with my coblet recently as her hacking is nicer than mine! That sort of thing. Not competing.
IF its a "happy hacker" you're talking about, they are not easy to find! Not safe ones, who'll happily either go solo without napping, or they'll be happy first middle or last with company and won't hot up. Also who are happy to meet 99.9% of the traffic you'll encounter on the roads without tanking off. These horses are like gemstones to find, they really are. I know, have tried! They tend to have a big asking price and are impossible to source. There are a lot more older riders nowadays (include myself in this!) and the word "safe" is what we want, also parents want "safe" ponies for their kiddies to hack around and have fun on, very understandable.
Ditto hunters: OK so you can easily pick up an ex-racer TB that'll promise a lot but will fizz up and boil over at the meet or as soon as hounds are put to first-cover and that's it you've had it for the day. It is really hard to find a nice hunter who's perfectly happy to have hounds run between its legs and got the temperament to stand-around politely outside cover without being a total PITA about it, but then has enough petrol in the tank for a good blast and go the course with a few jumps if the situation demands it. IMO a good hunter whose been taken Cubbing and eased in gradually, and knows its job, is hard to find and worth its weight in gold.
I appreciate that some people choose to keep their horses unridden and/or unbroken; if they're happy to do that (and can afford it!), then that's their concern.
But I'd be a tad chary of seeing something around that age that hadn't done anything at all and was being offered for sale. I'd want to know whether the reason had been a soundness issue, or a behavioural one, or both.
But I digress - as I think the OP's question was whether people would buy a horse specifically for either hunting or hacking.
The answer, for me, is YES. I'm a happy hacker, like to do a fun ride occasionally, or some clinics, TREC training (which we've done) perhaps a quiet day's hunting, have been boxing over to a friend's yard with my coblet recently as her hacking is nicer than mine! That sort of thing. Not competing.
IF its a "happy hacker" you're talking about, they are not easy to find! Not safe ones, who'll happily either go solo without napping, or they'll be happy first middle or last with company and won't hot up. Also who are happy to meet 99.9% of the traffic you'll encounter on the roads without tanking off. These horses are like gemstones to find, they really are. I know, have tried! They tend to have a big asking price and are impossible to source. There are a lot more older riders nowadays (include myself in this!) and the word "safe" is what we want, also parents want "safe" ponies for their kiddies to hack around and have fun on, very understandable.
Ditto hunters: OK so you can easily pick up an ex-racer TB that'll promise a lot but will fizz up and boil over at the meet or as soon as hounds are put to first-cover and that's it you've had it for the day. It is really hard to find a nice hunter who's perfectly happy to have hounds run between its legs and got the temperament to stand-around politely outside cover without being a total PITA about it, but then has enough petrol in the tank for a good blast and go the course with a few jumps if the situation demands it. IMO a good hunter whose been taken Cubbing and eased in gradually, and knows its job, is hard to find and worth its weight in gold.
palo1
Well-Known Member
This!! It takes considerable time to make a decent hunter and many of those actually have the odd quirk. We have had to breed our own though I am very lucky that my pb Arab has become a wonderful hunter; I will never find or make another like him and wouldn't sell him for anything as it is entirely down to him that I can enjoy my days out so much. I hope that my young horse will eventually make a pleasant ladies hunter; all the signs are good so far but at 4 I reckon she has 2 more years of education to go before I can really see what sort of horse I have. Most, but not all of the people I know that have decent hunters spend a bit of time on schooling too so those horses actually are reasonably educated. It is a bit of a fallacy that this is not the case tbh!
PeterNatt
Well-Known Member
If your horse is 100% bombproof/spookproof and can be ridden by itself or first of last in a group then it is worth an absolute fortune. Do not undervalue it!