Does Hunting Make Your Horse Nutty?

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LittleMouse

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hiya, (posted something v. similar on hunting forum)
as previously mentioned, would love to have a go at hunting.
but i have heard that it can make your horse veerryy nutty! been told about a horse being a right nutcase every time it was ridden for about a month after going hunting!!!
could this be true??
 
Not on a regular hunter, no. They should be well mannered regardless.


Ones which only go every now and then or not quite equipped with the brain to cope with it....then, yes, it can.


First time's a doddle....it's the next time to watch for!


My lad isn't a 'regular', I just drag him out now and then....he's always calmer out than he is anywhere though. He's lovely to hunt....if I had the funds to take him more often, I would :)
 
In rare cases it can wind horses up, and may take them time to 'come' down from the experience.

I hunt both of mine - one was bought as an seasoned hunter, and the other had never hunted. This one took to it like a duck to water and is actually the better out of the two!

Quite often a horse will take you by suprise and be quiet on their first try - however they can get more wound up the next time as know what to expect.

I have always found horses that are good in groups, such as on fun rides, are a good bet for hunting, so if you were thinking of giving it a go, I would do plenty of these type events over the summer (weather allowing!!!).

Also Autumn hunting is a good time to introduce a new horse to hunting as there are generally smaller fields and less charging about.

I am sute the wise bods in the Hunting Forum can also advise.
 
Yes & no. They are a good way of getting a horse thinking forwards, so if you have a ploddy type its a good way to wake them up, if you then don't do anything useful with that energy they can get a bit silly. If they are already forwards it can sometimes remain silly for days after. Mine is a sweet schoolmistress that is very easy to ride, my 7yr old canters her bareback in a headcollar across the field, safe but forwards. Hunting she wore a double bridle as it was the only way I had control & if I had wanted to avoid the bigger jumps I would have struggled going round. I enjoyed it but I would have to be very sure of someone's ability before they took her. Infact, nobody who saw her hunt ever volunteered to! She changes from saintly pony to psycho nut job. But the next day (unless you hack & bump into a group of riders & dogs) is anyone's ride. My old horse was forward going but not remotely suitable for novices or kids, out hunting he remembered his schooling & was as much of a gent as he was to hack.
 
Your pony has hunted lots and lots and is a brilliant and very steady hunting pony. If you are wondering whether to hunt him then you should definitely do it.
 
my chap had never been hunting nor had I and he is very strong and a bit naughty ! - was interesting the first time out but he started to settle after a few outings - meanwhile at home out hacking on own and in company I had a couple of comments about how he was a "different horse"..... he was being well mannered and more sensible !! I think the additional work helped him focus and unless there were hounds and horn he was a little underwhelmed ! he was even really good on first fun ride after hunting !

Go for it !
 
I take mine out to "razz" him up a bit as he is a lazy sod! He loves it, although I still haven't found any breaks, might try a cheltenham this year... :rolleyes:
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Only for the first time :D

Both my arabs had their brains totally blown the first time they went out, if I hadn't known that they weren't normally like that I would never have gone out on them again.

Second time they boinged into the lorry and behaved like pros from thereon. When we stopped they'd relax and just watch what was going on. Both still hopped about, one jogged incessantly (which she always did, good thing it was an armchair jog) the other merely perfected his piaffe and passage, but on a loose rein. They were fun.

First one hunted in a hackamore. Second ones needed his brakes adjusting for partying because he sometimes wanted to go faster than I did - flat out down the side of a welsh mountain towards a quarry was slightly alarming, but that was a mere blip.

But all in all, they loved their hunting and were smart, they knew what they were doing and were never unpleasant to ride, and at home they certainly were no different to their normal happy bouncy selves.

It really depends on the individual horse and how they react to outings, some just tie themselves in knots, others just get on with the job and enjoy themselves.
 
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Cheltenham gag is my new best friend - make sure you only take a hold on one rein not both as with both you have naff all - I tried hunting with 2 reins on cg and had to use hedge to stop the loon - unfortunately he thought it needed to be jumped !! hadnt jumped more than 2ft 3 before that ! with one rein just on gag for hunting he is great - I ride him in it all the time - 90% on snaffle rein when not hunting.
 
Oh it would be one rein only! I will have no chance with the snaffle rein :eek: :D (I've already tried that one - have a great photo of him with his tongue over the bit and bogging off with me!) Also in the "no" pile are the pelham, kimblewick and waterford hanging cheek.
 
Broke_But_Happy said:
Also in the "no" pile are the pelham, kimblewick and waterford hanging cheek.
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:D I feel your pain, I had one of those too. Myler LS comination worked for us in the end, perhaps because he was accustomed to being ridden in a hackamore at home to. Mostly I rode just on the snaffle rein.

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ooooh sensible pony, feel free to swap - I am not far away from you and can come and swap over today in readiness !!!!!!!!! mine is good apart from the "strong" thing and the "not being able to stand still" bit ! oh and it occasionally puts a leg out at another horse ! apart from that - fair swap ! oh forgot to mention it is the few spot appy in my sig so you may need to allow extra time for cleaning !
 
All three of ours hunt, and none of them go nutty afterwards!

If, as Siennamum says, you have an experienced and steady hunting pony you should definitely give it a go!
 
LOL I must say it all depends!! When I was 14 my father bought me from Exeter saleyards a pony that had come over from Ireland. Being not quite ignorant I assumed she was backed.....but luckily she had a great temperament and when I first rode her and used a fairly light leg aid all she did was kick up her heels!! She was the best pony I ever had, and I hunted her a lot. One day out hunting in the middle of a run I decided to ask her to slow down and walk.....and yes she did!! So imo it all depends on temperament and training.....and don't forget the horse is the reflection of the rider.....!!! So perhaps if the horse is nutty....!!! I must add, this was back in the 1950s and before bitless riding and nh....I rode her only in a loose ring snaffle!
 
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I'm afraid I might have to throw the cat amongst the pigeons here :eek:

My 13 yr old cob x has been hunting for about 8 years but regularly for 5. Normally she hunts weekly - apart from last season when we did less.

She gets herself very excited about the whole situation and comes out of the trailer sweating and shaking, in fact every time she gets in the trailer now she comes out sweating & shaking regardless of where we are going!

She refuses to stand still at the meet and I have to keep her slightly away and turn her in circles because otherwise she upsets the horse we come with. As soon as we set off she thinks she needs to be in the front & she will jump anything in her way to get to the front. I've been told on many occasions she should be a Whips horse as she thinks she's so important everybody needs to follow her.

She gets very strong and silly, gets covered in sweat and when I get her home I have to turn her out because if I try to wash her down and stable her she can't cope with it. I normally leave her out for an hour or so before I attempt to sort her out and offer food - in normal circumstances she eats anything & everything in sight but after hunting she often refuses food until the next day.

After hunting she is normally very fizzy to ride for a few days, calms down about 5 days after - and then I take her out hunting again :D

I wouldn't dream of not hunting her because she loves it so much - but I do enjoy taking my tb at times who is sooooo much easier!

Oh and I don't agree with the poster who said they only go nutty the first time - I usually find the second time the worst when they know exactly what's coming :)
 
i had a mare for 2 years who i had got to give me confidence on the hunting field, she was brilliant, apart from as soon as i plaited up she started to shake, she would grow 2 hands under me and if we hacked to a meet would jog all way, at meet she was OK (previous mare was a rock at the meet and stood still when i managed to get her to stop but even barbed wire wouldn't have stopped her once the chase was on) she would come home from a meet and shake for 2 days and couldn't eat anything more than a bit of hay, i remember bringing her home early the first time i hunted her as we had family coming over and dad couldn't pick me up, my aunty (had horses until she was 25) thought the poor thing had a chill, i said no she's pumped full of adrenaline. She would need riding the next day as she would go stiff from the shaking, she wouldn't be nuts but would keep me on my toes :) I have a 3 year old ready to back now that is hopefully going to be ace for hunting, whether i will be good enough for her is another question- she is 14hh and banked over 8 foot of Cornish hedge from standing and my 2 yr old 5.2 with legs up to her chin kind of horse just stood there like you are weird and then proceeded to pop up but slid off again when she saw she had 10 foot the other side lol whilst Ruby is now down there running to the next hedge for fun
 
My boy used to be a whips horse and I love hunting him. After having a horse that refused to stand still he is a god send. He does get a bit strong of not near the front thou as this is where he feels he belongs :)
 
sonjafoers said:
Oh and I don't agree with the poster who said they only go nutty the first time - I usually find the second time the worst when they know exactly what's coming :)
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That would have been me then :D

I was only talking about mine, maybe I have been lucky, they just seemed to think about it and settle down to the job straight away. Just as well, because I used to watch some people struggling to hold their horses, or those with horses that never stood still and thought 'Where's the fun in that? Rather you than me' if mine had done that, they'd have been replaced.
 
Enfys said:
That would have been me then :D

I was only talking about mine, maybe I have been lucky, they just seemed to think about it and settle down to the job straight away. Just as well, because I used to watch some people struggling to hold their horses, or those with horses that never stood still and thought 'Where's the fun in that? Rather you than me' if mine had done that, they'd have been replaced.
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I'm the one with the horse that can never stand still Enfys :D

I've found with the 3 I've hunted regularly that the 2nd time is so much worse than the first, then after that 2 have calmed down & done the job and the 3rd is the one mentioned in my post who is still like a loony after 5 years of regular meets.

I do agree with you saying ' where's the fun in that ' because I'm often cursing under my breath and threatening to do worse things than 'replace' her when I get her home!

The culprit is the one on the left

PF1.jpg
 
sonjafoers said:
I'm afraid I might have to throw the cat amongst the pigeons here :eek:

My 13 yr old cob x has been hunting for about 8 years but regularly for 5. Normally she hunts weekly - apart from last season when we did less.

She gets herself very excited about the whole situation and comes out of the trailer sweating and shaking, in fact every time she gets in the trailer now she comes out sweating & shaking regardless of where we are going!

She refuses to stand still at the meet and I have to keep her slightly away and turn her in circles because otherwise she upsets the horse we come with. As soon as we set off she thinks she needs to be in the front & she will jump anything in her way to get to the front. I've been told on many occasions she should be a Whips horse as she thinks she's so important everybody needs to follow her.

She gets very strong and silly, gets covered in sweat and when I get her home I have to turn her out because if I try to wash her down and stable her she can't cope with it. I normally leave her out for an hour or so before I attempt to sort her out and offer food - in normal circumstances she eats anything & everything in sight but after hunting she often refuses food until the next day.

After hunting she is normally very fizzy to ride for a few days, calms down about 5 days after - and then I take her out hunting again :D

I wouldn't dream of not hunting her because she loves it so much - but I do enjoy taking my tb at times who is sooooo much easier!

Oh and I don't agree with the poster who said they only go nutty the first time - I usually find the second time the worst when they know exactly what's coming :)
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You could be talking about my Cob! He is exactly the same, comes out the lorry very sweaty, difficult keeping him still at the meet and when we go off....my god....he is up there with the best of them snorting like a freight train and if he could he would pass the hounds and the fox too!

He does tire towards the end and then he is sensible. When we hack out the next day he is a little fizzy but does calm down until the next time.....
 
Mine stands still fine, her problem is that she seems to think she is ridden by the mfh, and aside from the etiquette of not overtaking the master there is nothing worse than someone who wants to be amongst the first few at every jump. I didn't feel we would have been much loved being first behind hounds all day.
 
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