Does the hunt, hunt near your horses?

[Bertolie]

We usually have advance warning when the hunt is in our area. One of mine doesn't even bother looking up while the other one goes into Arab stallion mode running around the paddock, head and tail in the air! I always leave them out.

 

[Queenbee]

Was just looking to know if the hunt meet and hunt in the areas you keep your horses?

If they do, do your horses bother with it, get excited?

Do you leave them out still if you know they are coming?

Yes. Yes and no. Even to the point that they have been through my horses field while my horse has been in there (wasn't planned but it was ok). Having said that, at the time my horse was out with a number of others so when the hunt moved on, the horses had a herd to stay with, every horse behaves differently, it wasn't something I knew about until after the fact, and wasn't something I'd be happy about happening. Personally I'd rather have my horses in a stall if the hunt were going through, my horses field or through the next field, other than that, I'd probably be ok with leaving them out.

 

[Dunlin]

Yes, yes, no. I share an older boy, ex hunter and although both me and owner still take him hunting once a month for an hour he absolutely has to be stabled while the hunt are in the area as he turns himself inside out and will jump out and go after them. It's not ideal as he needs a sedative if being stabled as he's very stressy/claustrophobic but it's for his own good.

 

[Spyda]

Yes! No and no. Hunt meets at our yard a couple of times a season and riders also use the fields to park and unload other times for meets nearby. My horses have never hunted so don't get wound up but I do take the precaution of bringing in on hunt days; as 99% of others do too on the yard. It only takes one horse to start and the whole lot would start, so we just keep them in to be on the safe side.

 

[Old Bat]

It really depends on your horse...we had one pony last year that we had to bring in and sedate as he ran off so much weight the first time they were out...we then found out he had had a hunting accident before us so he was entitled to be stressed. All the others love being able to see what is going on, and even do the occasional piece of medium trot work that is never ever replicated anywhere useful!

 

[Nudibranch]

I leave mine out because I never know when the hunt are coming! However they couldn't really care less - they just stand and look, even the 2 yo. Although they see beagles out on exercise most days which probably helps.

 

[DressageCob]

Yesterday the hunt went into our field with our herd in it. No advanced warning. We knew they were in the area so brought in the most concerning horses (the exciteable ones and those with injuries). However they didn't ask to go in our field or warn us that they were doing it. They proceeded to gallop straight through our herd. They were about to jump the hedge out of the field but it became clear some of ours may copy, so thankfully the gate keeper ushered them through there instead. They still had a battle to contain our boys in the field. When we went in once it had settled down our horses were dripping with sweat and very very distressed. I've never been against hunting but i thought that behaviour disgusting. I doubt they'd be supportive of such behaviour in their fields if I took a load of my friends over there. Ignorant pillocks.

 

[Lolo]

When Reg is on his holidays, the hunt go through the field he stays in when the meet is local to us. We just stick him and donks in the yard bit, where the shelter and hay is kept, and shut the gate. He likes to stand and watch them jump in past him and gallop across through the mud with an expression total confusion. Considering when he hunted, he still has the scars to prove how abysmally he behaved (backed into enough hedges to leave permanent prickle marks on his bottom...) we think this a fair reaction!

They hunt round us a fair bit, and none of ours are too bothered. Most have either hunted enough to just tune it out, and the ones who can't are kept in with a sensible steed nearby to pour oil on the water. We know when the hunt is occuring and where they're hunting as the lady who owns the yard is one of the main landowners round us, and the other people who host meets always tell us what's going on.

 

[PolarSkye]

Current horsey home no (it's not really a yard, it's a private home so feels odd calling it a yard), but previous yard, yes. Hunt met close to the yard and horses and hounds came either along a track dividing some of the fields or through a field abutting the fields. Most of us left our horses out . . . most ignored but some (like mine) had a good canter round - primarily because they had been hunting and hearing the horn excited them. The hunt helpfully publishes a calendar and (more often than not) someone put a note on the yard board in the barn warning us that they would be coming through so that we could boot up if necessary.

I did stupidly take mine for his first solo hack at (then) new yard the day after the hunt had been through . . . biiiiig mistake .

P

P.S. Oh, and he will be going out with the same hunt shortly - and hunting through his old yard . . .