Educating the eventer in the hunting field?

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tigers_eye

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Today I took William hunting, having been once before on him and sworn he'd never go again. Still, I'd promised I'd go, and I deemed Liberty too unfit, so William it was. Stuck him in a pelham, and he was very good. Stood beautifully, jumped brilliantly and didn't plunge. I even had a bit of a rush of blood to the head and jumped a hedge lined with barbed wire
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. However, if he's sound tomorrow then he really shouldn't have any problems with any soft going we come across eventing! We spent most of the day going rather fast through bottomless clay, with me trying not to think about tendons. My point is - do you hunt your eventers? Do you do it for "fun" or "education", and with that in mind do you jump everything regardless, or do you pick and choose your ground and lines? Do you think it's irresponsible to hunt something already well up the eventing ladder (not that W is really, but he has got 3 seasons under his belt now), or only justifiable if it needs freshening up? It's not like he belongs to someone else - I would definately not have ridden as I did if he wasn't mine - which I suppose is another thing to consider. And, finally, does anybody still believe top eventers have to go hunting at some point in their career?

Oh, and just to finish - a picture of a very cheerful, rather dishevelled, William:

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i don't hunt any more, had a few too many rubbish days and lost the pleasure in it, but if i have another eventer who is ridiculous about getting its feet wet, stepping in mud, etc etc, then i'll go a few times. my old mare who went to A with me was just such a horse, she'd only sjed before i got her, and was a proper princess who didn't 'do' mud or puddles. one day out hunting cured her. fortunately, we galloped around through standing water and sludge for most of the day, and she got her blood up and loved it after the first field, and never looked back. her first event was Brigstock N in lots of mud, and she didn't care at all. i never took her again as she was much too precious to me though!
 
My OH hunts his grey half bred event mare and has done for the past three winters (between 5 and 8 times per season). It has given her untold confidence, and taught her to be incredibly surefooted, she was v careful and cautious as a young horse so hunting really got her to grow up. He goes bloodhounding though, so probably a lot less potential for injury than proper hunting. He has done a lot less this year, prob because of my injury so he's not going to keep me company.
I would love to take my 6yo TB out as I think she would really benefit from the confidence too, but she is not v careful, so it might be an accident waiting to happen considering she half killed me on just a hunt ride.
Would like to hear others opinions.
Fiona
 
If I was somewhere else in the country then I would consider hunting J, as I think the experience would teach him alot, but I wouldnt bother taking him here, we very rarely have anything to jump, all we have are huge ditches, dont think it would actually be much help for him, as all he would learn to do was gallop through plough and probably ruin his legs. I jump all the ditchs I like out hacking and without the risk to my horse.

Plus with his brain I think it would send him loopy
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I used to hunt, but don't anymore. The event horses that we put hours of time and effort into schooling beautifully are too precious to me to go hammering over all sorts of hideous going! I've also had a few very nasty falls out hunting and some injuries to the horses that have really put me off. If I had an eventer that I felt would benefit from a days hunting, as kerilli says, one thats fussy about mud, then I would certainly take it out, but I don't think eventers need to hunt.
 
I will take mine out bloodhounding, as the ground is more "choice" and to be honest you are more likely to come across things to educate them out with the BH than you are with the hunts around us. Hunting also blows my horses brains, whereas bloodhounding is much more "young horse" friendly as they arent expected to stop/go/stop all the time.
 
I hunted Moon last season and it did her the world of good. She probably wont hunt again during her eventing career as it clashes with her time off and I think hunting too long after christmas is probably going to be detrimental to my dressage on something like her.
Sister hunts her intermediate horse and I've hunted other eventers in the past. Dont go out if we know the area is renowned for being deep or too flinty but we jump whatever the field jumps.
 
I would only let my event horse go hunting if I thought it wasn't brave enough. They are too valuable and I would worry about getting kicked or pulling something.
 
I would love to be brave enough to take my eventing mare hunting, I am scared of the etiquette as much as anything else plus I like to know where I am going (hence walking a course before jumping anything!!). I would hate to make a fool of myself but I am sure it would be great for her. I did send a few e-mails to a couple of my more local packs but got quite a suspicious response so didn't take it any further. The cumbrian packs are mainly fell packs (on foot) so a no-goer there.
 
I hunted my young horse a few times to get him braver cross country as he had been a bit sticky. The following year he was so much braver I was glad I had hunted him. I didn't take him the following season though as I didn't want him getting too brave and not listening to me. I would definitely take a young horse hunting or one who wasn't very brave but I won't take my current two again as both have had tendon trouble and I'm not willing to risk them.
 
Oh dear, seems the consensus is I'm a bit mad to be doing it then... It might sound really odd, but I think it might help us on the flat. He can do everything when working low, but really struggles when asked to work uphill. Take him out somewhere exciting like the hunting field and he does it all without thinking. I wonder/hope that if he did it regularly the right muscles would get stronger.
 
I have Renny on loan to me in which he was an Advanced Eventer, but stoped eventing at that level 2 years ago.
His owner has never taken him or taken any of her horses, so when I said I wanted to take Renny she was a little worried.
Only due to his legs etc, but in the end she let me take him and she watched and she was ok with it all.
I know she would never of let me take him, if he was still going at the level he was before.
Her other eventer is out on loan as she is going travelling, and he has gone to a very good event rider, but she has but in the loan contract not to hunt him.

I think it makes horses, my old trainer Jo Aston has a horse which went round Blenhiem, but hunting made him that more of a brave horse.

Different people have different views, I think the horses really enjoy going out as its something different to them.

When ever I am out hunting on Renny I always think Ahhh Deep mud, so I just hold him and hold him so I can do a steady canter I do not care how many people I have up my bum!
 
Owen;s a complete chicken as you know so it probably would have done him the world of good to go hunting;who knows it couldve cured his bravery problems once and for all.
BUT he is like valuable glass and seems to break himself so easily so I'd be very very apprehensive of taking him hunting.Maybe he is stronger now though and would be able to cope with it all.
I'll know if he would be strong enough to cope with hunting if he comes back from his loan home in good shape having done a winter of BSJA and BD. If he's in good nick I'll definately take him out then who knows- maybe he'll get to Badminton after all!!
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I will only ever take my horses out with the Berks and Bucks draghounds, would not consider doing 'normal' hunting with them.
With the berks and bucks you go over a pre-determined route and can pretty much guarantee good going and good safe jumps.
I think that I would only risk 'normal' hunting on a proper cob/bog irish type horse, but that is just my personal opinion!!
 
Bored of your old name were you?! I know it's risky, but after driving myself insane trying to wrap the orange ones up in cotton wool and them still succombing to leg problems I seem to have gone the other way with these two!
 
i would hunt my eventer but when he was a 4 year old he was sent home with his old owner because he overtook the huntsman twice and was slightly dangerous!
my horse 2nd horse im having next season hunts all the way through and is out and out thoroughbred. very fine and you would think about her tendons a lot but she is always sound.
 
Ive been pondering for ages over whether or not to go....(by the time i make my mind up it will probably be too late!!)

Both my horses could do with the confidence boost, but when I took my TBX last boxing day, he was so strong it actually felt dangerous, galloping towards fences with his head on the floor etc - I couldnt ride for 2 weeks afterwards as my muscles were so sore, plus he was like a lunatic for about a month after!! He had a fall eventing at the beginning of the season, and i have been slowly rebuilding confidence, and know that hunting would help - just too worried about doing it for many reasons.

Other mare is a bit 'sticky' XC, and do feel that it would do her good to open up and learn to enjoy the galloping and solid fences. She is also very sharp and so have no idea how she would react to it - got a feeling it would involve lots of leaping around and rearing!!

So maybe bloodhounds would be the best way to go if you want to opt for something a little bit more sensible?
 
I am not so sure about the assumption that hunting makes horses bold - certainly a lot of our hunting involves slithering about and fairly trappy/flimsy hunt fences, and you see a lot of stoppers who clearly aren't very happy about jumping. William did make me laugh today - we had to slither down a bank and clear a small stream (all of 1ft wide), W looked at the bank in horror "I'm an eventer for goodness' sake" and launched himself over the whole lot.
 
I have been out twice this week with my (hopefully will be) eventer, last year his SJ was pants, got that sorted towards the end of the season and then didnt want to get his feet wet.
I have been out in the most horrid wet soggy moorland today and he didnt flinch. On Saturday he jumped all that was asked (not much) but I am looking forward to some better jumping in February. I am hunting him to overcome his nappyness and I have to say it seems to be doing the trick. (Oh and because I am doing the Members P2P!!) so your not as mad as me!!!!
 
But could you say that hunting gives a horse (or improves) a 'fifth' leg which is a very valuable and safe attribute to have for increasingly technical XC.

|Fiona
 
I don't think it's irresponsible to hunt something that's already well up the eventing ladder but it depends on what you hope to achieve. We're a bit mollycoddled eventing with the ground preparation that they do, so it's useful to get them going in a bit of (or a lot of) mud by hunting them. Or if you've got one that is not that bold or a bit precious, or just needs cheering up, a few days can be the making of them.

My OH and I work it the other way round in that he likes his horses "mannered", and me taking them eventing for a season seems to work wonders. Fraser was mega-careful and I think if he'd hunted as soon as we bought him OH would have scared the pants off him.
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A season eventing has taught him to be clever with his legs instead of just jumping higher.

I'm lucky that OH fieldmasters for the Belvoir, so he tells me which days are more suitable for schooling horses and which are going to be a free-for all! I'm toying with the idea of taking The Malingerer out a couple of times to fire him up a bit before next season, but I will be VERY careful picking a day as he is so good at being injured.
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I would love to hunt Hattie but i would most likely have to sit 20minutes of bronching before she settled and i dont really fancy that much!! I have a feeling if i persevered and went several times she would be a perfect hunter and she's so powerful and brave but also loves having long naps where she can stand and sleep! I doubt she will hunt during her eventing career though as she seems fine without hunting - id hate to take her and injure her and that be the end of her eventing - there must be plenty of top eventers that dont hunt and do just as well
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I would love to hunt Hattie but i would most likely have to sit 20minutes of bronching before she settled and i dont really fancy that much!!

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ditto!!
 
I would love to hunt again but as eventing is my main priority I'm not willing to risk my two who have both had tendon problems although they both did them eventing! Hunting did both my horses the world of good and now they have that fifth leg for when I mess things up!
 
I have a nappy git that loves hunting, me less so as it involves the odd front leg waggle on his part. Nevertheless, I am pulling out my big brakes next weekend to take him out with the bloodhounds. I will end up with lots of grey hairs but he will be forward and happy for a few weeks after.

I must say that I would only do drag type hunts as the 'proper' ones involve too much standing around which light him up.

As the phrase goes I thinks it horses for courses, my backward thinking boy definitely benefits from hunting.
 
I can think of a few that still go regularly and i would do. and look at williams happy little face, who would think he hd an alternate self as the demon of rickmans worth!
 
There are a few eventers who hunt with us occasionally (but they're regulars with another pack), and some of them have brought out their 3* horses. They'll jump hedges, hunt fences, and gates without any hesitation, but they're very cautious about jumping wire (my pack tends to jump quite a lot of wire at every meet) and they will usually try and take an alternative route...
 
I've always hunted anything I want to event and have always been told that hunting will help educate eventers and get them to think for themselves where their feet should be.
I also know quite a few of the top eventers hunt their horses.
 
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But could you say that hunting gives a horse (or improves) a 'fifth' leg which is a very valuable and safe attribute to have for increasingly technical XC.

|Fiona

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I think hunting teaches horses how to get out of/cope with tricky situations when jumping, if that makes sense?
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We take some of them but not all.
The trouble here is there is hardly anything to jump so all you do is whizz about up and down lanes unless you are on the open moor, and then that's mostly galloping.
Chocx goes occasionally, but he knows the score and behaves, Jonty is mad but controllable, but after her tendon injury two years ago we wouldn't risk her.
The three youngsters won't go, mostly because they all jump fine and we would rather take them XC schooling with no opportunity to learn how to pull.
If something was iffy in company we would take it to ensure it learned not to be.
Sometimes they go unintentionally, such as the four year old mare P backed and was riding for the fourth time ever. He saw the hunt trot past, waited an hour and got on and went up the road aiming for a quiet solitary hack in the opposite direction. he had gone half a mile when he met the hunt coming towards him..
Two hours later a tired but happy and very relaxed mare hacked home having popped a few walls, opened a gate, and learned how to stand.. The first person to try her bought her so it must have worked!
 
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