First and only hunt last season...crazy horse!!?

[Neemo]

Hi I have a generally laid back ISH who had never hunted. He can get fixated with other horses and nap towards them if we see some out hacking, and has major issues leaving horses in a hack etc.

I took him to an end of season joint hunt which was both out first time hunting and it's safe to say it was a shock to the system! It started off chilled in the field, my horse was standing no problems. I was planning to go with the non jumpers for the first go, but then everything set off at once and before I knew it I was riding up front heading towards jumping a gate and a ditch etc!!! There was no chance in hell of stopping him he just ran and ran and I was literally at the front of a very large meet flat out jumping everything.

My friend had fallen and the hunt master stopped so someone could catch her horse, which was my opportunity to turn round...except my horse had other ideas and started throwing himself round and when blocked reared vertical. I don't remember at which point but I got off to walk back with a crazy large ish dancing around trying to run off.

We decided to call it a day and went back with some help of a lovely man and made it back to the original field. After everyone else's horse (except mine, there was 4 of us) had calmed down we continued to follow the hunt from A LONG WAY behind. Eventually everything else chilled and mine still was rearing if we stopped or he saw the hunt and we turned away and just generally het up. We carried on and even when everyone was plodding back down the road when it had ended he was still jogging and everytime I tried to turn him to wait for my friends he'd rear / spin round and try to run back.

Sorry that is so long, but I want to know if anyone has had a horse this bad and it has ever settled!? We were told that hunts generally aren't as crazy and busy as that, I think everything setting off galloping at once didn't help or is that generally what happens? Thanks for reading if anyone got through that!!

 

[Tea Drinker]

Take him autumn hunting and stand a long, long way back and make it the most boring morning out he has ever had in his life.
Repeat 6 more times.
If he's still mental, I'd give it up as a lost cause!

 

[smja]

End of season is usually fast and busy round us - horses are v fit, ground drying up etc. A joint meet is usually busier and more hectic, as people don't know each other/some don't know area/different ways of doing things in different hunts add to the confusion!

Some hunts do summer rides at walk/trot, hound exercise is just beginning again (mostly walk and trot), autumn hunting in a couple of months - those are your best bets. Be strict with yourself, don't be tempted to 'have a little canter/jump because he's being good', this generally sets you back. As Tea Drinker says, he must find it boring. If he's already nappy and has issues with group hacks, you're not starting from the best place - recruit some friends and get him used to group situations.

 

[PorkChop]

Yes, but it will take effort

Go Autumn Hunting, as many times as you possibly can, take a nanny and just stand about and watch - repeat and repeat and repeat. If he gets silly, walk away from the other horses with your nanny horse until he is calm.

The aim is to make him think that hunting is actually a bit of a bore - then when he copes with this you can gradually join in - which is usually half way through the second season !

 

[JenHunt]

Take him autumn hunting and stand a long, long way back and make it the most boring morning out he has ever had in his life.

this ^^

Yes, but it will take effort
....
The aim is to make him think that hunting is actually a bit of a bore - then when he copes with this you can gradually join in - which is usually half way through the second season !

and this ^^

he needs to learn that it is boring, and then that it is hard work so not to bother throwing himself about.

once he's realised it's boring, you can start to introduce more of the faster stuff, and at that stage if he gets wound up you can push him on (as long as hes relatively sensible) until he's tired. If he continues to be a pratt then you have to keep repeating the boring phase. If that still doesn't resolve the silliness then I'm afraid it may be that hunting isn't for you two together. A rider who really wants to be up at the front might get a different response from him in the end, by not giving him the option of napping/rearing/throwing himself around.

 

[Orangehorse]

Producing a well mannered hunter is a job in itself - see above. A professional producer, who sells hunters for a living would introduce them slowly at the start of the season, sometimes with an older steady horse to start with, and then by themselves so they don't cling to the other horse. Some horses are very sensible and get the idea quickly, with others it can take a long time, and lots of work from their owners - which can include going out several days running so they start to find it hard work - and some are never suitable. If you have been reading the H & H hunters stories, very many of them were a handful to start with but once the penny dropped they became stars.

 

[Neemo]

Thank everyone!
So, taking him out this autumn and basically not even setting off just standing around with a sensible horse watching?

I think making him gallop up front with a brave rider who wants to be up front jumping would have possibly worked but for me, he ran through/into everything to get to the front... Narrow gateways etc we charged through despite no room!! Towards the start at one jump a guy and horse had fell and everyone was obviously pulling there horse out of the jump, but mine was heading for it there was nothing I could do to pull him out as everything else was galloping in the distance past the jump he wanted over! It was a close call and that was what scared me I think a lot more than if that hadn't of happened, as I remember Despertly trying to pull him out I don't know what would of happened if we were a few seconds ahead of where we were!

In general he's quite quiet he doesn't buck or anything and to ride on his own he's soft and responsive and well mannered it's just where other horses are. I will try boring him to death hunting!!!

 

[Countryman]

Thank everyone!
So, taking him out this autumn and basically not even setting off just standing around with a sensible horse watching?

That's right - over and over again.

You will find it easy to bore him during Autumn Hunting, in September and October, because it really only consists of standing around for a while, trotting on, standing around for longer -certainly in the first few weeks anyway.

 

[Orangehorse]

Our hunt also did some walk and trot only early morning rides, starting in August, before they even started autumn hunting.
It was a combination of fund raising and getting the horses fit and to introduce newcomers and their horses to being out in a crowd.

 

[Neemo]

Our hunt also did some walk and trot only early morning rides, starting in August, before they even started autumn hunting.
It was a combination of fund raising and getting the horses fit and to introduce newcomers and their horses to being out in a crowd.

Thanks everyone for the tips. after realising what we'd been jumping I'd quite like to try and get us there! Where is your hunt Orange Horse. I am in the NW? Thanks