How do you "make" a hunt horse?

BarmyC

BarmyC

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Question as the title really..

I have a 5 year old WBxTB who i would like to hunt, SJ, and eventually team chase when she gets older.

I have taken her out hound exercising with the OSBWK and she has behaved well both times and is not phased by the hounds and groups of horses. She will stand for 15 mins tops when the huntsman is doing his bit with the hounds but then she gets fidgety..i walk her round and just keep nice and calm.

What else would you suggest doing with her to "make" her into a fantastic hunter?
 
keep her calm and relaxed dont overface and scare her and dont make her do more than she can in a day if you have to come home abit early so be it. hunting can be mentally aswell as physically tiring for a youngster. little and often and she will be a cracker.
 
Everything Joe said but also it's worth keeping her nice and quiet towards the back to start of with so she learns that it's not all about hooning up front! We don't bother but end up with horses who only like hooning at the front! ;)
 
H KelleWDHC
I would carry on doing what you're doing... I feel the main way you 'make' a hunter is by hunting lots!...as the term 'seasoned hunter' means...done lots of seasons and knows its job...AH is perfect for getting new horses used to standing still, and hounds and the whole excitement of hunting, please note that main season hunting is faster than AH... usually more of a crowd too, especially at meet. Practise each time you go out standing still at meet so you can have your sausage roll and glug of port... practise your horse at back, middle and front, waiting around at coverts, stopping to do gates, and waiting patiently while you get back on, waiting patiently to take your turn at jumps and going through gateways/ gaps in hedges etc, lots of horses get stressed at bottle necks, a good hunter is patient and happy to wait his turn. Its also nice if you see horses hunting with simply a loose ring snaffle and not pulling like a train... thats what i'm aspiring to with my youngster!!
Good luck and have a fab season!!
oooh also teach her to be patient at box/trailer, stand quietly etc.... This will be my 5th season with my boy and it took him a good 2 seasons to learn to stand nicely so i could have the nibbles at the meet... so patience and exposure...!!
 
Starbucks said:
Everything Joe said but also it's worth keeping her nice and quiet towards the back to start of with so she learns that it's not all about hooning up front! We don't bother but end up with horses who only like hooning at the front! ;)
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Agree with this. OH spent all last season mainly at the back with his new horse. We like ones we can hunt anywhere in the field so important that he learns to toddle at the back as well as legging it at the front. OH horse also has to learn to stand still for a drink, a fag and a wee!! If they do that and jump he is well happy. After about 3 seasons when nice and mannerly I nick it and he starts again....lovely!!:D
 
Ditchjumper2 said:
Well I think so, and by now he is getting used to it.:)
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lol lucky you!!! ;)

Mine isn't too bad just because he doesn't know how to be silly (chomps on his bit and that's about it) but my mum last two hunters she got as 5yo and went up front from day 1, they have both been complete little hooligans!
 
Wow thank you for all your replies!!

We have been at the back both time out hound exercising but have ventured into the middle and further up front but she seems happier at the back which is fine with me.

Jumping wise we have jumped a few small rails a smallish hedge and some logs. She only started jumping in may and before we went out 2 weeks ago hadnt jumped any natural obstacles so im just doing little bits with her although she seems to have other ideas and is loving them now.

I know that the main season is a bit faster and tougher on a horse and i will have no hesitations in calling it a day if needs be ( i think its a good idea to sometimes so a horse has to learn to leave the field sometimes).

I have taken her in a drop cheek with a grackle as im reluctant to put anything stronger in a baby's mouth and i can check and have her back at me most times. Think there has been one or two times where i had to act a bit stronger with her.

She has been fab when we get back to the lorry and will stand patiently and eat her haynet whilst i wash her off, have a cig and a coffee so no probs there.

Im thinking about going out with OSBWK and maybe some of the WDHC mock hunts but most definately not the beginners ones as they are always carnage with novice riders on novice horses. I am also thinking about taking her on a couple of the mid surrey farmers drag hunts, one goes from my yard and i know all the lines and jumps and she is more than capable and the other goes from my xc course so again know that i wouldnt be asking too much of her.

Is there anything else i can do to keep her calm and non fidegty whilst waiting for others to take there turn at a jump or whilst waiting on a trail whilst the hounds are working and the horn is being blown?
 
Could you take her out whilst there is hound exercise going on but not actually participate - just watch? That way she doesn't associate the noise/hounds with charging off round the Surrey countryside!
What about taking her away slightly from the main group whilst waiting to jump and doing some transitions etc to get her focussed on you?

If you do go out with the WDHC then please look out for a scatty ginger welsh C with frazzled rider! *waves*
 
Ha ha your on Sanolly you probably know me anyway.

Im not sure that the old surrey are doing anymore hound exercise otherwise i would go and have a watch.

I will defiantely try the old transistions trick its something i would do at any other event it just didnt occur to me to do it whilst out with the hounds as im more conscious of trying to get her to learn to stand or preserve her energy.

One thing these hound exercising adverntures have shown me is that she is A LOT fitter than i thought!!
 
LOL yes I find that too, can't wait to get out with the WDHC this year, didn't get out at all last year due to work buggering me about and changing my blooming shifts :mad: Now I work mon-sat am, plenty of time to go ponies sorted for the season :D just need a towbar!
 
I didnt get out at all last year either i backed my horse in the summer last year and she wasnt ready and then i had an op on my elbow and was out of the saddle from december to march so i missed the whole season.

I dont have the worry of travelling to any of their meets they are all within hacking distance or the one from my yard is even easier!
 
Is there anything else i can do to keep her calm and non fidegty whilst waiting for others to take there turn at a jump or whilst waiting on a trail whilst the hounds are working and the horn is being blown?[/QUOTE]

Another helpful thing might be to see if you can find a friend with a calm steady horse that knows its job, and go with them a few times.. if your horse's 'friend' is standing still, waiting etc then your horse is likely too as well...
Or contact the secretary of whichever hunt you decide to go with, usually they are helpful and can pair you up with a nanny horse.

Have fun!
Your mare already sounds lovely and alot of the 'hunter' boxes have been/are being ticked...!!
 
Thank you Hollah

I will certainly do that when i next go out with the Old surrey. As for doing it for the WDHC ones that is pretty much a no no as they are all nuts!

Thank you for your kind remarks about my horse she is lovely and after last year taking things slowly whilst i backed her all my work is beginning to come together and i can have a bit of fun with her.

Im not sure what other boxes other than the obvious ones that need ticking. Can you let me know which ones i may have forgotten?

Kelle
 
All of the previous bits of advice really...so keep doing what you're doing and she'll be a cracking hunter...
:-)
Tally ho!! Kick on...
 
I also quite like tagging along behind he field master on AH with youngsters as often then your asked to move away to wait on corners, or go off in front, etc. etc. all teaches the young horse not just to follow on but to actually hunt and be rideable on the field. I'm getting my youngsters out once a week each at the moment so by opening meet they should be pros. I also like to take my young horses out showing in the summer before hunting starts as they learn good manners from this, cantering in a group, pulling up when asked and also standing in line, makes the job a whole lot easier!
 
Thats a good idea Natalia i will see if i can arrange to tag along with the master.

I would love to take my mare out once a week but babysitting, transport issues means that its not really possible.

I have taken her to shows and have been doing dressage and SJ and been riding in the warm up etc and she really isnt phased by big groups of cantering horses and horses going past her, i havent ventured into the ridden showing though as its really not my thing at all.

:)
 
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