Hunt coming - do you leave horse out?

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unicorndreams

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Just wondering what others do? The hunt comes round our farm area several times in the season, the first of which is to be Tuesday. I've always left my horse in for the day as that's what the others have done but she doesn't like this much and makes a bit of a mess of her bed. So this time I am thinking of leaving her out with another 'steady' horse. Yes she'll prob run around in excitement but I think she'll be happier doing that than running round her stable!
What would you do?
 
Mine live out 24/7 but I would leave her out anyway, always have done in the past.
She's a sensible sort and normally has a 5 minute run around then settles back down.
 
Yup. Hunt comes right through our yard several times a season and my boy is far safer being out where he can run around (booted up in a safe, secure paddock) than in his stable . . . but that's just him.

To each their own.

P
 
My old horse jumped a five bar gate to follow the hunt one year, thankfully some hunt members brought him back and put him in a stable, he was white lathered under his rug but amazingly for him not a scratch on him. Because of this I left my young horse in when the hunt came past earlier this year, but they came around the back of the stables and he got in a terrible state, lathered in sweat and stressed for hours later, took ages to get him settled and put his stable to rights. I cant seem to win! I think this time I will leave him out and live with the fact that he might gallop around but hopefully come to no harm - this one may be better if he can actually see what is happening...:confused:
 
Gosh I can't imaging mine jumping a gate to join in the fun but then she's never hunted and whilst she loves a good gallop she's not a giddy sort and is usually quick to settle if she can see what's going on. She did race though so does know about 'exciting things'!
Last time she charged around the stable and banged her head - silly mare :-)
 
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Knobberpony stays out and we've never had any issues.She is a blooming good hunting pony,and absolutely loves hunting,but is not the sort to get excited by other ponies or horses,no matter what.She'll look but won't charge about getting in a state.
 
I think it depends very much on the horses temperament as to what to do with it when the hunt comes past - some don't care about horses galloping past, others completely lose it. If you think she'll be more settled outside where she can see what's happening then give it a try, as long as you're sure she won't try to join them.

The hunt comes by our house quite a lot - our house, yard & fields get completely surrounded on all 4 sides!
In the past with the geldings we've put them in if we hear the hunt coming and they've been fine this way, with the radio on and some tasty food to take their minds off it a bit. If we didn't get warning and they happened to be outside then we just had to watch them chase around and hope they didn't do anything too silly - they never really have and are usually ok after about 10 minutes of running about snorting, though I did have a hairy moment where I was leading them and the hunt descended and I nearly got dragged by all 3 horses at high speed to join them!

However this year I am absolutely dreading the hunt coming past as my mare did a lot of hunting, is the very silly hot headed type and I've already been warned that she will do everything in her power to join a hunt if she hears one - she will also jump anything in front of her without thinking twice and is the type to tear around with wild eyes like a complete lunatic - she does this enough as it is so I hate to think what she'd be like in an exciting situation!
I'm sure if they come past she will have no hesitation in jumping the hedge and disappearing over the horizon and I have been worrying about it! If possible I'd have her inside with the others and put the weaving grill up to stop her jumping the door - close my eyes, cross my fingers and hope for the best! Just have to hope I'm home or I may return to a horse-less field :eek:
 
Depends. Mine would jump out & join them, despite usually being the picture of calm & sensible. Some just don't bother. For others, racing about the field is the lesser of two evils. Years ago I knew an old ex hunter who in no circumstances could be left out or even led with the hunt in hearing. Out of season, some prat got hold of a horn & went blasting it nearby, while the old boy was calmly grazing. He got so far in his search for the rest of the field, we had to bring him home in the box!
 
Well I didn't have a choice in the end - the hunt turned up at 7am before I'd had chance to fetch them in! The hounds were running around the field that our horses were in which apparently set them all off galloping. I'm not too happy about that for sure! Thankfully the horses are OK, they do have a nice big field so less chance of injury but allowing the pack of hounds to run around their field strikes me as a bit irresponsible of the huntmaster :-(
 
Some stay out, most come in. The ponies aren't bothered by the hunt. Mac and our old Paddy once were the last ones to come in and ended up with the hounds chasing a fox across their field - they found that 'rather exciting'.
 
We leave ours out , theyd be alot worse in the stables hearing the commotion and wondering what was going on.They usually just trot up and down the fence watching whats going on .
 
I'd keep mine in, but that's because her stable is well away from where the hunt would pass, whereas the field would be very close. She's lovely and chilled in the stable, but I don't think she would react very well to seeing the hunt go right past her. Plus, she's supposed to be on paddock rest, so she's not actually supposed to be charging around atm!
 
I knew of a pony who jumped out of his field when the hunt were near, ran up the garden and tried to jump a 5'6" ornamental spiked gate. He didn't make it :(

This was a fairly laid back pony who usually refused to jump. Don't under estimate what they may try. He lived on his own, and it's usually solitary horses that jump out. However, I'm sure with hindsight that he would probably have tried to jump out of his stable had he been in.

I do tend to leave mine out in company and am lucky in that one of mine is an ex hunt horse and has seen it all before.
 
It varies from horse to horse here, the ones that are staying out (non of which have hunted!) Are moved to a field that the hunt to not direct pass, they normally just stand and watch. The three who do/have hunted come in, my hunter would be straight out over his gate, they go in the internal stables (inside barn) windows shut so they can't see hunt, radio on loud so they don't here them and lots of hay!!
 
Mine is an idiot, in the field and in the stable. Hunt lost control of hounds this year after a real fox ran across them and they ended up hooning around my horses saved field. He was doing the wall of death round the field next door (ridge and furrow so not great) but wasn't running completely blind thankfully. Even more thankfully, injured horse in tiny pen was stood quietly watching. But if excited in the stable mine tries to climb over the door or rears at the partition walls. Not sure what to do when the hunt meets in village this year! Maybe either take him hunting (but I didn't have plans to die this year!) Or box him up and take him for a ride somewhere else.
 
Its hard to know what's the right thing to do isn't it! Let them run round the stable like loons or let them run round the field like loons? Last time mine banged her head in the stable and 'rearranged' the stable mats! She doesn't appear to have come to any harm in the field and it wasn't all churned up, no fences down and no sweat marks under her light rug so I think she was OK. She probably enjoyed hooning around!!
 
For me it depends on how near they're coming. A couple of fields away and I would leave them out, the next field away and I would probably bring them in. If I knew they were coming I would have them in the field next to the stables in the middle of our land. Luckily the hottest of our horses has never been hunting, so although she had a good look, she didn't do much. The two geldings have, and they got fizzed up more! TBH, they used to come across our fields and we would go with them.

I too have been on a hunt when they actually went through a field with a horse in, and it joined them and went for nearly a mile before anyone could catch it. Wouldn't have be impressed if my horse.
 
It depends very much on the ponies as we often have hounds running through our land. The old timers love it, it perks them up no end for a week or so afterwards, but daughter's little jumping pony stresses off half his body weight when they are around, as he had a bad accident with his previous owner so I have advance warning and bring him in and sedate him. Anyone new I bring in for the first couple of visits to gauge their reaction.
 
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