hunting a show jumper?

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cdh1

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Basically... cutting a long story short im selling my show jumper as i have just finished uni and have three horses and i am looking for a full time job (so basically lack of time and funds causing sale) I have had a small amount of interest via word of mouth and was on horsequest which resulted in one time waster.. but being 17.2 and a good school master (won A £1415 £800 N and happily has a beginner on him) i keep getting asked the same question.... does he hunt (as he has done a small amount of XC schooling)

So the question is do i take him hunting which would make him easier to sell, or do you just think its his size that is putting people off.

As my parents are worried that if i take him hunting and he injures him self obviously we cant sell him... or are we just being a bit over protective of him?

All advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Yes, take him out cubbing NOW! Cubbing will give you an idea as to whether he will take to it and then you can tell perspectives that he was good/bad/indifferent about it. The weather isn't muddy or wet ATM so boot him up well and don't jump anything you don't want to - we do next to no jumping this time of year.

He sounds wonderful BTW, how old is he?
 
Ditto Weezy.

I hunt my showjumper - but then all he wants to do in life is run and jump so it suits him fine.
Cubbing is relatively easy on a horse & there tends to be little or no jumping. At least if you take him you can say what he is like out with hounds.

His size IS a consideration, but lots men I know who SJ do also hunt as well and would be looking for a big impressive horse so you might find it easier to sell him as one that does both jobs.

Good luck
 
I would give it a go, theres hunting and theres hunting. you don't have to batter your horse round fields, or jumps massive ditches etc you can pick and choose whatever you want. Then at least you'll know if he will do it or not before you seel
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Ph <font color="blue"> </font> one your local hunt and ask where they next meet for cubbing NOW! If th main question you keep being asked is if it hunts, you must take it out. You needn't worry about injuring it: if its mad just take him home... and if you can see he is calm and relaxe, you dont need to stay out, just as long as yu can prove he keps his sanity... YOU WILL KNOW IF HE ISNT RIGHT FOR IT INSTANTLY!! Best of luck
 
I would take him out... but I do not agree with the statement you will know instantly if he is not right for it... most of the horses I have hunted (and in the 90's that was alot) were gobsmacked the first time, wild the second, and then settled to it... most turned out to be great hunters, but they need to go out at least 3-4 times before you can say they will not make it or they are not right for it.
My plan was always to go cubbing or hunting 3 times in a relatively short space of time (2 weeks) - you do not need to stay out all day, then they start to realise that it is not that exciting and settle down... just remember, the second time is usually the worst one :-)
 
Def take him hunting! All my showjumpers hunted including the Grade A - they can injure themselves jsut as much in a stable or field! If he hunts - I know 4 people looking for a horse of that height! Just sold my hunter/showjumper,(for 6k) but could have sold him so many times over!
 
Def agree you should take him out. Hunting needn't be risky - as others have said you do as much as you decide is ok.

I totally totally agree with germanyjo - one days hunting is nowhere near enough to know if he's going to be ok - most horses i've hunted for the first time have behaved impeccably, it's once they start realising what's going on that the blood can boil. After that second time, though, they tend to relax into it.

His height would be a great advantage in the hunting field - there aren't many decent big horses around so some types will pay a premium.

good luck and enjoy it, I'm sure your horse will!
 
iv got a hunter advertised and have had next to no phone calls!! and the phone calls iv had would want her for showjumping........weird shall we swap!?
 
he is 12 years old..... iv had him since i was 16... iv jumped him up2 1.25.

thanks for the advice guys... also i had a thought may take him to my local hunts children's meet... if i remember correctly it was only over two lines... then will go from there..luckly the local hunt isnt to far... think its staff college and sandhurst

also, he is up for £8,000 as iv not had much interest... which i think is a great price (he does have a cosmetic scar though) if he does prove to hunt successfully... do you think i should up the price.. or is that getting greedy
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well.... he was valued at double that by x2 pro's two years ago... but pro's always manage to sell them for more.... but i respect each persons opinion. and i forgot to say he has international show jumpers on both side of his breeding.... and has qualified for the amateur finals for the last 4 years, and was 3rd in the regional points listing at some point this year.. and the amount of qualifications for amateur/young rider stuff is endless... so i really dont think £8000 is alot in the current climate... especially as you can put a beginner on him and he doesn't put a food wrong. He took me from unaffiliated 3ft3 to foxhunters with in a year.
 
I hope you get what you want for him. My opinion is just based on buying a horse of similar calibre and spec in the recent climate, not what I actually think the horse is worth - I am sure he is lovely and worth every penny! Good luck.
 
This is just my opinion but I would never take a green hunter to a childrens meet - lots of kids who don't normally hunt out of control on ponies can be too much for the most sensible horse, and most new horses to the hunting field will kick if they get run into the back of. I always go for midweek in term time to start with and def agree to plan on 4 days in quick succession. Thou if he's loco first time it would probably be best not to carry on in case you, he or someone else gets hurt - its not like there is no other job he does. Def think a big, smart horse that jumps really well is likely to sell well in the hunting field - know some hunts that pay 12k for hunt servants horses, tho prob younger than yours.
 
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