Hunting - does it get them more forward??

[Scottish_Miss]

Just wondering what peoples toughts are on gettin a hhorse out huntin that is not a forward thinkin horse???

Think it would be great for Murphy - get him motivated ! He is not one to give a slap to and get him going as he is quite defiant and will get more backwards on you. Working realy hard with him and my trainer who is really good and understands him as had one similar.

Just wondered if we go hunting for a season if anyone has seen a change in their horse after hunting???

Any thoughts appreciated.

cheers
Tia

 

[skewby]

I am so not experienced in this so probably no help, but I found it did! My lad has always been very very forward going and thinking, I didn't take him out until he was 10 because basically until then I had no brakes (and when I took him out, they weren't good!). First time I hacked him out afterwards I got hunt gallop when I asked for canter, although I wasn't bothered as I did have brakes when I tried them. Then any party we went to (even tiny ones) he would get sweated up and shake with adrenalin up until we loaded to go home. Also, any minor gathering of horses would really wake him up and you could see him looking for the hounds in hope!

I took him on hound exercise yesterday and he was great, albeit strong, but also in a muck sweat and shaking from start to finish. I do believe he will settle to it but also realise he may not - he finds it all dreadfully exciting. I'm going to suck it and see, keep taking him out, it may blow his mind or make me an awesome hunter, I don't know yet!

But what I mean by my ramblings is, it had a huge effect on my boy - who really is a seen and done everything type, he's been going out since he was 5. For him, it may prove to be just too much. But seeing and feeling the effect it's had on him, I would imagine that if you had a much less forward one, it couldn't help but change that! Could you take him autumn hunting for starters?

Also should say, I do know of a family that got an instructor to hunt their cob to wake it up a bit - ended up selling it as it woke up TOO much!

 

[Cliqmo]

In my experience it can be effective for stale or lazy horses as it gives them something exciting to think about and breaks the normal routine- it quite literally gets them more forward going :grin: but with a horse who is inclined to be backward thinking, you might be creating as many problems as you're fixing - particularly if he is backward thinking by getting nappy or cantacerous, as asking a horse with this sort of attitude to leave the main hunt group to take a smaller jump, to find a gate or to wait on a seperate side of cover at the request of the Huntsman (for example) will be infinitely more difficult (and embarrassing) than when he throws his toys out of the pram in the school at home...

 

[L&M]

It certainly helped my boy - we bought him as an ex-bsja pony 'gone stale' who could be very stubborn and backward thinking, but out hunting he is a demon, spends most of the day at the front tucked behind the fieldmaster, and jumps like a rocket.
It is lovely that he has hunting as his new job as it has given him a new lease of life. He can still be lazy at home but we forgive him this as he is such a joy to hunt.
Good luck!

 

[Aniseed]

It helped my horse who is extremely lazy and sometimes requires a bit of leg whilst out hunting. I find that after I have been out she gets quite full of herself and always thinks we should be going at a hunting pace when on a hack. Its quite nice though for a change!