hunting inexperienced horses

ponies4ever

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hi just wondering how many times you would try to get a horse good to hunt? Ie they were a menace the first time you took them would you try again or just accept it and if you did try again how long would you give them to improve. Just wondering as mine was a bit lethal when I tried to take her and I'm trying to decide if I'm stupid to try again lol
TIA x
 

scruffyponies

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Most people haven't the courage to take a nutter out twice. Kudos to you for thinking about it!

Seriously, it depends: if just a bit strong I'd adjust the bitting and try again, or maybe go along with a steady horse-friend.
 

The Fuzzy Furry

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Unless they are really dangerous 1st or 2nd time out, I'd expect them to be more proficient and settled after a good half dozen meets.
That said, I prefer to start mine off autumn hunting where they dont get so much chance to hoon about etc and can learn the job at a more steady pace.
 

Goldenstar

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It depends if I bought them to hunt if they have come for MrGS then they go autumn hunting three to four times a week on short rations living in the field .
I am prepared to take three seasons to make a hunter .
That’s why proper made hunters fetch such good money and they are so sought after .
If you want to hunt as a now and again thing then I would say if after eight days in quick succession they have not improved give up and concertrate on other things .
 

Nudibranch

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Interesting! My saint of a ride and drive Fell was an absolute head case first time out on Saturday. I should really have got her out in September. I now strongly suspect she's hunted before - but not enough to get her settled to it. The sight and sound of the hounds had her on 2 legs (and indeed airs above ground) and things just got worse and worse. Completely out of character. I left before we were asked!

In her case I will leave it alone unless and until such time I can get her out for a run of consecutive meets. As someone else said, I'd either do a good few in a row over a short period of time, or just accept it and stay away.
 

paddi22

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our neighbours breed horses for hunting, and they say you know what a horse will be like after 7 times out.
 

Goldenstar

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MrGs has a an ID I bought him as a five yo very green he had been working as a hireling in Yorkshire .
He bucked ,was terrified of himeself and every body else when he got in a group he just ran he never stopped at a fence but what he could not work out how to jump he ran through .
He was a miserable frightened angry horse .
I bought him as a five yo just before Christmas when you went into his stable you just just felt his overwhelming misery .
He was a nice type not good enough to show at a high level but a old fashioned stamp of ID .
From December to end of that season my fit young friend wrangled him at the back at the hounds twice a week . At home we cared for him and loved him back to happiness I trained him developing his balance and strength . I showed him how to control his power .
At the end of that season MrGS hunted him once at the back with a mentor horse with them .
The next season he did a lot of autumn hunting and I mean a lot he then hunted twice most weeks MrGS had a lot of days with FYF repairing the next day out .
But the third season the ugly duckling had grown into a magnificent gents hunter and he field mastered and hunted in the field .
He had let go of the past and is like a large Labrador he looks after MrGS and is much admired .
But it took three years .
And after eight days we had barely started
 

Gloi

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Interesting! My saint of a ride and drive Fell was an absolute head case first time out on Saturday. I should really have got her out in September. I now strongly suspect she's hunted before - but not enough to get her settled to it. The sight and sound of the hounds had her on 2 legs (and indeed airs above ground) and things just got worse and worse. Completely out of character. I left before we were asked!

LOL That could have been an old Fell Pony of mine! He only went hunting the once!
 

pippixox

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I’ve taken my mare on hound rides. So a slower pace. I had a friend on an experienced pony to basically stick her behind when needed! But she quickly settled quite quickly. Did three. My friends mare never settled and got more and more wired despite not being very fit. She just could not handle it.
 

JanetGeorge

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hi just wondering how many times you would try to get a horse good to hunt? Ie they were a menace the first time you took them would you try again or just accept it and if you did try again how long would you give them to improve. Just wondering as mine was a bit lethal when I tried to take her and I'm trying to decide if I'm stupid to try again lol
TIA x

I've had ones who were total toss-pots on their first - improved 100% on 2nd. Others who behaved (stunned into silence) on 1st - and woke up with a vengeance on the 2nd. That's horses who hadn't hunted! But all improved after 3 or 4 days. Only had one - an ISH mare who had hunted before (on Exmoor - but she was sold at Hereford Market cheap!!!!) She remained a bat out of hell for her first season - my OH had NO chance of controlling her - and I had to work rather hard. Put her in foal (that didn't work either.)
 

Follysmum

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One of my ponies went cubbing and was fine first time, 2nd time was quite agitated waiting around and was leaping around a lot, 3rd 4th and final time hunting she was fine as long as she was moving constantly but rider didn’t have much control in between. It totally blew her brains tbh so she didn’t go again.
At massive shows, xc and team chase events she is absolutely fine so maybe it’s the atmosphere with the hounds , who knows.
 

ponies4ever

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thanks for all the replies! technically it was horse's second time and we were just cubbing however the first time she went wasn't with me and she was seriously unfit and quite underweight before me and Im astonished she managed 10 minutes but was reportedly still very strong. When I took her she was trying to back up into horses/cars/buildings and then would launch vertically before tanking forwards for about 5 strides before repeating. she did settle a little briefly when we were going but then got back to even worse as soon as we were on the field borders again at which point I got off and walked home! (we weren't far away and she then walked very well in hand *sigh*) Im not a dedicated hunter but I do like to be able to go out from time to time. sounds like it might be worth it to just go again in very rapid succession. Do you recon it would be better to do that now or wait till she's had more experience at competitions etc?
 

be positive

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Sometimes taking an unfit unprepared horse out will be worse than taking them fit because once they get tired physically they run on adrenalin and can end up sore or mentally frazzled so her first time could have done far more harm than good, second time often reflects the first experience and they are wired from the start and never settle.
I would forget this season, cubbing has finished so taking her out regularly to become bored and chilled is not going to be easy, get her out doing more generally and start going out cubbing early next autumn when she is more used to being out and about and see if she has grown up, a few pleasure rides where you take her very steadily with a friend would be useful in the interim as well.
 
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