Hunting top tips please??

[Hannahandbasil]

Top tips for a newbie hunting I've subscribed this year after doing a few newcomers days the last few years. Is there anything I should have in my pockets or trailer? Any tips on looking after my horse before,during and after? All advice welcome

 

[Ditchjumper2]

Have spares in your lorry / car. Reins, stirrup leather, girth.....I have a bag full of all sorts. I also put in an exercise bridle too. If anyone has a drama they all know I have plenty of spares. I also have spare head collar, first aid kit horse and human, water, tow rope, jump leads, horse loading kit..for use on other people's horses....mine all self load. Spare hair nets, tie, gloves.

 

[Enfys]

As above plus clean dry clothes and footwear, nothing worse than having to sit around soaked to your knickers.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Nice drop of port in the flask, chocolate in the pocket. Real sheepskin on the horse's back. Hack on to the meet if you can and get your box moved. An old milk churn with the lid is fabulous for keeping water hot, you can then wash off the worst before loading to come home, and many horses will drink tepid water rather than stone cold when they are tired.

I kept a spare set of leathers and reins on the truck. Thermatex rug. Basic first aid kit with decent bandages and tools to get a shoe off. An old stud groom told me never to take the saddle off when I got back to the box, just slack the girth and let the horse cool with the tack on. There must be something in that because he ran the hunt stables for 20 years and never had a sore back.

Obviously make sure the horse is fit enough for what you need him to do and enjoy the season.

 

[Goldenstar]

Always take two pieces of bailer twine long enough to tie a gate shut with in your inside pocket .
Take a lipsil.
Girls make sure your bra straps are short enough there's nothing worse than your straps slipping down over your shoulder .
Have a flask of soup in the car to fuel you until all the jobs are done when you get home.

 

[Happy Hunter]

Dry clothes, spare everything - Fruit pastilles! - I wrap my thermatex around a hot water carrier, warm rug and warm water
A Hammer and a wrench in the car somewhere. Important numbers written down so when your phone dies you can remember them.

Oh and a hunting diary for when you get home! Enjoy

 

[okepunya]

Top tips for a newbie hunting I've subscribed this year after doing a few newcomers days the last few years. Is there anything I should have in my pockets or trailer? Any tips on looking after my horse before,during and after? All advice welcome

welcome new member

 

[Hannahandbasil]

Thanks everyone. Our opening meet is tomorrow very excited!

 

[Herne]

The old saying used to be "cut, tie and buy": a knife, bailer twine and some money for the phone box. These days a mobile will do, but either have it switched off or on silent. Making calls on the hunting field is frowned upon except in emergencies.

You can get a thing called a "countryman's belt" which is really useful - it will double as a spare rein, stirrup leather, hound couple, etc.

I also carry a roll of vet wrap.

 

[EquiEquestrian556]

These days a mobile will do, but either have it switched off or on silent. Making calls on the hunting field is frowned upon except in emergencies.

My father got lost (out hunting) awhile ago, and everyone was trying to call him to find out where he was. He had his phone on silent. It took about 2.5 hours to find him in the end, due to the fact that he didn't feel it vibrating in his hunt coat pocket. By the time he got it out to call someone, he had 50+ missed calls! He now leaves the ringtone on, quiet enough that anyone near him can't hear it, but just loud enough that he himself can.

 

[Kat]

A very wet feed for the horses when you get back to the trailer/lorry with some electrolytes as often they don't want to drink.

 

[Goldenstar]

A very wet feed for the horses when you get back to the trailer/lorry with some electrolytes as often they don't want to drink.

Personally this would be a big no no for us .
We prefer tired empty horses to eat forage first .
On return to the transport they are offered water never with electrolytes in as to often they put horses off drinking they then get Haylage for travelling and we get them home ASAP .
They go into their stables are watched until they pee ( to check the colour ) they have a drink and haylege while they wait to be bathed they have haylege in the wash bay and water gets offered especially to the first one down .
They then get bathed and back to their stables and get watched as we clean the tack water gets topped up I am always in charge of this I keep an eye on how much each horse is drinking and on how tired they look .The first hard food they get ,always with electrolytes added, is about an hour and half after they are home by then they are usually dry and in their night rugs and our outside horse will be back in his field .

 

[JenHunt]

A very wet feed for the horses when you get back to the trailer/lorry with some electrolytes as often they don't want to drink.

Personally this would be a big no no for us .
We prefer tired empty horses to eat forage first .
On return to the transport they are offered water never with electrolytes in as to often they put horses off drinking they then get haylage for travelling and we get them home ASAP ........

and we're different again... ours are offered tepid electrolytes on return to the yard (so they've cooled off a bit and relaxed), Tom then goes out in the field whilst Ron gets washed off, offered more electrolytes and then put in with forage for an hour or so. Tom then comes in and is offered more to drink before being washed off and put in. They have another hours or so with forage only before they both then get their hard feed. Once in their stables they have free access to clean fresh water, which is checked twice more before bed time. I think so much depends on the horse. If I turned Ron out he stands at the gate and looks miserable, and then won't eat when he comes in. Similarly, if I put Tom in straight away he box walks all night and doesn't eat or drink... I used the elextrodex cherry flavour electrolyte powder for ages, and then opted to change to an unflavoured liquid electrolyte... they both refused to drink it!! I had to play about with them, and ended up putting it into tepid water and adding cherry juice, before they'd drink it! fussy so and so's! Does just show how sensitive they can be though!


back to the topic though.... tips for newbies.... routine! get into a routine of doing as much the night before as you can (tack, boots, jacket etc cleaned, horse washed/brushed if not plaited up - we usually stitch in so they stay neat), and have as much put out ready to load into the car/wagon as you can...
Then in the morning the horse shouldn't need too much doing (feet, brush over, stables stains removing etc) and you can try to get your stables done before you leave so that you can focus on getting the horse washed/dried/fed/watered quickly to leave him in peace to relax and to get you in to your bath without too much delay.
I leave a bucket with electrolytes and cherry juice in just inside the backdoor of the house so that I can quickly fill it with warm water when we get back, to get them drinking as soon as possible. I also leave a bucket with the wash kit in it, so it's all ready to be filled with hot water for washing, a dry fleece rug, and my plaiting kit just inside my stables so that it's easily to hand for taking plaits out and getting on with washing whilst they drink, and then the rug is ready to go on the second we're done.
I leave my feeds almost ready to go (they only get speedibeet, micronised linseed, alfalfa, and supplements) and when I've got them both in, I tip hot water over the speedibeet and linseed to make porridge for them, and add the chaff and supplements once it's soaked. Ron in particular loves a warm porridge after hunting! Tom needs his cooling down first.

Put a hoof pick, baler twine, chocolate bar and your phone (in a resealable sandwich bag! and should go without saying, but make sure your vet's number, and the hunt sec's number is stored in it!!) in your coat pocket in case... put a horse and human first aid kit in the car/wagon.... put some lunch (a sandwich, some soup in a flask, whatever) in the car for when you're ready to head home. Leave the head collar and rugs/boots somewhere easily accessible for when you get back to it to come home - last thing you want is to be flying a sky high horse whilst trying to find a head collar (believe me, I've done it!)

but most of all, enjoy it, make some new friends and keep us updated

 

[JenHunt]

can't edit for some reason, but meant to say that I change them to their stable rugs before they get their hard feed...