Hunting Young Event horses

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Orangehorse

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Does everyone do it now. It used to be that everyone took their horse hunting before expecting it to do a competition, but does this still happen?
 
i do, yesterday i was fence judging at BE and you could tell the horses that had hunted or schooled on sticky ground...
as they covered ground well, whereas other defo didn't look comfortable at all
 
My girl hunted last season and it was the making of her- we only went out 4 or 5 times but she came out with a totally different attitude to xc
 
yeah i agree with all of the above!
a good days hunting is a good kick start for youngsters and green horses as it really teaches them to go forwards.
 
I'm glad you all find hunting so good for your young horses!
smile.gif
 
I hoped this would be the answer. I just wondered if people didn't like to take their expensive purchase out hunting in case it got injured.

I can't think it would be easy to teach a horse to do x country only in the arena and on a practice course. Just how would they cope with the unexpected, bad going one day, etc.
 
I'm not sure if my horse has changed through hunting or just growing up! He hunted as a 4yr old and a small amount as a 5yr old and once this year, and has always been pretty brave XC. Lucinda Green is a massive fan of it, and was encouraging us all on younger horses looking to step up a level BE to take them hunting where possible!!
 
IMO folks don't have to go mad.... take them out to get feel etc and it just gives the GRRRRRRR factor
and not being daft BUT a true good hunter is just as expensive as a good Novice or higher.
I get annoying when folk think that hunting is for horses that can't do anything else.....
I know folks regularly out on 20K horses and have a string of them!
 
I'm all for it but I would pick a quieter day to start with, maybe cubbing (oops, I mean autumn hunting) a few times. The only problems I have had have been with numpty folk who can't steer (really annoying when your young horse is good at keeping his line to a fence and some b***er crashes into you) or stop (using you as some kind of ram to make up for their lack of brakes). Also I think you need to know when to take them home, as a tired young horse can so easily make a mistake, especially when their - and your - blood is up.
 
I have hunted my big TB this winter, I have to say he is actually a dream to hunt, but yes it has made him more 'forward thinking' about everything in general. Our country is really for a more solid ID type of horse, but with a bit of caution on my part to match the keeness on his we have managed just fine.
I will definitely be hunting him next season too.
 
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