Is this meant to be fun? Yikes!

I'm pretty laissez faire about things like this, but I wouldn't be taking my horses down there - the water looked deep enough to drown some of the ponies.

However, I enjoyed watching some riders face plant into it. Their look out, I'd say...
 
JFTD said:
I'm pretty laissez faire about things like this, but I wouldn't be taking my horses down there - the water looked deep enough to drown some of the ponies.

However, I enjoyed watching some riders face plant into it. Their look out, I'd say...
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:D:D:D
Ha ha - yes something mildy amusing about some of the riders getting what they deserve really. Absolutely conkers....
My TB would snap a leg just looking at a ditch like this.
Don't get me wrong - each to their own and all that.
Give me a nice solid x country fence about 2'3" any day :o:o
 
I'm pretty impressed by the horses as they (well most of them) were able to work the question out & cope with it. Maybe not pretty but very effective - and the riders were approaching it very sensibly at a walk & giving their horses time to work it out.

I didn't think it was that distressing to watch. Yes some coped better than others but there was very little terrible riding imo. The riders who were coming faster than a walk had problems because the horse couldn't work it out - if you watch the chestnut pony that the little kid uses his whip, the pony never went faster than a walk & you can see it trying to work it out. I presume it is a seasoned hunter and is teaching the rider the ropes imo!
 
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only_me said:
I'm pretty impressed by the horses as they (well most of them) were able to work the question out & cope with it. Maybe not pretty but very effective - and the riders were approaching it very sensibly at a walk & giving their horses time to work it out.

I didn't think it was that distressing to watch. Yes some coped better than others but there was very little terrible riding imo.
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Oh no not distressing to watch, just a bit knuckle cracking.
No criticism of either horses or riders except that I personally think they are nuts/fearless/drunk or all of the previous!
 
Some good riding and some very good ponies/horses who know their job. Seen worse riding on local pleasure rides and although the question being asked was difficult it was not too bad
 
The rider at 7.05... Ha Ha Ha eat that dirt lol

I felt really sorry for those horses who got their heads dunked under that water tho :(
 
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:eek: I'm surprised some of the ponies made it out! :D

I'd worry about legs in something like that too, but I guess thats why I don't hunt (well, one of the reasons ;) ) but have to say much of it was well ridden with no excessive whipping, kicking pulling etc - but eek at the filthy ponies and kids, they're going to need a pressure washer when they get home!
 
I feel sorry for the horse who fell over and had the following one jump on top of him. I assume he wasn't really stood on as he emerges from the trees a moment later with his rider grinning.

Looks quite fun though, more of a challenge than your average hack out! :p
 
I do like watching the ones who know their job negotiate it, even some of the smaller ones who can come out pretty clean ;) and make it look easy, particularly when compared to some of the others!
 
I have hunted in Ireland and in parts of the South east and South West crossing country means taking on ditch after ditch just like the one in the video

The horses are trained to this type of country and will where possible avoid going anywhere near the bottom of a ditch.

The reason being is that much of the land is wet and the only way to cross country is to take on drain and ditch alike.

The best hunters will foot the bank and clear the entire width of the drain as with a lot of these drains there is the danger as they be bottomless. Believe it or not the horses appear to love taking these obstacles on and the best ones will find footing where there appears to be none.

Dont knock it until you have tried it, you may get dirty but you know when you have been out for the day and If you fall in you are expected to get back up and keep going.

Regarding terminology:

Btw a bank in Ireland is often refered to as a ditch and the void (for a better word) is the drain or if you are in NI a sheugh (pnc shuck)

I have been in(!) and over both in my time.

The secret?: Hire a good hunter that knows the country and give it his head ie dont try and hold on the reins if you do you will end up doing a pancake impression....
 
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only_me said:
I'm pretty impressed by the horses as they (well most of them) were able to work the question out & cope with it. Maybe not pretty but very effective - and the riders were approaching it very sensibly at a walk & giving their horses time to work it out.

I didn't think it was that distressing to watch. Yes some coped better than others but there was very little terrible riding imo. The riders who were coming faster than a walk had problems because the horse couldn't work it out - if you watch the chestnut pony that the little kid uses his whip, the pony never went faster than a walk & you can see it trying to work it out. I presume it is a seasoned hunter and is teaching the rider the ropes imo!
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Don't get me wrong, I don't think there was anything terrible in there, just don't fancy getting a dunking / drowning my dopey ponies in there myself :D
 
I think it looks a blast although I'd rather take Nitty than BH. He's far too thick to work that one out, she'd be on it like a car bonnet. :D

Wouldn't fancy scraping the mud of in the evening though!
 
only_me said:
I'm pretty impressed by the horses as they (well most of them) were able to work the question out & cope with it. Maybe not pretty but very effective - and the riders were approaching it very sensibly at a walk & giving their horses time to work it out.

I didn't think it was that distressing to watch. Yes some coped better than others but there was very little terrible riding imo. The riders who were coming faster than a walk had problems because the horse couldn't work it out - if you watch the chestnut pony that the little kid uses his whip, the pony never went faster than a walk & you can see it trying to work it out. I presume it is a seasoned hunter and is teaching the rider the ropes imo!
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So, in your opinion, putting your horse in serious risk is ok,...as long as it's in walk?! Nah mate, no point in it. Why make a horse or pony do this with a rider? It would think twice in the wild let alone with a body on top to un balance as well! Don't see the appeal at all. Each one who came off deserved it, the kid with the whip shout be beaten to within a inch of his life to be made to carry someone down a slippery muddy hill and those who didnt fall off, it's only because the horse's trust you'r abusing kept you ontop, nothing else. No skill, luck and good horse footing. Pointless activity which could have easily ended worse. And why the HELL do those people come straight down after one falls?! What horeman ship is shown here? None!
 
Abz88 said:
So, in your opinion, putting your horse in serious risk is ok,...as long as it's in walk?! Nah mate, no point in it. Why make a horse or pony do this with a rider? It would think twice in the wild let alone with a body on top to un balance as well! Don't see the appeal at all. Each one who came off deserved it, the kid with the whip shout be beaten to within a inch of his life to be made to carry someone down a slippery muddy hill and those who didnt fall off, it's only because the horse's trust you'r abusing kept you ontop, nothing else. No skill, luck and good horse footing. Pointless activity which could have easily ended worse. And why the HELL do those people come straight down after one falls?! What horeman ship is shown here? None!
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Trust me dont judge it until you have been there. The horses know what they are doing thats why the advice is always to give them their heads - if someone doesnt then they learn the hardway. It may look terrible to someone who hasn't done this type of country but trust me the horses are amazing. Where a rider becomes unbalanced its better that they come off and give the horse its chance to clear the ditch/drain. As I said I have hunted over these banks and rarely if ever you see a horse get hurt...cant always say the same about some of the riders though. It is often said that Irish bred horses have a fifth leg and this is why. I also believe it is why when many Irish bred horses get to the UK they cant believe their luck with lovely trimmed hedges and neat hunt jumps....
 
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Abz88 said:
So, in your opinion, putting your horse in serious risk is ok,...as long as it's in walk?! Nah mate, no point in it. Why make a horse or pony do this with a rider? It would think twice in the wild let alone with a body on top to un balance as well! Don't see the appeal at all. Each one who came off deserved it, the kid with the whip shout be beaten to within a inch of his life to be made to carry someone down a slippery muddy hill and those who didnt fall off, it's only because the horse's trust you'r abusing kept you ontop, nothing else. No skill, luck and good horse footing. Pointless activity which could have easily ended worse. And why the HELL do those people come straight down after one falls?! What horeman ship is shown here? None!
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Nope, never said that! I said that they gave the horses time to work it out in walk.
And it is hunting, what do you expect? Nicely manicured fences in a line with a groundline and ditches with clearly defined edges? Plus this is Ireland so proper hunting with hounds. And also horses in the wild wouldn't do most of the activities that we do today, the basic one being that a horse in the wild wouldn't be ridden...! Would it shock you to hear that the hunts around me jump a lot of wire - but rarely does a horse get injured by it because the proper hunters are trained to jump wire. The hunts in that region on the pic jump a lot of ditches (drains) so the horses are used to it!


The kid with the whip should be beaten to within a inch of his life
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A bit harsh perhaps. Did you never use your whip when you were younger?
 
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Abz88 said:
So, in your opinion, putting your horse in serious risk is ok,...as long as it's in walk?! Nah mate, no point in it. Why make a horse or pony do this with a rider? It would think twice in the wild let alone with a body on top to un balance as well! Don't see the appeal at all. Each one who came off deserved it, the kid with the whip shout be beaten to within a inch of his life to be made to carry someone down a slippery muddy hill and those who didnt fall off, it's only because the horse's trust you'r abusing kept you ontop, nothing else. No skill, luck and good horse footing. Pointless activity which could have easily ended worse. And why the HELL do those people come straight down after one falls?! What horeman ship is shown here? None!
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Are you trolling?
 
The only bad things I saw in that video was the time when another rider came down when one was struggling in the ditch & the ones that came down faster than a walk which didn't give the horses time to think.

Most of the riding was good & the ditch was surprisingly well tackled. Yes it doesn't look pretty & it's not very nice watching ponies/horses getting a dunking but then at cross-country water you see horses getting a face full even at the highest level!

I don't think I'd fancy it as I would hate to end up in that mud :p
 
I think the coblet would sink...

You can't beat a good Irish hunting horse....they're few and far between for genuineness.

I saw a lot more than 1 pat....the kid hardly whipped it senseless into it....and all were a lot more gracious about the falls than 'us' lot over here! ;) The ones who got it wrong, were the ones who got a dunking.

The one where the horse nearly landed on the oter, was a pure accident - if you listen, the guy on the ground was shouting but it was too late and shouted everytime one fell or got stuck for a while longer in it.

Whether it's 'right' or 'wrong' will always be personal preference. If it was me, I'd be leaving it 90% to the horse, on the buckle almost and kicking on steadily down it. The horse can decide where it's safest....not me.
 
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only_me said:
Ouch!! However I don't think that is ireland, don't get many trimmed hedges here!! Might be mistaken but the voices don't sound irish either. Could be England pre-ban?
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No idea at all, video just caught my eye in the related vid's section .... winced as I watched it, bet that poor horse had a nasty gravel rash :( they were lucky not to have been jumped on as they were trying to get up :(
 
In the other vid shared, I not only feel for the horse falling, but the poor sods asked to canter hard on ROAD!! One thing my instructors always taught me never EVER go more than a steady trot on roads as it trashes horses legs. So much for 'hunting people' being 'horsey people'. Obviously havent a clue about horse welfare, just protensious gain. Pathetic.
 
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