Just can't find a good hunter

[humph]

Hi WJ3,

My husband is one of the masters of our local hunt and so is looking for something that is basically as bold as brass. He doesn't mind if the horse is a tad on the strong side, so long as it isn't dangerous. We have decent vale country with thick black hedges and ditches in front or behind so he needs something scopey, bold and able to pull away from the field and jump in cold blood. He's tall but rangey so would like something 16.3hh upwards although, at a push he'd be happy with something at 16.2hh if it were chunky enough to cope with our heavy clay going. We believe in buying a horse to keep for life so ideally it should be between 5 and 10 so as to get more seasons out of it.

Most important criteria are boldness, scope and soundness.

Anything you have that fits the bill would be very interesting. We're happy to travel a distance to see a horse - we're doing an 8 hour round trip to see a horse on thursday - but it does sound pretty good - it would have to for that effort!

The thugishness of an Irish horse always goes down well with my husband but it needs a bit of TB blood to keep him at the head of the field!

Hope that helps but let me know if you need any other info,

Thx Kate

 

[kp31]

Hi Kate

Not sure if what i have is suitable. He is a 5 year old 17 hand Selle Francais gelding. Goes on any ground. Hasn't hunted but has show jumped, xc schooled jumping ditches water etc. A real mans type of horse that my show jumping trainer thinks would be a a fab masters horse as he is quality. Came over from France last year having passed a full vetting. If you want any more details please PM me and i will send pictures, videos etc and everything else i have on him!

 

[lexiedhb]

This guy is on the side of the fiorum today:

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/marketplace/classified/details.php?id=102427&category=4

 

[humph]

Thanks Lexi,

I'd spotted him but I noticed him a while ago and one slightly unnerving thing is that the date on his ad is Dec 2007. Makes me wonder why he hasn't sold. So sorry to sound ungrateful - I'm not at all. Everyone has been hugely helpful on here.

Am hoping, fingers as determinedly crossed as possible, that we might have found my husband a horse. I daren't say too much as we've been in this position twice only for the previous horses to have failed the vet but we are having a horse vetted on Weds.

Will keep you all posted, but thank you ALL for your help in the meantime.

 

[humph]

Yeah, our long and laborious search for a hunter for my husband is over!

We went to see a fab horse on Saturday and Henry just adored him and thought him the best of all the horses he's tried, which is saying something because he loved two others enough to get them vetted. He's straight over from ireland (a fortnight ago), 6 yrs old, has hunted for 2.5 seasons, is well bred (by White Clover who, in turn, is by Clover Hill) and jumps like a stag (not literally, that wouldn't be very comfortable!).

The great news is that our vet went to see him today and said that the only negative thing he could say was that the horse hadn't been schooled to work on the bit. The vet hunts with us and was taking the piss as he knows that my husband wouldn't know what working on the bit was!

Anyway, we're hugely relieved and excited (well I am, husband doesn't get excited about horses). I just wanted to thank everyone on here for helping out.

Kate x

 

[Holloa]

Any pictures????!!! Well done and congratulations. Hope he turns out to be a cracker!

 

[humph]

have tried uploading photos but have failed miserably. Anyway the photos we've got are the ones the couple selling him sent us and they were almost enough to put us off going so they're not particularly flattering. He arrives with us on tues so will get some then and will upload them.

Am so so pleased - I can't help but look in H&H and horsequest just to see if we've missed out on a corker but the only one that I've seen that looks good is being sold by a friend of ours for £15k and we don't have that sort of silly money to play with!