Keeping them "Hunting" fit and after care?

[Stacie_and_Jed]

WOW.......i went out on a hound exercise on Saturday (my first one) and it was the most full on intense workout me and my boy have ever done!! It was pretty much non stop trot and canter for around 2 hours!! He coped really well to my surprise but i guess he ran on adrenalin?!
I would have worked a lot harder on his fitness had i realised how intense the morning would have been.

So my question - what do you all do to keep your horses fit enough for hunting? Would it be pretty much full on intense work while hacking ect??

Also what after care precautions do you take? I.e. stable bandages, ect etc!

(Sorry for the questions, im a newbie hunter)

 

[tmsmorgan1]

I can totally relate to your thoughts on the hound exercise as I took one of my boys out the other week, we were told it would be slow and steady instead it was fast and furious but hey what a great time we had. My concerns were as your what aftercare to give him as I had never been before, we went out on the sunday lunchtime we hacked nearly 5 mile to the meet at a fair old trot and then about a mile and a half back when he got back he had a nice shower cold hosed his legs off and a wet feed with electrolytes, the next day I did not work him but stretched his legs on the walker and let him pick at some grass in hand I would of liked to have put him out but that was not possible. He seemed quite content with this and legs were fine.

I would've preferred that he had been fitter but 100% hindsight is a wonderful thingx

 

[Stacie_and_Jed]

I had a great time too even if the pace was completely unexpected!!

I gave him a nice wash off when we got back and he had a nice dinner after going out in the field for the afternoon. Also he had a full day out and no work yesterday so managed to stretch his legs whilst grazing! I forgot to give him salts in his dinner Saturday evening but he had them last night so hopefully he's fully recovered now!!

Completely agree about the hindsight - it certainly is a wonderful thing

x

 

[JenHunt]

I have to say that once Ron is hunting fit I do very little except hunting to keep him fit. he hacks out the day after and is turned out for 12 hours a day all week except on hunting days.

as for preparation and after care... I get asked this so often that I wrote this....about it all!

 

[Stacie_and_Jed]

Oh thats probably the most helpful thing ive ever read! Thank you so much for that - ill be sure to remember all the tips.

 

[JenHunt]

I'm glad it's helpful... It's only what I was taught, and not gospel by any means, but it serves me well.

My lad always comes out of the winter looking and feeling pretty good and the only lameness he's had after hunting was one day when he'd trapped a nerve in his shoulder (which he righted by himself bless him!) but we've still no idea how he caused it or solved it?! He hunts twice a week all season, and has done all the time he's been with me (6 years in october).

 

[huntley]

Hound exercise is alot more intensive than autumn hunting (or even hunting after the Opening Meet)! You will rarely get to go at that speed for that length of time. At the moment presuming we will start hunting in a week or so (if it ever stops raining) mine are having long slow canters twice a week - either round a large field or up a hill I am lucky enough to have.
I only want them to be fit enough to canter across a couple of fields at this time of the year. They are out all the time and not having any food (cruel mother!). The other days I just go out for a normal hack - walking, trotting and maybe the odd canter if we feel like it. Once hunting starts I will canter them a couple of days before hunting so I know the next day that they are sound. I always travel mine tacked up as it is too stressful to do on arrival. They travel in a fleece/cooler. I never take my saddle off before travelling home as it allows them to cool down slowly. I wash them thoroughly although I use the minimum amount of water on their saddle patch (you want to avoid getting their kidney area wet if possible), apply baby powder to their legs then bandage with Fibagee underneath. The powder dries the legs well and prevents mud fever. Pick out their feet and rug accordingly. If they are likely to break out I will leave them in a cooler and maybe a thin stable rug for an hour or so until I feed and then I will assess their temperature and change their rugs accordingly. I will change their rugs again when I check them last thing at night if they have broken out badly. Sorry for the ramble but hope it is helpful.

 

[Stacie_and_Jed]

Thank you Huntley thats all very helpful.

Just one question (i hope i dont sound too silly asking) why would you not want to get their kidney area wet??

The tip about baby powder is genius - i will definately be using this piece of advice!

 

[icklemadame]

JenHunt - blue rinse? Where do I get such stuff? I've got a pony with a lot of white and never know how to get her sparkly the way other people do with theirs, could this be the magic formula??

 

[JenHunt]

ooohh.... now you're asking... try this one but I know there are others on the market if you look around.

I also like the cowboy magic blue shampoo (shine in yellow out i think) but it doesn't remove the most stubborn stains.

A lot of showing folk use clothes washing powder too!! but I'm not sure about that one, you'd have to be careful that it didn't irritate the skin!

useing ice tight or chalk paste under bandages is another good way to 're-dye' white bits white!

 

[Ditchjumper2]

I agree with huntley, hound excercise or rides are usually far too fast at this time of year and nothing like proper hunting.....more like bloodhounding. Ours are doing long trots now and will have a couple of canters before we start. You do not want your horse too fit at the start. If you are hunting twice a week then if you just hack for 1 1/2hours 3 times a week it will keep them right. If you are ever in doubt as to whether he is sound, trust your judgement and don't hunt.

I too always travel tacked up with a cooler and/or fleece depending on temperature. I was always taught, many years ago, that you never remove saddle on way home, simply loosen girth and move it slightly back to allow air to get underneath. On returning to stable we always used to give back a good rub with straw or a towel. These days I do tend to wash them when we get back unless it is really cold in which case I just do the saddle and girth area. I don't use warm water on legs and if we have been in a mucky area will add well diluted VS to the water. It is easy to pick up infection through small cuts etc. Make sure ears are dry and warm and rug up. One of the joys of having your boys at home is that we can leave them once done whilst lorry and stuff unloaded etc and then pop out to check, re rug and feed as and when. If we have done an early though I like to turn them out once we get back. Everyone has slight variations as to what works for them but all have horses best interests at heart.

 

[Stacie_and_Jed]

JenHunt - blue rinse? Where do I get such stuff? I've got a pony with a lot of white and never know how to get her sparkly the way other people do with theirs, could this be the magic formula??

Try these icklemadame http://www.croftequestrian.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1716 - ive struggled for years to try and keep my horses legs clean and stain free enough for the show ring - and then i came across these little magic blocks! I call them stickle blocks (no idea if thats the correct word for them) Honestly they are genius!!! You give a firm rub on the stained area and they come up very very clean! Then to get rid of the dust/dirt on the block just rub it on the stable wall or concrete floor (not too hard because you'll end up rubbing your whole block away. Much better than any shampoo/stain remover i have come across! A lady where i keep Jed kept suggesting them to a friend of mine so she invested and used them on her horse who is rather attracted to laying in wee and we were gob smacked at the result!!

They are around £2.00 - £2.20 and you can buy them in most tack shops!

x

 

[huntley]

I try not to get too much across their backs after hunting as it can make them break out more and give them a chill. If it is just autumn hunting I just give the saddle patch a rub with a damp sponge and turn them out. Everyone is different but I do like to get all the mud off their legs/tummy etc as sometimes it is quite sore to get off when it is dry. I apply baby oil/pig oil all over their tummies before hunting as it makes it much easier to get the mud off as it doesn't stick to them!

 

[Orangehorse]

I think that if you have never hunted before it is so easy to underestimate how fit your horse needs to be. I suppose that when I was little we were riding our ponies such a lot and going to shows nearly every weekend in the summer that they just stayed fit all the time. When I moved up to horses I was doing shows and hunter trials and one day events, so again the horse was just fit all the time and if he had a bit of time off it didn't matter much.

I used to hunt my horse once a week, he went into the autumn fit from one day events, etc. and he was turned out everyday and taken for a long ride in the week. The vet pulled a bit of a face about this work programme, but it worked for 3 years with no problems. He was an extremely energetic horse that used to gallop around the field and put a lot of energy into all that he did. I suppose that with a lazy horse it wouldn't work.

So if someone asked me how fit their horse needed to be for hunting I would say the same as doing a one day event.

Oh, and I was always told not to remove the saddle immediately, but travel back with it on in the trailer, remove the bridle and give some hay to get the digestion working again.
I used to turn him out straight away if it wasn't raining, so he could have a roll and nibble at grass.

 

[JenHunt]

i agree with getting the digestion working again - its the best way to get them settled and warm and to keep the weight on them when they're hunting regularly through the season.

IMO not removing the saddle is quite an old fashioned way of doing things that harks back to the days of old woolen rugs. That's not to say it doesn't work, or that you shouldn't do it, just that I think that modern cooler rugs are good enough to wick the moisture away before the horse gets too cold, so why not remove the saddle he's worn all day?

Some horses will go out after hunting, just that mine doesn't want to! if i try to turn him out he stands at the gate waiting for me to come and get him, so I've learnt just to put him in so he can stuff a bale of haylage down his neck!

 

[Grandmato3]

JenHunt - blue rinse? Where do I get such stuff? I've got a pony with a lot of white and never know how to get her sparkly the way other people do with theirs, could this be the magic formula??

I prefer to travel tacked up and also leave saddle on on the journey home. Wherever possible I like to avoid washing legs and prefer to feel for thorns etc and brush off dry mud, mud fever nervousness.I only wash off sweat. Never a had a prob. For greys, always a real good rub with a cactus cloth is more efficient on stains than washing. For gleaming tails the rinse after washing is a very old fashioned product by Reckitts. Its a laundry rinse called Dolly Blue, Blue bags and other names, I have always bought it at old fashioned hardware shops. Just swish the little bag in the last rinse, perfect every time