Lets celebrate our great hunters Past or present.

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LauraWheeler

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I'm sat here trying to think of all my happy times with Lucy and some of our most happyest days where spent on the hunting field.
I first took her drag hunting as a kill or cure. (she would kill me or it would cure her behavour) Well it didn't realy do ether she was still awfull the rest of the time but i descovered something she absolutly loved. When i started hunting her i was still falling off her everyday at home but in 10 years of hunting i never fell off her not even once. She was amazing right from day one. She would do anything i asked of her. She would go up the front of stay at the back. We would stop to help fallen riders or injured horses while the rest of the hunt carried on. She was hunted by children on and off the leadrein, she could help whip in one week then the next week i could be riding her at the back leading a small child on there pony (or even two small childeren on two ponies). Once I was cantering along leading a child on a shetland and my phone kept ringing, It was a very fast day and we just didn't seem to be stopping, The phone was annoying me so i droped the reins on Lucys neck and answered it (still at a fast canter leading a shetland :eek:) The rest of the field could not believe it Lucy was a star and just kept steady. Our last proper days hunting was special. It was the last meet of the 08/09 season. We stayed out all day and did lots of jumping. The field master was amazed at the end of the day about 8pm Lucy was still pulling my arms out. Everyone elses horses where nackered (even the second horses, it had been a buisy day) The oldest horse left out was 8 years old except Lucy who was 22 :eek: :D :D. At the start of last season we where cubbing 3 times a week but just before opening meet she was diagnosed with her illness and was forced to retire. :( :(
I made this video just after she stopped hunting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6VN7dL05Lk

She loved her hunting so much for the rest of last season she had to be shut in a stable with the top door shut and a radio on full blast everytime the hunt came near the yard or she would have jumped out and gone hunting on her own. :p Now Lucy is in the big hunt field in the sky probably living her dream and being the huntsmans horse :D
Thats Lucy so lets hear about your great hunters past of present. The ones who gave you your best days hunting and who will never be replaced. Includ pics and/or vids if you like. :D :D
 
Oh I so want to post pics of my two on this thread today, but my pictures are all stuck on the laptop thats still being mended :(
 
Oh but there are a few on facebook! Heres Will on his last ever trip out hunting at 29 years of age (he hadnt been for 7-8 years before this but I wanted him to go out one last time) The other horse is Cat, this was her last season out, but she finished the season before retiring in the spring of 2009 due to injury.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1623761&l=df76ee7cdd&id=578225843
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1623762&l=02d3cb58dd&id=578225843
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1612435&l=d123f4042a&id=578225843
 
Peter.

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Cyril

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Ginge

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That's a lovely tribute Laura, I struggled not to cry at work!

my first ever days hunting (not on a lead rein) was on Buzzy, a little chestnut (read orange!) section C. He was a little monkey and despite being put in a pelham just did as he liked! He took great delight in scraping his young riders off on walls, fences, gateposts, trees etc, but he was ultimately sensible. He stopped with everyone else, and went when they did. One pony club meet with the Hurworth we jumped full blown hedges up beside the field master all day, much to the FM's suprise... thinking he was all on his own, to turn round and see a small orange pony ridden by a grinning 10yo kid next to him must have been a shock! Buzzy retired at 38 from hunting and at 40 from ridden life and had 6 wonderful years in retirement. I still miss his naughty antics.

I then got Bobby. He was bought by a family friend for £50 from an auction. He was terrified of everything, was covered in scars and had clearly been beaten by someone. Our friend backed him and got him to the point of being rideable. She then realised his potential as a riding horse and gave him to our family for me. Him and I were both 11. I spent a year gaining his trust and schooling him, teaching him to jump etc. We went hunting that first winter with the non-jumping field, and he was a star, nervous, but brilliant. The next season he'd got the idea and became very forwards, I had to change his bit to something stronger. Over the coming years we won all sorts of show jumping and eventing competitions, even beating Oli Townend on couple of ocassions! But his hunting got better and better. By the time I outgrew him and passed him onto my sister you could hunt all day on the buckle end in a snaffle and carry a hunting whip. When my sister out grew him he went on loan to 2 little girls who continued to hunt him until last year when he was PTS aged 28. :( My little star, I can't tell you how much I miss him. Don't get me wrong I loved Buzzy, but Bobby was something different, the bond we had was so strong. No pics of him hunting, but this one of last summer before he was PTS.
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Then I bought Ron when I came back from uni... He's totally different again, and lives for his hunting. He even sulks if it's a hunting day and you don't take him! I have to use a double bridle for the first part of the season as he's like a kid in a sweet shop, just can't contain himself, even at 16! But by the end of the season he's sweet enough to hunt in a snaffle. People know they can follow him over a fence, through a bog, anywhere. They also know that if you follow too close it'll take a week to clean your jacket off! Our FM and HM have frequently asked where I got him, could they buy him, do i have another, etc. To hear such horsemen asking these q's means a lot to me. He isn't world beating or of perfect conformation, but he's brilliant, and honest. I'd like to say he goes first or last, but first or second would be closer!!
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Geourgous horses everyone. I love hunters :)

Vizslak how nice it was that you could give will one last hunt. I bet he loved it.

Simsar do you hunt Peter? He's stunning I'd be to scared i'd break him if he was mine. Cyril looks like he enjoys jumping hedges and Ginge is very handsom.

AML what a view.

jenhunt thankyou she was prity amazing bless her. Buzzy sounds like my kinda pony the bit about him jumping sounds just like Lucy. I don't think they realised they where small ponies :p :D Bobby Looks so sweet but i always admire Ron everytime you post pics of him theres just something about him. He looks like such an honest hunter. :)

Baggybreeches sorry it won't let me look at your pics. It keeps saying something about cookies :confused: I'm a compleat computer numpty and it's just making me hungry :p :D
 
thank you Laura, he's a very easy horse to have around, even when he's bouncing about like an over excited 640kg child!! My sister was complaining yesterday that he's very on/off and when he's off he's asleep, but when he's on he's silly. But actually, the friend that rides him just lets him go at his own pace which is all or nothing, where as I make him walk out and canter sensibly! Or try to!

Buzzy definitely had small person syndrome... he used to run at my sister int he field with his ears flat back and his teeth bared until one day she just stood her ground and he sort of went "oh, sorry, I'll be nice" and let her catch him. He also used to undo his bolt and kick latch to get out of the stable, get into the feed shed, go down the 3 wooden steps, down the narrow corridor and get into the feed bins. when he'd had enough he would just reverse out up the steps then let everyone else out too! He'd bite when you did up the girth, he'd threaten to kick when you brushed his tummy, he'd buck if you smacked him. He wasn't nasty, he just knew how far he could push his luck without getting told off! I remember having an arguement with him when I was about 8... I was trying to get him to go down a little track away from home into the stream. We'd been down about a million times before, but this day he didn't want to. I sat there looking for all the world like a thelwell kid, arms and legs all over the shop trying to get him to go. After about 10 minutes my mum made me get off and she got on. To my intense irritation he said "oh, down here? I didn't understand that's what she'd meant!" and just strolled down like he'd never been asked before. He taught us all a h*ll of a lot, lessons I've learnt and kept and still use now!
 
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LauraWheeler said:
Sov has lovely looking eyes. All the pointers i know that hunt are mad :p But he looks so sweet :D How does he do raceing?
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Thanks Laura
He is the kindest, nicest horse you could ever meet, he hasn't done brilliant, but that is mostly down to me trying to do stuff on a shoestring the last two years, we won our hunt cup last year (2 horse race!), and he gives me a huge amount of fun.
Hopefully we should have the job sorted and we will get a proper season this time.

I notice nobody has said I look like I am about to puke! That was me at the first fence before my very first ever point (hence the jumper and hunting breeches!).
 
jenhunt I had to laugh reading about Buzzy. You could have been describing Lucy. Especialy the part about escaping from the stable scoffing in the feed room then letting all the other horses out to :D :D The small cheeky ones are the best :D

Baggybreeches I just love that jumping pic. He looks so happy infact i looked through alot of the pics and in nearly everyone of him he has his ears pricked. I think you are very brave to go point to pointing i'd be terrified even with a lovely horse like Sov to look after me.
 
baggybreehes - what a fabulous piccie :D

i've ridden loads of hunters fom having been a hirling groom (so nannyed a lot) and also doing a season in the US where i managed a yard of 18 hunters and hunted 7 days a week :D

my horse of a lifetime was currumba - a argentine polo pony x hunter who took me safely over many a warks hedge (yes this is team chasing but the only piccies i really have of him!) he was also the first horse i hunted (having only cubbed before then) and i ended up hunting him for 4 seasons i think!

he winnyed when he heard my voice and i loved every minute or riding him. he was occasionally used as a hirling but usually handed back pdq after he's dumped his rider or he'd point blank refused to jump with them! he was a character and a half and i loved him to peices

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i thought i'd never find a horse like him.... in fact i vowed never really to jump again after i had some cracking falls off another horse out hunting.... then had 8years really away from the hunt field playing polo etc but finally had the money to buy my own horse.... and honey came along - and you know what... she is so much like currumba its scary! he may well have to share his horse of a lifetime position ;)

(although she's scared of people handing a hip flask/stirrup cup to her - doh!!! marks def off for that ;))

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Oh wow currumba sounds such fun. Looks like he could jump to :) I love the last pic of honey she looks like she just eligantly floats along :D
 
LauraWheeler said:
Oh wow currumba sounds such fun. Looks like he could jump to :) I love the last pic of honey she looks like she just eligantly floats along :D
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she does when she's not bucking ;) she has a wicked streak - suits me perfectly lol!
ride judges always love her canter/gallop - but usualy don't like her stonking hunting trot! covers the ground but is bone breaking as one judge descirbed it!
 
posie_honey bless her. Who needs to trot out hunting. It's stand still or gallop isn't it LOL

Simsar I bet Peter turns heads when he's out hunting.
 
 
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YAY ponies thanks Baggybreeches :D :D :D he looks like one ace ponio and gotta love Sovs pricked ears. I think i may be falling in love with him :o
 
Ours has got to be these two:
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Bella and Indio- that was my first days cubbing :) it was so wet and cold! I can still remember the back bap afterwards :D
Bella was probably about 25, had done everything and just plodded along at the back :)
Indio was a high goal polo pony who played all through the summer and then hunted all through winter, leading both me and my brothers ponies :D

Current horse is ace as he jumps everything and anything... there isn't anything i would duck out of on him... reguarly leads my friends over all the big hedges and is just generally insane :D Even on x-mas eve when we had 3 horses run across our line to a hedge 2 strides out, he jumped the fence despite half jumping a horses bum, hes just awesome :D
 
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