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.... a human can walk down steps and break a leg .
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*raises hand* As one who has broken the same ankle 3 times I can testify to this!
As for the ditch jumping, I'd be too chicken to do it now but I used to jump everthing and anything when I was younger and, if I'm honest, riding was much more fun then lol
i personally wouldnt, but im a bit prissy about legs etc (DQ!!!), but i wouldnt go as far as to say its stupid etc.as long as they have checked the ground first and have permission.
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It should be compulsary for everyone to hunt in Ireland at least once, it'll either knock some sense into them or they'll take up knitting. Win, win.
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lol i think there might be a lot of knitter's after...lets face it it's just not for everyone....
i am getting a bit worried about what the reaction to the st stephens day hunt pics and video's i had planned to post are going to be now though.....the one im following(no horse safe enough to ride in it
) has a much tougher and no doubt much more dangerous set up then these few ditches....
Roscommon is the closest i can find to the one im heading to on St stephen's day... stone walls and ditches .jumping starts at around 1.30,2.40 and from 3.00
Gosh, I'm absolutely mortified by some of the comments in this thread!
When I was a bairn I jumped anything and everything, out on hacks without checking, I'd race across the common which was pitted with rabbit holes...
What happened to having ponies to enjoy? Or going back to basics to bring on youngsters?
I wish I could do that with FC, took her round a jump cross course and she shat her panties at the sight of a ditch!! Not like I could dig one in the middle of the school, is it!
all looks rather sedate to me, gentle ditch hopping, the horses were not been beaten or made to go with much force, its a safe way for them to learn, much better doing it like that than going thundering towards ditches on the hunting field if the poor horse has never jumped ditches before.
you wouldnt be able to hunt far round here without jumping far worse ditches (hence why I intend to box elsewhere as I dont think I trust mine enough to get me over not cos I would be worrried about them) there is a technique to doing them though and from what I have seen the walk in then cat leap works very well. We used to have 2 little 11.2s that were ancient and would jump of their own accord. they had mastered the jump down, jump the narrow bit, jump up again technique
kenzo i think thats why the coloured fell, rushed and didnt see what was being asked
I don't relish jumping ditches anymore, but we used to do just the same on our ponies & still do on our horses out hunting. That is the correct way to jump a ditch, ie from a standstill. If you cantered up to it you have a chance that your horse may not see it & fall in. They need to have a look.
Maybe its because im irish..and therefore must be a horse abuser if some of the comments ive read on this forum are to be taken to heart
....but we just dont tend wrap our horsea in bubble wrap at all.
Yes they are risking their horses legs doing jumps like these but if they want them to be hunter's or eventer's surely this is a great way for them to practice....much better than just bringing them to a hunt and letting them off id imagine..
Im baffled that that sort of jumping would be an issue.its a great way of training them to cope with the drains they will meet on the hunting field as my other video's show...
Fair enough if it's not for you though....it takes a certain type of crazy to want to do it.
Personally im a follower at the minute because, one. i dont have a horse to bring out and 2. my riding isnt up to scratch to survive a hunt at the min.
I gotta admit that is my ambition when it comes to horses to be able to hunt and jump with confidence and id hope that the horse that i was on would have had training like these ditches so they'd have a better idea of how to handle themselves
That is definitely pretty tame compared to what you could meet hunting round here! All my horses are taught to jump ditches, proper ditches filled with nasty smelly water for hunting and bigger than what you are looking at in that video, most of us have got wet at some point! The approach in walk, creep down the bank and cat leap is fairly common jumping the dykes and drains here
Aru laughed a lot at this one, I think the hole got bigger but fair play to all the little pones
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the hole definately got fairly dodgey near the end there alright,of that fair play to all the pony's got through it jockeys along...some had to put up with inteasting positions but they made it alright..
and i have to admit i love the Bray harriers video to plenty of people got a good wash in that one!i think the little palmolino pony is my favourite n the video though it just is zipping along and popping over those jumps with no effort....
Im beginning to see why its usually teenagers and very experienced older riders who take the youngster's to the hunts now though...you'd want to know what you were at to take youngster over some of those jumps!and be crazy enough to try it!
that's how you're meant to jump those sort of ditches (as opposed to the nicely manicured ones you find out on XC courses). let the horse have a look, shuffle to the edge, leap and carry on - there was an article in H&H on it recently - one of the hunt write-ups covering even nastier ditches. you dont just go galloping up to them. That all looked fine to me - horses weren't being beaten, riders mostly sat nice and quiet and not jabbing them in the mouth.
We spend alot of time every summer doing this- we have permission to be on the land!!! We even got our wimpy friend doing it when I stuck her on my horse!!
Is it just me that thinks the coloured looks lame after its fall? If that's what hunting is like I think I'll give it a miss. Looked really awkward to me
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Is it just me that thinks the coloured looks lame after its fall? If that's what hunting is like I think I'll give it a miss. Looked really awkward to me
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if you jumped over a ditch like that you might land a bit awkwardly - doesn't necessarily mean you'd hurt anything! we didn't see the coloured trotting up in a straight line on a hard surface so i dont think anyone can say it was lame after just that video.
hunting is about crossing the land quickly and safely and getting over whatever obstacles are in the way - part of the thrill is not knowing what's coming next - hedge, ditch, timber etc - what do people think it's about? trotting round villages with some hounds???