Tricks of the trade

[Wimbles]

Hi, I'm taking my 18 hand ex racer out with The Four Shires a week on Sunday and I'm just wanting to pick all you seasoned hunter's brains.

I only get to go out about 6 times a year due to transport issues and it's usally on my other tb who is really well behaved.

My big lad is suberb when he's going forward, I wouldn't want to be on anything else. He's quite strong, and if I'm honest, a real man's horse, but I've got a bit of beef behind me and can hold him ok. His problem is he hates standing still and often gets himself in a real tiz, leaping and reversing, especially on the port stops.

I usually ride him in a myler snaffle and I'm tending to think that his problems are amplified 'cause I stick him in a stronger bit for hunting (pelham). So this time I was thinking of taking him in a cheltenham gag with two reins. Would this be a good idea?

I was also thinking of putting a pair of spurs on to try and discourage him from going backwards, again is this a good plan?

Lastly, I was wondering if any of you had any tricks I can use with him when we're stood about.

Thanks in advance

 

[ngrace]

are you able to walk him round with another horse? not that i know anything about hunting as im going to my first on tues! just an idea

 

[cptrayes]

Keep walking around don't stand still, it will just bottle him up until he explodes. I use a pelham with two reins and have the curb wrapped in latex. Two reins is a good idea, definitely. If you have good control over your legs spurs won't hurt and could help, but if you use them to send him forward you might get more forward than you want, and then if you stop him he's likely to rear.

You might try letting him reverse himself into a thorn hedge if you can arrange it - sometimes works wonders!

It's a difficult one, they get better the more you take them, but you can't get there . I hoep you have fun anyway.

 

[RunToEarth]

It really depends on the horse, I know I can just kick the coloured forwards and he goes without a fuss, but a couple of OH's horses take the opportunity to launch forwards into more drama. I would agree often the pelham makes them worse, I always try to ride in the same as I hunt in though- I know it's not ideal for everyone.
Has yours been in the gag before?

 

[tootsietoo]

I found with my mentalist pony that a gag just made life much much worse, as it sort of bunched him up and he ended up going up and then launching himself forward! I hunted him in an eggbutt snaffle and running martingale and just did all I could to avoid situations where we'd be hemmed in, and gave myself plenty of space to walk in circles. Also, as I have mentioned before, I gave him potassium bromide (given to me by the vet) to chill him out for the first season we hunted.

However, with my strong but calm 16.2, the Cheltenham Gag with two reins works a treat!

 

[JenHunt]

Make him DO something rather than trying to make him NOT do something, walking circles, or walking away and walking back are all acceptable.

I think spurs are fine as long as you know how and when to use them (I'm sure you do, it's just that some people don't know how to not use them whilst wearing them!)

A cheltenham gag with two reins sounds like a plan if you think you need more than just a snaffle but not as much as a pelham.