What are you after-hunting rituals?

[Vicki1986]

after i go [mock] hunting (which i appreciate is not as strenous as the real maccoy) i put clay on my neds legs and turn her out for a few hours then get her in for bed. the next day she is really tired so i give her a few days off work.
what do other people do? do you give electrolytes? they seem to make mine get the squits so i dont bother they have access to a salt block.

 

[severnmiles]

I feed salt and oil but then I feed that everyday. Our stables are 18x15 so theres enough room for them to move around easily so they don't stiffen, if its been a hard day and I feel the slightest amount of heat then I ice them. Normally they'll have one day off the day after hunting but Ernie only gets one day off a week now so if he's hunting twice a week he'll still be ridden on the Thurs as he's in training.

 

[Clodagh]

Wash horses legs and belly and bandage them (not the belly!). Religeously check every joint after missing a blackthorn in a stifle last year.
Put rugs on and then change them every hour all bl**dy night as shes only young and carries on hunting for about 2 days after we've finished! Must buy a thermatex! In the meantime I thatch her.
She always has salt and oil, her stable is teeny but she has worked out how to roll one side at a time, she has a very deep bed after hunting.
One day off, then back to normal work. She only hunts once a week this season as shes only just 5.
She is turned out all day every day anyway so stiffness not really a problem. After cubbing I used to turn her out but too yucky now!

 

[kick_On]

very similiar to Clodagh
if been very muddy day, will try and wash off on way home ie in floods or i know of a very large safe pond. If not that muddy will brush off when get home. But if do wash, I only use WARM WATER.
Check gg esp. legs and belly etc for any cuts, wounds or blackthorn etc... bandage legs, wrap in thermatex put in stable (very large and deep straw bed, well banked), warm up water in buckets so not too cold.
Take plaits out, gg should be tucking into haynet, and if been very cold day will give a small warm bran mash. Leave for about half hour come back and check and wrap up in proper stable rugs, fill up water buckets again and then I feed when settled. Then come back in half hour to check eaten food, refill water buckets and check to see if warm enough, if ok and will go home happy.
Next day will give go brush over, trot up to check sound, check legs for any lumps and bumps and if ok will put out in field for day.
To keep hunting fit exercise horse 5 days a week and hunt saturday and always give sunday off, so horse can chillout and i can go out for sunday dinner :grin: :grin:

 

[severnmiles]

Do you all wash sweaty, muddy bodies when you get home from hunting?

 

[Honeybee]

If I can’t wash her legs/tail at the hunt, that’s the first thing I do after that nice warm rug on and a good feed. :grin:

 

[Vicki1986]

i check her over let her drink put a thermatex on then get her straight home. if i try to brush her or put travel boots on etc she goes doolally (last time kicked me and trod on both my feet!) so i try to do minimal fussing then clean her up etc when i get home and she's had the chance to go out in the field for a good roll.

i think next time i will put her in my friends stable as she likes to roll in the straw whereas her stable is shavings and not as roll-friendly it seems

 

[kick_On]

only if really wet and muddy will wash, if dry will just brush and wisp off any sweat ... and in morning brush again. Just think a little unfair on gg if you had a long day to give bath, but really does depend on what state we get home in.
If quiet day want to do as little as possible, but if we have cracking day, jump'in and running after trail, or if we've joined tumble club :grin: :grin: :grin:..... will do

 

[severnmiles]

Huntsman says that! He'll only wash if the horse is wet. I think thats wrong, I'll wash mine whatever and then within seconds they are cosy and toasty in a fleece, duvet and stable rug, I've had too many horses hair fall out to leave them sweaty.

The tumble club...hehe don't want to joing that too often :crazy:

 

[kick_On]

i personnel i get very worried about horses rolling in stables, i've seen to many horses get cast. And you have to been very very careful about sorting out a cast horse, they either go MAD!!!! and i mean mad or very quiet....... I would suggest that you keep you pony in his normal routine/stable and let him do his rolling in a field, less stress for you and pony.

 

[kick_On]

it costs to much, a fiver everytime with us :grin: :grin: :grin:

I think you have to do what suit you horse really, i know folk who come back from hunting and put hosepipe on gg and their horse are always out every week..........

 

[severnmiles]

it costs to much, a fiver everytime with us :grin: :grin: :grin:

Hmm....could get very expensive then!! :smirk:

 

[icemaiden113]

When my hunt horses come home they are stripped of there tack and hosed off (cold water) to keep the pores closed.
Bodies and legs are checked for cuts scratches etc!
Thermatex on and in stable for a drink.
Tack washed off and feeds given to horses.
Dirty numnahs etc in washing machine and rugs swapped over, and finished till later chacked on before bed.
Next day they are walked out then left to rest. Before hunting again later in the week!
As mine are huntsmans/masters horses so they are pretty fit but never turned out!
Only have mine own that has more days off than on but still not put in the field.

 

[kick_On]

that why i've invested in some superglue.......... or just pick the nice to jump :grin: :grin:

 

[Clodagh]

I crashed on Saturday...luckily no antis in sight at the time. Does it count if the ship has gone down with the captain?

I always wash off, she kicks at her belly all night if I leave it muddy and tries to kill me when I try to get it off the next day. I'm afraid I use cold water, and quite often the hose!!

 

[wombat]

i always used to wash all the lovley mud off with nice warm water with( can't remeber the name of it) this salt.. ,cheacking for cuts, and all that.. then once dry i used to turn them out while i had nice cupper.. then bring them in.. tuck them in to bed with a lovley nice big dinner, with electrolytes in it, and also with a nice big haynet! then off home to wash/clean tack, boots.. and sticking the washing in, and jumping in to a nice big bubble bath... whilst dinner cooks lol

 

[BroadfordQueen]

i wash the mud/sweat off and check for any cuts etc (which i put antibacterial stuff on) then let him roll in his stable, then brush the shavings off him and put a thermatex on him, let him have a drink while i take the tack to the house ready to be cleaned etc. then come back up, make sure he has had a drink, then give him his feed (which contains salt and electrolites). then i go and have a nice warm shower and a sausage and bacon sarnie! then later in the evening give him a haynet and let him have half an hour in the small field for a stretch, then bring him in for the night :grin:

 

[Vicki1986]

why arent they turned out ice maiden??

 

[RunToEarth]

Wash down, thermatex and strawed rug, stabled bandages on legs and luke warm water to drink. Usually lunge lightly day afterand then give them rest of day in the field, but mine hunt regularly and get used to it, Monty lives out so when he has had an hours recouperating in stable he gets put out.

 

[dunc_n_toby]

arrive back at the yard, hand horse over to groom and go to the pub c/w muddy hunting gear! Well worth paying for full ivery lol

 

[severnmiles]

arrive back at the yard, hand horse over to groom and go to the pub c/w muddy hunting gear! Well worth paying for full ivery lol

LOL. That seems to be OH's ritual

 

[combat_claire]

Tie my steed securely onto the back of the car, locate nearest pub, steal seat closest to fire and then indulge in a suitable pint of alcoholic beverage. Having finally got home I stick my steed in the garage to dry off so the mud will drop off...leap in the bath, change my clothes and normally head down the local to take up residence on the sofa for the duration!

Before anyone reports me to the RSPCA, my steed for hunting has 2 wheels and handlebars!

 

[GTs]

Hand it over to the groom and head to the pub.......

 

[druid]

Wash off at the meet (cold water), travel in a thermatex, horse dry by the time we get home, check for cuts, ice legs, change rugs to her Rambo plus with under layers if it's cold, offer luke warm water to drink, turn out and feed as normal with electrolytes (though I pre-load with 'lytes the day before a hunt). Hack out at walk/trot the next day.