Wired horse after hunting ! Advice pls

[Cgd]

Recently hunted my new mare. As far as I am aware she has never hunted. She behaved really well . Stood well although trembled a lot with excitement / adrenalin ! Always keen to be in front but was not a total handful . However ... It's nearly a week later and think she is still hunting in her head . Been a handful on the ground when usually very placid. Very disrespectful when catching - usually first at gate ! And suddenly wouldn't load ! Have done some groundwork and she seems better in hand , after 45 mins at first attempt seem to have cracked loading again. Rode her last night and she was still wired! Surely those sheep or any noises she can hear must be the hunt ?!! Lots of snorting going on! Will she eventually calm down ? Eeek !

 

[Orangehorse]

Didn't H & H do an article about introducing a horse to hunting?

 

[Cgd]

Oh I didn't see it if they did !

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Didn't H & H do an article about introducing a horse to hunting?

I think you are supposed to read the article first!
I would set up a little routine to take her mind off things, the same routine maybe 10 mins gridwork every day, also get her on to a magnesium calmer or 10gms MgO, next time you take her anywhere, make it non exciting. Next time you hunt make sure she is well exercised that week [galloping] and also hack for at least half an hour if possible.
Give her more turnout and more work, try to ignore her nonsense. I find a few verses of Rule Brittania distracts most young horses, anything with a good beat and easy lyrics.

 

[Cgd]

Have put her on magnitude says 5gms a day only...? She is turned out 12hrs a day but last night and tonight she is staying out as its so mild and hope help her chill .
Taking her out in box to my instructors yard sat so that should not be too exciting . Supposed to be competing at a hunter trials Sunday but maybe shouldn't go. Not sure i will hunt her again as cant deal with this reaction after !! Yes would have been good to read article before I went . Never had a horse react like this before !

 

[Clodagh]

Ideally you want to take her 3 times a week for as long as it takes. Nearly all horses get it eventually, having said that I have given up on one but mainly as she was a kicker.

 

[Jenny Wrenny]

My new mare was a bit like this after the first time cubbing this season. She was beautifully behaved throughout the morning's hunting but for the week afterwards was sooooo revved up and very out of character. Fidgety when tied up, spooky, looking over every hedge, across fields and woods and generaly convinced that the hunt would be lurking round the next corner!! Obviously re-living every exciting moment from our fun morning together!

I ignored her behaviour and took her cubbing again the following week and thankfully that put an end to the silly nonsense, she just reverted back to her nomal relaxed self afterwards! Since then I have been out once a week and she absolutely loves every moment but is her normal self at home. I always give her the following day off to relax in the field as I think this helps calm them too. If I were you, I would take your horse as much as possible so that the novelty wears off and they generally calm down after several outings - the more the better! I also try to take her out in the horsebox for a bit of a jolly other than just to go hunting, to the beach, drive over to a friend's house to hack out etc etc.

It's like anything in life, the more you do of something, the less exciting it becomes! Good luck.

 

[sh90]

my pony is brilliant in everyway however when we go to a show or anywhere with other horses he literally looses his mind! the only thing he had done prior to me owning him was he had hunted once and I do believe this has caused him to associated going out with 'OMG!'. Hopefully the more we get out the better he will get but for a full year of competing he was just as bad at the end- loss of transport last year but hopefully be back out next year- so hopefully we will get there. My old YO always said it took a special horse to hunt in the sense knew its job in different areas ie on field and off field.

 

[Cgd]

Thanks everyone who has replied. Jenny I was feeling hopeful that if i take her more times we may overcome this .... Then I read Sh90 . She usually behaves exceptionally at competitions as take her out a lot so maybe I will take her to the cross country trials Sunday as planned and see what happens . We have a lesson Saturday so that trip out in the box will not be an exciting one . Will let you know what occurs . Feeling bit gutted about it all at the moment as hoping I have made her a manic pony going forward, as it will spoil both our fun!

 

[PolarSkye]

My boy hunted twice a week in the season before I bought him . . . we took him for the first time last autumn after four years of ownership, and he was exactly as you describe your mare . . . we took him twice more and then decided to stop, simply because we were going to start eventing and then he went lame. Yes, it did make him a tad more excitable when going out to competitions, but after a few times going out (to lessons, for clinics, etc.) he soon learned he wasn't hunting and calmed down.

He won't ever hunt again . . . I can't risk that suspensory (the reason he went lame) . . . but if I were going to try and get a horse to get over the excitement of hunting, I would take it out for a full season, twice a week to start with and then once a week with some other journeys to other things thrown in.

Some horses find hunting really, really exciting . . . Pops was one of them . . . he wouldn't eat up for a week or so afterwards, became very spooky to lead, was constantly looking over hedges/off into the distance as if listening for the hounds . . . he dropped a lot of weight too - had to stuff him full of haylage/Copra/Speedibeet. I'm rambling now - like I said, either keep hunting until she gets used to it (and take her out to other things as well), or abandon hunting and just crack on with hunter trials, eventing, etc.

Best of luck,

P

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Have put her on magnitude says 5gms a day only...? She is turned out 12hrs a day but last night and tonight she is staying out as its so mild and hope help her chill .
Taking her out in box to my instructors yard sat so that should not be too exciting . Supposed to be competing at a hunter trials Sunday but maybe shouldn't go. Not sure i will hunt her again as cant deal with this reaction after !! Yes would have been good to read article before I went . Never had a horse react like this before !

N, just work her through it, she will get over it!

 

[mastermax]

My wonderful, sedate little cob went cubbing for the first time last Saturday and has turned into "The Anti-Christ" this week. Jogging, spooking, no brakes, cant catch him and just generally being a brat! He is going again this Sat but with a little help by way of DeFuse! Hoping he will soon accept it and ENJOY it. I really know how you feel.

 

[Goldenstar]

We take them three days a week until they are settled and they load to go somewhere somewhere that's not hunting in between ,
Very time consuming but it does work.

 

[Cgd]

Thanks again for all your posts will keep you in touch of what happens over the next few weeks. Unfort hunting few times a week is not an option due to my work commitments so I think I will have to completely rule it out. Hoping she will be ok on our next competition outing and soon be back to the horse I remember pre last Saturday ) . Obv we just had way too much fun !

 

[frostyfingers]

My horse has a bit of a reputation out hunting - last season for the first few weeks he was mad as a box of frogs (due to KS surgery I couldn't get him autumn hunting so started with a bang just after the opening meet). He pranced, snorted and reversed his way through 4 or 5 days and everyone kept commenting on his lunacy (!) and then suddenly he settled and turned into the most perfect hunter and he got loads of compliments. This season we have been regularly autumn hunting and he has been fine, fairly relaxed and standing quietly except for last week when he turned back into the devil incarnate and almost bucked me off several times, and generally got very het up. As soon as he's home, he's fine and like a donkey out hacking. He's had a shoe off all week and has only hacked out once so tomorrow will be interesting to say the least - I hope the forecast rain dampens his enthusiasm. Oh, and he's not new to hunting either - this will be his fourth season!

 

[PorkChop]

We take them three days a week until they are settled and they load to go somewhere somewhere that's not hunting in between ,
Very time consuming but it does work.

This, unless you have an extremely placid horse they really need to be exposed to it on a regular basis, and you really have to commit to it. I have found it takes a full seasons to make a mannerly hunter, it is worth it however

 

[LeannePip]

I think you are supposed to read the article first!
I would set up a little routine to take her mind off things, the same routine maybe 10 mins gridwork every day, also get her on to a magnesium calmer or 10gms MgO, next time you take her anywhere, make it non exciting. Next time you hunt make sure she is well exercised that week [galloping] and also hack for at least half an hour if possible.
Give her more turnout and more work, try to ignore her nonsense. I find a few verses of Rule Brittania distracts most young horses, anything with a good beat and easy lyrics.

What every one above has said is very good advice, but i will just add that a magnesium supplement will only have an effect if the horse is mag deficient - if they aren't mad deficient it will have zero effect as a calmer - but there are plenty of non-mag calmers out there!

i'd get her out again fairly soon, may not be as exciting second time around!